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

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.