Attitudinal Barriers in Pedagogical Work with Cognitive Differences: An Approach from the Social Representations of Teachers

Abstract

The response to cognitive differences in education has transitioned from a deficit-based model to a contextual and inclusive one that seeks to eliminate barriers that hinder the learning and participation of students labeled with disabilities. This situation implies challenges and demands for school communities, particularly in terms of teachers' perceptions of their practice and the students they work with. The objective of the study is to describe and analyze the attitudinal barriers of first-cycle primary school teachers in their pedagogical work with students participating in the Special Education Program (PIE) in the Coquimbo region. A qualitative approach and a descriptive-interpretative phenomenological design were used. Five teachers from municipal and subsidized private schools with PIE participated in semi-structured interviews on social representations, which were examined through qualitative content analysis. The findings show that teachers adopt evaluative stances and actions based on pedagogical practices rooted in a normalization tradition that positions the teacher as responsible for ideological and pedagogical homogenization, generating attitudinal barriers that involve communication, cognition, curriculum, and institutional factors, interfering with the relational dialogue between teachers and students who are constructed as different in the school context.