An analysis of research on inclusive education: a systematic search and meta review

TLDR

Inclusive education has seen many policy developments and reviews worldwide, yet a comprehensive, up‑to‑date synthesis of the field remains lacking. This study aims to synthesize prior inclusive‑education reviews to identify studied themes, lessons learned, and research gaps to guide future practice and research. The authors conducted a systematic search of ERIC and Web of Science, identified 26 reviews, and performed a thematic analysis that uncovered five main themes: attitudes toward IE, teacher professional development, IE practices, student participation, and critical reflections on IE research. The review concludes that teacher professional development in evidence‑based IE practices is essential for successful implementation, and recommends further research on student and school leader attitudes and on students’ academic participation in IE.

Abstract

Across the world, there have been many policy developments in and reviews of inclusive education (IE) but what appears to be missing is an up to date and thorough review of IE in general. What is required is a synopsis of previous reviews to help guide future practice and research. The aim of this paper is to analyse existing reviews of IE regarding (1) which themes have been studied, (2) what can be learned from these reviews and (3) what gaps there are in the research that can be addressed. Published reviews were identified through a systematic search using the Education Resource Information Center (ERIC) and Web of Science (WoS) databases. A thematic analysis of 26 reviews revealed five main themes: attitudes towards IE, teachers' professional development in IE, IE practices, student participation and critical reflections on IE research. The conclusion is that for the implementation of IE, it is vital that there is professional development for teachers regarding evidence-informed IE practices which would lead to successful teacher experiences. In addition, suggestions for research into the attitudes of all students, with and without special educational needs, and school leaders are made, as well as some suggestions regarding students' academic participation in IE.