ABSTRACT
The concept of integration occurs in many different contexts. In some school settings, it refers to having children of different races or ethnic backgrounds together in the same classrooms; in others, it refers to having boys and girls in the same classroom; in still others, it may involve having students with different abilities together, as in inclusive classrooms in which students with disabilities participate in general education classrooms. Merrill’s principle of integration includes both kinds of integration since both kinds of situations are encountered in everyday life. Most education and training fail to meet Merrill’s integration principle. A systems perspective is more than simply thinking about all the many interrelated components and aspects of an educational system.
