The space for self-realisation among students with disabilities at university: perspectives from teaching staf

Introduction. The intensification of inclusive processes in higher education emphasises the need to create an educational environment within universities that supports the self-realisation of students with disabilities (SWDs). Faculty members should act as the primary agents within such an environment. However, the specific role of teachers as facilitators of self-realisation for students with disabilities has not yet been empirically investigated. Consequently, a significant gap remains in understanding the role of university teachers as participants in inclusive educational relationships. Aim. The present research aimed to establish a typology of university teaching staff on an empirical basis, according to the nature of their subject position within the system that supports the self-realisation of students with disabilities in inclusive education. Methodology and research methods. The study was based on the methodological principles of inclusive and subject-activity approaches in education. A total of 1,536 university teachers from five federal districts of the Russian Federation participated as respondents in the online survey. A personalised approach to data analysis, employing latent profile analysis, was applied. Results. There are four latent profiles of university teachers, corresponding to their levels of acceptance of inclusive education and their readiness to support the self-realisation of students with disabilities. These profiles reflect distinct teaching positions: involved, detached, interested, and sceptical. Each typological group of teachers is characterised by a specific internal structure, with varying proportions that include, on the one hand, teachers from different educational institutions, and on the other, teachers who differ in socio-demographic and socio-professional characteristics. Scientific novelty. The research materials provide a deeper understanding of the patterns underlying the formation of inclusive educational relationships within the “university staff – student with disabilities” dyad. Practical significance. In light of the results obtained, guidelines have been established for implementing a differentiated approach within universities to optimise the status of teaching staff as facilitators of the self-realisation of students with disabilities.

1. Rubtsov V.V., Saitgalieva G.G., Denisova O.A., Volosnikova L.M., Guterman L.A., Krasnopevceva T.F., et al. Goals, objectives, and main directions of the development of inclusive higher education in the Russian Federation. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education. 2023;28(6):6–23. (In Russ.) doi:10.17759/pse.2023280601

2. Saitgalieva G.G. Organizational conditions for teaching students with disabilities in pedagogical universities. Vestnik prakticheskoy psikhologii obrazovaniya = Bulletin of Practical Educational Psychology. 2023;20(1):129–145. (In Russ.) doi:10.17759/bppe.2023200113

3. Heffernan T. Failing at the basics: disabled university students’ views on enhancing classroom inclusion. Oxford Review of Education. 2023;50(5):694–709. doi:10.1080/03054985.2023.2281314

4. Kauffman J.M., Anastasiou D., Felder M., Lopes J., Hallenbeck B.A., Hornby G., Ahrbeck B. Trends and issues involving disabilities in higher education. Trends in Higher Education. 2023;2(1):1–15. doi:10.3390/higheredu2010001

5. Nyoni P.N. Dynamics of disability for South African university students in the Fourth Industrial Revolution. In: Ndlovu S., Nyoni P., eds. Social, Educational, and Cultural Perspectives of Disabilities in the Global South. Hershey, PA: IGI Global; 2021:210–223. doi:10.4018/978-1-7998-4867-7.ch014

6. Plotnikova E.S., Borzova T.V. Development of self-determination as a psychological resource for self-realization in university students. Psikholog = The Psychologist. 2023;6:16–33. (In Russ.) doi:10.25136/2409-8701.2023.6.69234

7. Ju S., Zeng W., Landmark L.J. Self-determination and academic success of students with disabilities in postsecondary education: A review. Journal of Disability Policy Studies. 2017;28:180–189. doi:10.1177/1044207317739402

8. Moriña A., Biagiotti G. Academic success factors in university students with disabilities: a systematic review. European Journal of Special Needs Education. 2022;37(5):729–746. doi:10.1080/08856257.2021.1940007

9. Chao P. Using self-determination of senior college students with disabilities to predict their quality of life one year after graduation. European Journal of Educational Research. 2017;7(1):1–8. doi:10.12973/eu-jer.7.1.1

10. Osmuk L.A. Self-realization of students with disabilities as a basic mechanism of social inclusion. Psikhologicheskaya nauka i obrazovanie = Psychological Science and Education. 2018;23(2):59–67. (In Russ.) doi:10.17759/pse.2018230207

11. Kuprieieva O. Psychological characteristics of self-realization of students with disabilities. Social Welfare: Interdisciplinary Approach. 2015;5(2):64–73. doi:10.15388/SW.2015.28172

12. Chipchase S.Y., Seddon A., Tyers H., Thomas S. Experience of university life by disabled undergraduate students: the need to consider extra-curricular opportunities. Disability & Society. 2023;39(11):2817–2834. doi:10.1080/09687599.2023.2233687

13. Cho J.I., Jones K. How do college students with disabilities do? Law, self-determination, self-advocacy, and campus resources. Journal of the Scholarship of Teaching and Learning. 2024;24(3). doi:10.14434/josotl.v24i3.35703

14. Abdalina L.V., Mou Sh. Self-realization of international students in the university educational environment: current research issues. Sovremennye naukoemkie tekhnologii = Modern High Technologies. 2023;8:103–107. (In Russ.) doi:10.17513/snt.39738

15. Kantor V.Z. Inclusive higher education: specific environmental conditions for teaching students with disabilities in universities. Psikhologo-pedagogicheskie issledovaniya = Psychological and Pedagogical Research. 2019;11(3):44–56. (In Russ.) doi:10.17759/psyedu.2019110304

16. Subu M.A., Mottershead R., Sallam A.M., Dias J.M., Kavumpurath J., Ahmed F.R., et al. Experiences of students with disabilities enrolling in higher education: a qualitative study in the United Arab Emirates. F1000Research. 2025;14. doi:10.12688/f1000research.158481.1

17. Altes T.K., Willemse M., Goei S.L., Ehren M. Higher education teachers’ understandings of and challenges for inclusion and inclusive learning environments: a systematic literature review. Educational Research Review. 2024;43. doi:10.1016/j.edurev.2024.100605

18. Kantor V.Z., Proekt Yu.L. Inclusive educational process at university: a theoretical and experimental model of teachers’ psychological readiness. Obrazovanie i nauka = The Education and Science Journal. 2021;23(3):156–182. (In Russ.) doi:10.17853/1994-5639-2021-3-156-182

19. Nosova A.L., Orlova V.V. Professional interaction of university teachers with students with disabilities as an element of inclusive education implementation (based on universities of Tomsk region). Vektory blagopoluchiya: ekonomika i socium = Vectors of Well-being: Economics and Society. 2021;3(42):53–65. (In Russ.)

20. Fomina M.V. Study of university teachers’ readiness to implement inclusive educational practices with hearing-impaired students. Vestnik Mininskogo universiteta = Bulletin of Minin University. 2021;2(35). (In Russ.) doi:10.26795/2307-1281-2021-9-2-3

21. Rusu M. The process of self-realization – from the humanist psychology perspective. Psychology. 2019;10:1095–1115. doi:10.4236/psych.2019.108071

22. Turner Y. Self-realization as self-education. In: Turner Y., ed. Quest for Life: A Study in Aharon David Gordon’s Philosophy of Man in Nature. Boston: Academic Studies Press; 2020:84–91. doi:10.1515/9781644693131-011

23. Garcia E.G., Rolls N. Self-realization and self-control society: Colombian higher education system. Journal of Hispanic Higher Education. 2023;22(2):233–248. doi:10.1177/15381927221105613

24. Dzhamalkhanova L., Yusupkhadzhieva T., Muskhanova I., Bazaeva F. Formation of self-realization of future teachers in studying at university. In: Bataev D.K.-S., Gapurov S.A., Osmaev A.D., Akaev V.Kh., Idigova L.M., Ovhadov M.R., Salgiriev A.R., Betilmerzaeva M.M., eds. Social and Cultural Transformations in the Context of Modern Globalism. Future Academy; 2019:284–291. doi:10.15405/epsbs.2019.12.04.40

25. Shutenko E., Shutenko A., Kuzmicheva T., Koreneva A., Romanova G., Talysheva I. Attractive spheres of students’ self-realization as practices for supporting their psychological well-being in university education. International Journal of Cognitive Research in Science, Engineering and Education. 2021;9(2):173–188. doi:10.23947/2334-8496-2021-9-2-173-188

26. Filippou K., Acquah E.O., Bengs A. Inclusive policies and practices in higher education: a systematic literature review. Review of Education. 2025;13:e70034. doi:10.1002/rev3.70034

27. Lockmun-Bissessur V., Samy M., Peeroo S. Inclusive education in higher education institutions: a comprehensive review of key components and framework for implementation. Journal of Business and Social Sciences. 2024. doi:10.61453/jobss.v2024no15

28. Grebennikova V.M., Bonkalo T.I., Grebennikov O.V. Conditions of self-actualization of disabled students in an inclusive educational environment. In: Glebovich S.A., ed. Pedagogical Education – History, Present Time, Perspectives, vol. 87. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. European Publisher; 2020:149–155. doi:10.15405/epsbs.2020.08.02.19

29. Fominykh N.Yu., Kojkova E.I., Bubenchikova А.V. Educational environment as an ecosystem. Mir nauki, kul’tury, obrazovanija = The World of Science, Culture and Education. 2021;3:292–294. (In Russ.) doi:10.24412/1991-5497-2021-388-292-294

30. Konovalova M.D. Specifics of self-actualization of students’ personality in inclusive professional education. Izvestiya Saratovskogo universiteta. Novaya seriya. Seriya Akmeologiya obrazovaniya. Psikhologiya razvitiya = Izvestiya of Saratov University. Educational Acmeology. Developmental Psychology. 2018;3:220–227. (In Russ.)

31. Shulmin M.P. Representation of students with disabilities in the semantic space of consciousness of teachers, healthy master’s students and undergraduate students. Sibirskiy psikhologicheskiy zhurnal = Siberian Psychological Journal. 2022;84:70–93. (In Russ.) doi:10.17223/17267080/84/4

32. Ryan R.M., Deci E.L. Self-determination theory and the facilitation of intrinsic motivation, social development and well-being. American Psychologist. 2000;55(1):68–78. doi:10.1037/0003-066X.55.1.68

33. Spurk D., Hirschi A., Wang M., Valero D., Kauffeld S. Latent profile analysis: a review and “how to” guide of its application within vocational behavior research. Journal of Vocational Behavior. 2020;120. doi:10.1016/j.jvb.2020.103445

34. Hong B., Haefner L., Slekar T. Faculty attitudes and knowledge toward promoting self-determination and self-directed learning for college students with and without disabilities. The International Journal of Teaching and Learning in Higher Education. 2011;23:175–185.

35. Simonova G.I., Utyomov V.V., Shishkina A.N. Features of perception of students with disabilities by teachers. Perspektivy nauki i obrazovaniya = Perspectives of Science and Education. 2024;1(67):369– 387. (In Russ.) doi:10.32744/pse.2024.1.20

36. Japundža-Milisavljević M., Đurić-Zdravković A., Milanović-Dobrota B. Educators’ attitudes towards inclusive education. Specijalna Edukacija i Rehabilitacija. 2022;21(1):15–30. doi:10.5937/specedreh21-34279

37. González-Castellano N., Colmenero-Ruiz M.J., Cordón-Pozo E. Factors that influence the university’s inclusive educational processes: perceptions of university professors. Heliyon. 2021;7(4):e06853. doi:10.1016/j.heliyon.2021.e06853

38. Llorent V.J., Zych I., Varo-Millán J.-C. University academic personnel’s vision of inclusive education in Spanish universities (Visión del profesorado sobre la educación inclusiva en la universidad en España). Culture and Education. 2020;32(1):147–181. doi:10.1080/11356405.2019.1705593

39. Volosnikova L.M., Efimova G.Z. Faculty attitudes towards students with disabilities in Russian universities: “A glance at Western Siberia”. In: Valeeva R., ed. Teacher Education – IFTE 2016, vol 12. European Proceedings of Social and Behavioural Sciences. Future Academy; 2016:432–438. doi:10.15405/epsbs.2016.07.68