School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities

Bahadır İnan; Erhan Çetin; Nazar Bulduk

doi:10.63612/ijesp.1914072

School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities

Abstract

Inclusive education requires coordinated support systems to address the complex academic and socio-emotional needs of students with learning disabilities (LD). This qualitative study, employing a case study design, explores school counselors' perspectives on the provision of guidance and counseling services for students with LD in inclusive primary and secondary school settings in Türkiye. The study group consisted of ten school counselors (six female and four male) working in five primary and five middle schools located in the city center of a province in Türkiye, selected through criterion sampling. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews conducted between May and June 2025 and analyzed using inductive content analysis. The findings reveal that school counselors assume multifaceted responsibilities, including participation in identification and assessment processes, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) coordination, teacher consultation, family collaboration, and socio-emotional support. Concurrently, structural and professional challenges such as limited preparation in special education, heavy workloads, overcrowded classrooms, and inconsistencies in Guidance and Research Center (GRCs) procedures constrain the effectiveness of these services. A key contribution of this study is the conceptualization of school counselors as ecological coordinators within inclusive education systems, whose effectiveness is shaped by interactions across microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, and macrosystem levels. Strengthening professional development opportunities, promoting interdisciplinary collaboration, and improving institutional support mechanisms are recommended to enhance the quality of inclusive guidance services.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

TUBITAK

Project Number

TUBITAK 2209-A Project Number: 1919B012428175

Ethical Statement

The ethics application for the study was made on 14/05/2025, and the research was carried out with the approval of Yozgat Bozok University Social and Human Sciences Ethics Committee (Approval Number: E-39243114-770-317676; Date: 14/05/2025). All participants were informed about the purpose and procedures of the study and provided voluntary informed consent prior to participation. They were assured that interviews would be audio-recorded, that all personal identifiers would be removed during transcription, and that pseudonyms would be used to ensure confidentiality.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Inclusive Education

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Bahadır İnan ^*
0000-0002-2952-5455
Türkiye

Erhan Çetin
0000-0002-7135-9825
Türkiye

Nazar Bulduk
0000-0009-6642-5355
Türkiye

Early Pub Date

July 1, 2026

Publication Date

-

Submission Date

March 22, 2026

Acceptance Date

June 1, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Number: Advanced Online Publication

DOI

https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1914072

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA56SJ54GW

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

İnan, B., Çetin, E., & Bulduk, N. (2026). School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, Advanced Online Publication, 336-361. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1914072

AMA

1.İnan B, Çetin E, Bulduk N. School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. IJESP. 2026;(Advanced Online Publication):336-361. doi:10.63612/ijesp.1914072

Chicago

İnan, Bahadır, Erhan Çetin, and Nazar Bulduk. 2026. “School Counselors As Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, no. Advanced Online Publication: 336-61. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1914072.

EndNote

İnan B, Çetin E, Bulduk N (July 1, 2026) School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy Advanced Online Publication 336–361.

IEEE

[1]B. İnan, E. Çetin, and N. Bulduk, “School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities”, IJESP, no. Advanced Online Publication, pp. 336–361, July 2026, doi: 10.63612/ijesp.1914072.

ISNAD

İnan, Bahadır - Çetin, Erhan - Bulduk, Nazar. “School Counselors As Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy. Advanced Online Publication (July 1, 2026): 336-361. https://doi.org/10.63612/ijesp.1914072.

JAMA

1.İnan B, Çetin E, Bulduk N. School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. IJESP. 2026;:336–361.

MLA

İnan, Bahadır, et al. “School Counselors As Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students With Learning Disabilities”. International Journal of Educational Studies and Policy, no. Advanced Online Publication, July 2026, pp. 336-61, doi:10.63612/ijesp.1914072.

Vancouver

1.Bahadır İnan, Erhan Çetin, Nazar Bulduk. School Counselors as Ecological Coordinators in Inclusive Education: Perspectives on Supporting Students with Learning Disabilities. IJESP. 2026 Jul. 1;(Advanced Online Publication):336-61. doi:10.63612/ijesp.1914072