KNOWLEDGE AND VALUES TRANSFER IN SPECIAL EDUCATION: TOWARDS SUSTAINABLE AND INCLUSIVE EDUCATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Abstract

This study presents an opportunity for an in-depth examination into the role of knowledge transfer and educational values toward the firm establishment of sustainable and inclusive learning environments in the special education spectrum within Greece. Over the past decade, knowledge transfer has gradually become an indispensable process for enhancing the quality of education, fostering innovation, and ameliorating the gaps between theory and practice in inclusive arts (Ainscow, 2020). Within the Greek educational arena, because of limited institutional support to teachers, fragmented professional development options, and complex demands regarding inclusion, one can see how much transfer of pedagogical knowledge and ethical values becomes important in sustaining professional resilience and social conscience, hence fostering `inclusive teaching' competence (Xafakos, 2025). This study builds upon contemporary pedagogical frameworks that conceptualize inclusion not merely as an educational policy but as a multidimensional moral and social imperative supporting sustainable educational development. It seeks to understand how educational communities interpret, internalize, and put into practice these values in their daily teaching activities, and how, through this, educational equity is realized in the long term. More concretely, the study observes the interrelations between teachers, their perceptions of collaboration and reflection, and the processes through which knowledge is passed on and re-contextualized within professional networks and school culture. Qualitative research design was used to render justice to the richness and complexities in the lived experiences of teachers. The semi-structured interviews with twenty special education teachers represented both mainstream and special settings of education across Attica and Western Greece. Data collection took place from January 2023 to March 2024, with thematic coding procedures taking place before interpretation (Florian & Beaton, 2021). Such techniques enabled the identification of common themes regarding professional collaboration, mentoring, reflective learning, and the shared ethical values that become embodied in practices within the classroom environment. In the advent of contextual factors like institutional culture, policy-oriented framework, and provisions for learning resources for practitioners to mediate the strength and efficacy of knowledge transfers between the trainers, it is found that teachers consider the knowledge transfer process as a main path through which professional development, collective reflection, and institutional learning should be carried out between teachers. Teachers mention that educational experience exchange on a systematic level creates room for higher degrees of flexibility and empathy alongside inclusivity within the classroom. Results also showed that the sustainability of inclusive practices hinges on the long-term support mechanisms between structured mentorship frameworks, value-driven leadership, and reflective professional communities. The study concludes that embedding knowledge and values transfer would enhance sustainability in inclusive education systems. Instigation of structured mentoring schemes, targeted and continuous professional development programs, and national policy frameworks supporting inclusive pedagogy and long-term educational sustainability were some of the recommendations presented (Ainscow, 2020). This work is part of a broader pedagogical initiative on sustainable inclusion and equity within Greek education during 2023–2024 with ethical approval and anonymized data handling. (Xafakos, 2022)