Students with disabilities' perceptions of school climate: A systematic review

Abstract

School climate has been identified as a critical systemic variable associated with many desirable academic and social-emotional outcomes. However, little research has been conducted regarding the students with disabilities’ perceptions of school climate. This review aimed to investigate and synthesize the existing research on this topic to identify trends in the literature, guide future research, and inform intervention and reform. Following a systematic search of four major databases, 12 studies were determined to meet the inclusion criteria. Generally, students with disabilities reported more negative perceptions of school climate in comparison to peers without disabilities. However, when an intersectional lens was applied to discern this population's perspectives, a more nuanced understanding of school climate was able to be identified. This approach suggests evaluating school climate data in a disaggregated form may better inform decision-making in schools. Future research regarding students with disabilities’ perceptions of school climate and related outcomes is needed. This should include both a wider and more specified sample of students, what school climate subdomains are impacted and how, how these variables relate to school-related outcomes, and how school climate interventions specifically impact students with disabilities.