Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs最新文献

{"title":"Navigating inclusive education in the United Arab Emirates: Perspectives from school leaders and teachers","authors":"Daisy Loyd,&nbsp;Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal,&nbsp;Zachary Walker,&nbsp;Najwa Mohamed Alhosani,&nbsp;Hala Elhoweris,&nbsp;Osha Almuhairy,&nbsp;Ahmed Mohamed,&nbsp;Rachel Alison Takriti,&nbsp;Sana Butti Al Maktoum,&nbsp;Amani Mohamed,&nbsp;Hamdah Jibar Alhashmi","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Inclusive education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been promoted through ambitious policies. These have included a mandated change in nomenclature alongside strengthening the infrastructure and professional development to support inclusive education in mainstream schools. Perspectives from school leaders and teachers across the country about these changes and their implementation have not been captured. This research used a qualitative methodology to explore school leaders' and teachers' perspectives of inclusive education policy and practice. Participants included 22 school leaders and 57 teachers from public and private schools across the seven Emirates of the UAE. Data were collected through group and individual interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated through the data: believing in the changes; worrying about preparedness; debating curricular pathways; and building a culture of inclusion. These themes reflect common challenges in the process of inclusive education. For the UAE, the specific nuances highlight a policy imperative to co-create pathways for students with disabilities as they move through and beyond school so they can be part of the inclusive society policy intends. Implications for practice and further research are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564006","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Navigating inclusive education in the United Arab Emirates: Perspectives from school leaders and teachers","authors":"Daisy Loyd,&nbsp;Rhoda Myra Garces-Bacsal,&nbsp;Zachary Walker,&nbsp;Najwa Mohamed Alhosani,&nbsp;Hala Elhoweris,&nbsp;Osha Almuhairy,&nbsp;Ahmed Mohamed,&nbsp;Rachel Alison Takriti,&nbsp;Sana Butti Al Maktoum,&nbsp;Amani Mohamed,&nbsp;Hamdah Jibar Alhashmi","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70081","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70081","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Inclusive education in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) has been promoted through ambitious policies. These have included a mandated change in nomenclature alongside strengthening the infrastructure and professional development to support inclusive education in mainstream schools. Perspectives from school leaders and teachers across the country about these changes and their implementation have not been captured. This research used a qualitative methodology to explore school leaders' and teachers' perspectives of inclusive education policy and practice. Participants included 22 school leaders and 57 teachers from public and private schools across the seven Emirates of the UAE. Data were collected through group and individual interviews and analysed using thematic analysis. Four themes were generated through the data: believing in the changes; worrying about preparedness; debating curricular pathways; and building a culture of inclusion. These themes reflect common challenges in the process of inclusive education. For the UAE, the specific nuances highlight a policy imperative to co-create pathways for students with disabilities as they move through and beyond school so they can be part of the inclusive society policy intends. Implications for practice and further research are considered.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70081","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564002","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Effectiveness of an online-delivered parent-mediated intervention for the improvement of social skills of children with autism","authors":"Issa Alkinj,&nbsp;Manuela Sanches-Ferreira,&nbsp;Cristina Nunes","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70079","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70079","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) show social communication difficulties, a common symptom alongside behavioural issues. These difficulties may affect both their social and academic inclusion when they do not receive proper support. The current study attempts to examine the effects of a parent-mediated intervention that was delivered online to improve the social communication skills of a sample of 12 young children with ASD (intervention group = 6; control group = 6). The intervention programme consisted of 10 sessions based on multiple strategies, including social stories, 3D-video modelling and video self-modelling, with the use of prompting, fading and social reinforcement, targeting different social communication skills. A quasi-experimental method was used based on pre- and post-intervention assessment and follow-up to evaluate the effects of the intervention. The results showed that participants in the intervention group showed significant improvements over the control group in sociability and speech/language/communications domains, and there was an improvement in the total Autism Treatment Evaluation Checklist (ATEC). Also, parents demonstrated high fidelity in the implementation and high satisfaction with the intervention programme. The limitations and future implications of the study are discussed.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-07","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70079","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147564005","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A co-produced analysis of SEND policy for children and young people: Centring racial and ethnic equity, mental health and accountability","authors":"Sorcha Ní Chobhthaigh,&nbsp;Josephine Musanu,&nbsp;Camille Cox,&nbsp;Twyla Greenway-Bailey,&nbsp;Amie Buhari,&nbsp;Cyra Neave,&nbsp;Mina Mawi,&nbsp;Mel Green,&nbsp;Diana Ceccolini,&nbsp;Delan Devakumar,&nbsp;Rochelle A. Burgess,&nbsp;Ariel Lindorff,&nbsp;Matthew A. Jay","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite decades of documented ethnic inequalities in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), the well-established role of social determinants of health and growing awareness of cultural safety and trauma-informed practices in supporting children's mental health, their integration into England's <i>SEND</i> policy remains unclear. This study, co-produced with peer researchers and community stakeholders, examined national and local <i>SEND</i> policy and guidelines in England across three domains: justice and equity; content related to mental health, cultural safety and trauma-informed practice; and effective implementation. Systematic searches of national documents (<i>n</i> = 129) and Local Authority websites (<i>n</i> = 152) identified eligible content analysed using a co-developed coding framework. We calculated the frequency of content meeting baseline criteria and examined patterns and implications. Findings revealed current policy does not align with aspects of equitable and effective policy. Inequalities are superficially acknowledged with little recognition of social determinants of health. Although <i>SEND</i> provision, particularly for mental health, sits at the crossroads of education and health/healthcare rights, this connection is rarely addressed and requirements for children's participation are inconsistently exemplified. The <i>SEND</i> system lacks clarity in supporting mental health, cultural safety approaches are absent, and clear direction on trauma-informed practices is missing. Accountability mechanisms are insufficient with poorly defined roles, lack of transparency in complaints processes, inadequate monitoring of inequalities and missing enforcement mechanisms. There is an urgent need to establish a unified rights-based vision with tangible accountability measures and explicit equity-orientation to achieve an inclusive and equitable system.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70078","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147563260","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"A co-produced analysis of SEND policy for children and young people: Centring racial and ethnic equity, mental health and accountability","authors":"Sorcha Ní Chobhthaigh,&nbsp;Josephine Musanu,&nbsp;Camille Cox,&nbsp;Twyla Greenway-Bailey,&nbsp;Amie Buhari,&nbsp;Cyra Neave,&nbsp;Mina Mawi,&nbsp;Mel Green,&nbsp;Diana Ceccolini,&nbsp;Delan Devakumar,&nbsp;Rochelle A. Burgess,&nbsp;Ariel Lindorff,&nbsp;Matthew A. Jay","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70078","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70078","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Despite decades of documented ethnic inequalities in Special Educational Needs and Disability (SEND), the well-established role of social determinants of health and growing awareness of cultural safety and trauma-informed practices in supporting children's mental health, their integration into England's <i>SEND</i> policy remains unclear. This study, co-produced with peer researchers and community stakeholders, examined national and local <i>SEND</i> policy and guidelines in England across three domains: justice and equity; content related to mental health, cultural safety and trauma-informed practice; and effective implementation. Systematic searches of national documents (<i>n</i> = 129) and Local Authority websites (<i>n</i> = 152) identified eligible content analysed using a co-developed coding framework. We calculated the frequency of content meeting baseline criteria and examined patterns and implications. Findings revealed current policy does not align with aspects of equitable and effective policy. Inequalities are superficially acknowledged with little recognition of social determinants of health. Although <i>SEND</i> provision, particularly for mental health, sits at the crossroads of education and health/healthcare rights, this connection is rarely addressed and requirements for children's participation are inconsistently exemplified. The <i>SEND</i> system lacks clarity in supporting mental health, cultural safety approaches are absent, and clear direction on trauma-informed practices is missing. Accountability mechanisms are insufficient with poorly defined roles, lack of transparency in complaints processes, inadequate monitoring of inequalities and missing enforcement mechanisms. There is an urgent need to establish a unified rights-based vision with tangible accountability measures and explicit equity-orientation to achieve an inclusive and equitable system.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-04","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70078","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147563247","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the gap: Co-produced neurodiversity-affirming resources for undiagnosed children aged 7–11: Insights from children, families and stakeholders","authors":"E. Shore,&nbsp;L. Powell","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This qualitative study investigated the acceptability and suitability of neurodiversity-affirming psychoeducational resources for children aged 7–11 years without formal autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses. Using a reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 24 families and written feedback from seven stakeholders, the research explored perceptions of repurposed resources. One overarching theme ‘Empowering Individualised Engagement’ and six themes were developed: (1) Active Participation, (2) Harnessing Words, (3) Personal Resonance, (4) Communication, (5) Tailoring for Growth and (6) Strategies for Challenges. These were driven by the resources' engaging, co-produced design, strengths-based language non-clinical terminology, and ability to foster personal resonance. The resources enabled children to develop a shared vocabulary for their needs and equipped families with practical strategies, which fostered a positive identity. This study concludes that non-clinical, strength-based resources can bridge service gaps for children on diagnostic waitlists or with suspected neurodivergent traits, offering a scalable inclusive model for supporting child well-being by prioritising empowerment over deficit-based approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562870","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Bridging the gap: Co-produced neurodiversity-affirming resources for undiagnosed children aged 7–11: Insights from children, families and stakeholders","authors":"E. Shore,&nbsp;L. Powell","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70077","DOIUrl":"https://doi.org/10.1111/1471-3802.70077","url":null,"abstract":"<p>This qualitative study investigated the acceptability and suitability of neurodiversity-affirming psychoeducational resources for children aged 7–11 years without formal autism or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) diagnoses. Using a reflexive thematic analysis of semi-structured interviews with 24 families and written feedback from seven stakeholders, the research explored perceptions of repurposed resources. One overarching theme ‘Empowering Individualised Engagement’ and six themes were developed: (1) Active Participation, (2) Harnessing Words, (3) Personal Resonance, (4) Communication, (5) Tailoring for Growth and (6) Strategies for Challenges. These were driven by the resources' engaging, co-produced design, strengths-based language non-clinical terminology, and ability to foster personal resonance. The resources enabled children to develop a shared vocabulary for their needs and equipped families with practical strategies, which fostered a positive identity. This study concludes that non-clinical, strength-based resources can bridge service gaps for children on diagnostic waitlists or with suspected neurodivergent traits, offering a scalable inclusive model for supporting child well-being by prioritising empowerment over deficit-based approaches.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-03-03","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70077","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147562868","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inclusion going digital: An international perspective on empirical studies","authors":"Claudia Mertens,&nbsp;Carolin Quenzer-Alfred,&nbsp;Tim Homrighausen,&nbsp;Anna-Maria Kamin,&nbsp;Daniel Mays","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70063","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>With this paper we present a systematic review of empirical studies published between January 2013 and December 2023 in English on the use of information and communication technology in inclusive and special educational needs school contexts. We are replicating – as far as possible – a prior review of studies conducted in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) from 2022 to 2023 aiming to provide an international perspective on the same research question. We begin with an overview of a ‘classical’ web-based search of existing meta-analyses and reviews from the international context before reviewing studies systematically. We then depict in detail the research question of our own international systematic review for studies published between 2013 and 2023 in English—including the inclusion criteria and the discussion of the applied research string. For each analytical category, we compare the results of our previous research (narrowed to the European German-speaking countries) to those of the international review. In the last step, we discuss our findings highlighting similarities and differences between German-speaking and international research.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70063","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569539","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Development and validation of the pre-service teacher perceived sources of self-efficacy for differentiated instruction scale","authors":"Pearl Subban,&nbsp;Gemma Scarparolo","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70069","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.70069","url":null,"abstract":"<p>Teachers are increasingly expected to differentiate instruction to address the diverse learning needs of students. Developing strong sources of self-efficacy that support differentiated instruction during initial teacher education is therefore important. Relatively little is known about pre-service teachers' perceived sources of self-efficacy for differentiated instruction, and no scale has been developed for this population. The aim of this study was to develop and pilot an evaluation of a scale designed to measure pre-service teachers' perceived sources of self-efficacy regarding differentiated instruction. The scale was informed by Bandura's model of self-efficacy and Tomlinson's framework for differentiated instruction. A pilot study was conducted with pre-service teachers (<i>N</i> = 21) enrolled in a Master of Teaching (Initial Teacher Education) program in Australia. Exploratory factor analysis was used to inform systematic item reduction and to examine the plausibility of an underlying factor structure, alongside internal consistency reliability. This resulted in a 20-item instrument comprising four theoretically coherent factors aligned with Bandura's sources of self-efficacy. Preliminary findings suggest that observation of experienced teachers and mentoring during professional experience may be salient sources of self-efficacy during the preparatory phase of teacher education. Further large-scale validation is required to establish the stability and generalisability of the scale.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70069","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569289","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}

{"title":"Inclusion going digital: An international perspective on empirical studies","authors":"Claudia Mertens,&nbsp;Carolin Quenzer-Alfred,&nbsp;Tim Homrighausen,&nbsp;Anna-Maria Kamin,&nbsp;Daniel Mays","doi":"10.1111/1471-3802.70063","DOIUrl":"10.1111/1471-3802.70063","url":null,"abstract":"<p>With this paper we present a systematic review of empirical studies published between January 2013 and December 2023 in English on the use of information and communication technology in inclusive and special educational needs school contexts. We are replicating – as far as possible – a prior review of studies conducted in German-speaking countries (Germany, Austria and Switzerland) from 2022 to 2023 aiming to provide an international perspective on the same research question. We begin with an overview of a ‘classical’ web-based search of existing meta-analyses and reviews from the international context before reviewing studies systematically. We then depict in detail the research question of our own international systematic review for studies published between 2013 and 2023 in English—including the inclusion criteria and the discussion of the applied research string. For each analytical category, we compare the results of our previous research (narrowed to the European German-speaking countries) to those of the international review. In the last step, we discuss our findings highlighting similarities and differences between German-speaking and international research.</p>","PeriodicalId":46783,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs","volume":"26 2","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.0,"publicationDate":"2026-02-26","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"https://nasenjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/epdf/10.1111/1471-3802.70063","citationCount":null,"resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":"147569288","PeriodicalName":null,"FirstCategoryId":null,"ListUrlMain":null,"RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":"","ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":"OA","EPubDate":null,"PubModel":null,"JCR":null,"JCRName":null,"Score":null,"Total":0}