When we think of reviews (and certainly meta-analyses), we quickly tend to think of quantitative research. But we can also learn a great deal from qualitative research. For example, in discussions about inclusive education, we often talk about systems in practice (see also the earlier research by Fuchs and colleagues). Should students with disabilities receive as much of their education as possible in mainstream schools? When is special education more appropriate? What does inclusion mean for academic achievement? And certainly not unimportant: what does all this ask of teachers and, by extension, the entire team? But you can also ask a different question: how do students with SEND in mainstream education experience school? Qualitative research can help us answer that question.
A new systematic review by Megan Cutts and colleagues tries to do exactly that. The researchers brought together qualitative research on the experiences of young people with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) in mainstream secondary education and, according to the young people themselves, what those experiences mean for their wellbeing.
So this is explicitly not a study comparing mainstream and special education. It therefore cannot tell us whether inclusive education is better or worse for young people’s wellbeing. The researchers look at young people in mainstream education and what they themselves say about it. Initially, the authors found 7,893 studies. That is a ridiculous number, but… in the end, only 36 studies met the review criteria.
Four major themes emerge from these studies.
The other students
The first, and perhaps least surprising, is about other students. Relationships with peers are very important. Being accepted, having friends and feeling that you belong are experienced positively. But young people also talk about exclusion, stigma and bullying. Sometimes peers’ attitudes change after a diagnosis becomes known. Bullying can also explicitly target a young person’s disability. This theme emerged particularly strongly among young people with communication and interaction needs, including many young people with autism.
What happens in the classroom?
Relationships with teachers play a role here, but so does how well teachers understand what a student needs. Young people describe positive experiences when teachers understand them and when teaching sufficiently accounts for their needs. The opposite can lead to frustration and stress.
The school environment and support
Here too, the picture is not easy to summarise. A busy and noisy school environment, for example, can be particularly demanding. In that case, access to a quiet place can help. Appropriate support can also reduce stress and help young people function at school.
But… This is precisely where a fascinating contradiction arises. Help does not necessarily become a good thing. Some youth note that help can be uncomfortable because it marks them as being treated differently than others. What is supposed to ensure you are included might actually emphasise that you are not really part of the group.
Performance pressure and exams
The young people interviewed described stress caused by tests and exams. My spontaneous thought was: just like the others. They too fear failure and worry about what their school results might mean for their future. But for some young people with SEND, specific difficulties can make exams even more demanding. For example, think of difficulties with writing, concentration, time management, or interpreting questions. At the same time, some nuance is needed: not all young people in the studies experience exams as particularly stressful. As I said, I mainly see parallels here.
What else can we take away from this review? Perhaps that being present in mainstream education is not the same as experiencing inclusion. You can be in the same classroom as all the other students and still be bullied or excluded. You can physically take part in the same lessons while the environment remains difficult for you to access. And last, you can also receive additional support that helps you but also makes you feel different. This makes inclusion more complicated than simply asking where or how a student receives education.
However, this review has important limitations. First, most studies were conducted in Western countries, including many from the United States and the United Kingdom. Furthermore, adolescents who need help with communication and interaction are relatively highly represented in the review, especially those with autism. This means that we cannot consider the experience of young people with other disabilities as similar.