05.10.2026
Two research projects from PHBern's Research Programme on Inclusive Education have been awarded funding by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNSF). The projects address key questions in inclusive education: children's perspectives on well-being at school and the processes that shape belonging and educational pathways. Both projects will begin in spring 2027.
«Negotiating Belonging»: How belonging is negotiated in schools
Why are certain groups of children and young people disproportionately represented in special classes and special schools? School assessment and placement procedures play an important role in determining which educational pathways are available to children.
The new research project «Negotiating Belonging» explores these questions. Caroline Bühler (project lead), Sherin Attoun and Julia Suter examine the underlying principles guiding school placement decisions and how these have developed historically. Taking an intersectional perspective, they investigate how different social categorisations, for example those relating to family migration histories, language skills or gender, interact in decisions about educational pathways.
The project comprises two qualitative sub-studies. A historical study reconstructs the criteria schools previously used when deciding to place pupils in separate educational settings. An ethnographic study follows current assessment and placement processes from kindergarten to Year 6 of primary school.
This combination of historical and contemporary perspectives will be brought together when the research project officially takes off in February 2027.
«From Voice to Norm»: Well-being at school from children's perspectives – an SNSF co-investigator project
Although children's well-being is widely recognised as a key prerequisite for successful educational experiences, existing concepts and models are largely based on adult perspectives. Children's own views have so far received limited attention in theoretical and normative discussions of well-being at school.
The international research project «From Voice to Norm» addresses this gap. Co-led by Claire Cassidy (University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland) and Sarah-Jane Conrad (PHBern), the research team, including Jessica Bollag (PHBern), Stephanie Hardley (University of Strathclyde) and other colleagues in Scotland and Switzerland, investigates how children understand well-being at school and which conditions they themselves perceive as supportive or detrimental.
The project centres on participatory research approaches in which children are not simply interviewed but actively involved as co-researchers in developing a theory of well-being at school.
Comparing findings from two education systems makes it possible to examine contexts in which well-being is accorded very different levels of importance. While well-being is firmly embedded in professional standards for teachers, curricula and school development in Scotland, this is not yet the case to the same extent in Switzerland. The project will provide a foundation for educational practice and teacher education, helping to ensure that teaching, school development and participation processes are more closely aligned with children's perspectives and interests.
The project team is looking forward to the start of this international research collaboration in April 2027.
The two SNSF-funded projects address distinct but closely related questions in inclusive education. Both will make an important contribution to advancing research within PHBern's research programme on Inclusive Education. The programme is delighted that both projects have secured funding and looks forward to the findings and new insights that will emerge from this work.
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