Institutional policy and inclusive practices: teacher perceptions of higher education in Chile

Abstract

Inclusion and diversity are essential pillars of current educational policies, especially in higher education, where their effective implementation remains a challenge. In this context, private universities must translate regulatory frameworks into practices that promote a truly inclusive culture. This article interprets the perceptions of academics in Early Childhood Education and Basic Education Pedagogy at a private university in Santiago, Chile, regarding the contribution of their institutional policy on inclusion and diversity. The research, with a qualitative approach and interpretive paradigm, adopted a micro-ethnographic design that combined desk and fieldwork. Semi-structured interviews and documentary analysis were applied, organizing the data into four theoretical categories using an inductive approach. The results show a gap between theory and practice in the implementation of the policy. Although theoretical knowledge exists, there are evident shortcomings in the practical tools to apply it. The Inclusion Unit is little known and its effectiveness is perceived as limited. It is concluded that it is necessary to strengthen dissemination, training, and teacher support in the area of inclusion, moving toward an institutional transformation that allows inclusion to be expressed in everyday university practices.