The effects of inclusion on academic achievement, socioemotional development and wellbeing of children with special educational needs

Abstract

Background: Considering the rapid global movement towards inclusion for students with special educational needs (SEN), there is a surprising lack of pedagogical or didactic theories regarding the ways in which inclusive education may affect students with SEN. Group composition within the educational setting may play a role in determining the academic achievement, socio-emotional development, and wellbeing of students with SEN. Proponents of inclusion propose that segregated educational placement causes stigmatisation and social isolation which may have detrimental effects on the self-concept and self-confidence of students with SEN.On the other hand, opponents of inclusion for all special needs students suggest that placement in general education classrooms may have adverse effects especially if the time and resources allocated for individualisation are not aligned with student needs. Since the 1980s, a number of reviews on the effects of inclusion have been published. Results are inconsistent, and several reviews point to a number of methodological challenges and weaknesses of the study designs within primary studies. In sum, the impact of inclusion on students with SEN may be hypothesised to be both positive and negative, and the current knowledge base is inconsistent.Objectives: The objective was first:• To uncover and synthesise data from contemporary studies to assess the effects of inclusion on measures of academic achievement, socio-emotional development, and wellbeing of children with special needs when compared to children with special needs who receive special education in a segregated setting.• A secondary objective was to explore how potential moderators (gender, age, type and severity of special need, part or full time inclusive education, and co-teaching) relate to outcomes.

Reading and math skills of students with special educational needs in regular and special classes

“…Second, there were no differences in the reading and math skills of students with SEN in regular and special classes in Estonianlanguage schools. Similarly, it has been previously found that there may be no differences in academic skills between students with SEN in regular and special classes (Dalgaard et al, 2022;Hienonen et al, 2021;Ruijs & Peetsma, 2009). These results suggest that in crosssectional studies in Estonianlanguage schools, an inclusive or segregated classroom environ ment is not associated with student academic success.…”

“…Earlier studies have shown slightly different results between class placement and academic skills of students with SEN (Dalgaard et al, 2022;Hienonen et al, 2021, Kivirähk & Kiive, 2022Krämer et al, 2021;Ruijs & Peetsma, 2009). The reasons for this can be many, such as how the learning process is organized and SEN definition, which can vary from country to country.…”

“…Sageli ei ole erinevatel osapooltel suhtumises kaasavasse haridusse üksmeelt (Häidkind ja Oras, 2016;Kivirand et al, 2020;Leijen et al, 2021;Pedaste et al, 2021). Kaasava hariduse rakendamise seoseid HEV õpilaste ja teiste, see tähendab ilma HEVita õpilaste akadeemiliste ja sotsiaalemotsionaalsete oskustega on ana lüüsitud mitmetes suuremahulistes uurimustes (vt ülevaateuuringuid Dalgaard et al, 2022;Krämer et al, 2021;Ruijs & Peetsma, 2009;Szumski et al, 2017). Järgnevalt anname ülevaate uurimustest, kus on analüüsitud kaasava hariduse rakenda mise seoseid HEV õpilaste akadeemilise toimetulekuga.…”

“…Varasemates uuringutes HEV õpilaste akadeemiliste oskuste kohta erinevates klassikeskondades on saadud erinevaid tulemusi (näiteks Dalgaard et al, 2022;Hienonen et al, 2021;Kivirähk & Kiive, 2022;Krämer et al, 2021;Ruijs & Peetsma, 2009), mis võivad olla seotud erinevate aspektidega, sealhulgas õppe korralduse ja HEV määratlusega, mis on riigiti erinevad. Seetõttu on oluline teada saada, kuidas kaasav hariduskorraldus on Eestis rakendunud.…”

Special education's zombies and their consequences

“…In fact, several reviews of the literature over the past 30 years have concluded that there is no consistent evidence for the advantage of either special education or inclusive education (Cook & Cook, 2020;Dalgaard et al, 2022;Hegarty, 1993;Hornby, 1992Hornby, , 1999Lindsay, 2007;Stephenson & Ganguly, 2021). A major source of evidence for the effectiveness of interventions in the field of education is Hattie's (2009) synthesis of meta-analyses.…”