Tensions surrounding inclusion in higher education: a reflective thematic analysis of the academic literature (2021–2025)
Keywords:
Inclusion, Higher education, Non-performativity, Participatory justice, Deficit modelArticle Sidebar
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This article proposes an interpretative framework for inclusion in global higher education, with the aim of conducting a critical analysis of the international academic literature published between 2021 and 2025. By applying the Reflective Thematic Analysis method developed by Braun and Clarke, a corpus of 34 articles indexed in the Web of Science (WoS) and Scopus databases was systematised. These articles address inclusion through the categories of disability, gender and first-generation students (FGS). The findings indicate the presence of three operational tensions at the macro, meso and micro levels of global higher education. At the macro level, there is a tension between selectivity and universal access. At the meso level, a tension is identified between ‘non-performativity’ and binding participatory justice. Finally, at the micro level, a tension is detected between the traditional model of individual deficit and the valuation of knowledge funds and student identity. The reflective thematic analysis concludes by emphasizing the imperative need to move away from a remedial and cosmetic logic of inclusion toward systemic, curricular, and participatory transformations that ensure social justice.
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