Inclusion in Norwegian schools: pupils’ experiences of their learning environment

Schools in Norway are supposed to meet the ideals connected to inclusive education. The most common definition of inclusive education in Norway is multiple-oriented, meaning that inclusive education is a product of a variety of values, processes and experiences. Learning environment is a particularly central element in inclusive education. The article deals with how varying groups of pupils with special educational needs experience their learning environment in school in Norway, compared with other pupils. The experiences of the learning environment are important for well-being in school and to benefit from teaching. Pupils' experiences have not been widely studied as a basis for educational policy and practise. This goes especially for pupils with difficulties and pupils receiving special education. Data were collected by a net-based survey with about 10,000 pupils answering the questionnaire. The results indicate that pupils with difficulties in school and those in special education experience a learning environment of lower quality than other pupils.