Changing the Narrative: A Systematic Review on the Effectiveness of Using Children’s Literature to Improve Peer Awareness of Additional Educational Needs in School-aged Children
Keywords:
additional educational needs, special educational needs, children's literature, inclusion, educational interventionAbstract
Enduring barriers to meaningful inclusion and social exclusion experienced by students with Additional Educational Needs (AEN) may be partially linked to lack of peer awareness and understanding of AEN. Research suggests that using children’s literature including character portrayals of AEN may be an effective way of developing children’s understanding and acceptance, resulting in increased inclusion in educational settings. The aim of this systematic review is to explore the effectiveness of using children’s literature as an intervention to increase peer understanding of AEN in school-aged children. The current review carried out a systematic search to identify eligible articles using pre-defined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Selected studies were assessed for quality and findings were synthesised to draw conclusions that may inform future practice, policy and research. Evidence of increased peer awareness of AEN was observed in four of the five studies following the use of children’s literature as an intervention. Increased peer awareness was reflected in increased positivity of peer attitudes and intended behaviours towards children with AEN. The review also highlights recommendations for using children’s literature as an intervention to increase peer awareness of AEN.
References
Aboud, F., Mendelson, M., & Purdy, K. (2003). Cross-race peer relations and friendship quality. International Journal of Behavioral Development, 27(2), 165-173.
Adomat, D. S. (2014). Exploring issues of disability in children's literature discussions. Disability Studies Quarterly, 34(3).
Artman-Meeker, K., Grant, T. O., & Yang, X. (2016). By the book: Using literature to discuss disability with children and teens. TEACHING Exceptional Children, 48(3), 151-158.
Bandura, A., & Walters, R. H. (1977). Social learning theory (Vol. 1). Prentice Hall: Englewood cliffs.
Bates, H., McCafferty, A., Quayle, E., & McKenzie, K. (2015). Typically-developing students’ views and experiences of inclusive education. Disability and rehabilitation, 37(21), 1929-1939.
Blaska, J. K., & Lynch, E. C. (1998). Is Everyone Included? Using Children's Literature To Facilitate the Understanding of Disabilities. Young Children, 53(2), 36-38.
Boland, A., Cherry, G., & Dickson, R. (Eds.). (2017). Doing a systematic review: A student's guide.
Butler, R. R. (2016). Motor Impairment in Children’s Literature: Asking the Children. Children's Literature in Education, 47(3), 242-256.
Cameron, L., & Rutland, A. (2006). Extended contact through story reading in school: Reducing children's prejudice toward the disabled. Journal of Social Issues, 62(3), 469-488.
Causarano, A. (2021). Children’s Books, Disability and Reader’s Response: A Critical Analysis. The Reading Matrix: An International Online Journal, 21(1).
Critical Appraisal Skills Programme (CASP) (2018). CASP Qualitative Checklist. [online]. Available at: https://casp-uk.net/wp-content/uploads/2018/01/CASP-Qualitative Checklist 2018.pdf [Accessed 12 Nov 2022].
Didaskalou E, Andreou A, Vlachou, M. (2009). Bullying and victimization in children with special educational needs: implications for inclusive practices. Interaccoes, 13, 249 74.
Furuness, S., & Esteves, K. J. (2021). Social Imagination Project: Fostering empathy in pre- service teachers by reading children’s books featuring characters who have disabilities. JTAR, 7(2), 40.
Gough, H. G. (2000). Adjective Checklist. Oxford University Press.
Gough, D. (2007). Weight of evidence: a framework for the appraisal of the quality and relevance of evidence. Research papers in education, 22(2), 213-228.
Gough, D. (2021). Appraising Evidence Claims. Review of Research in Education, 45(1), 1-26. https://doi.org/10.3102/0091732X20985072
Hehir, T., Grindal, T., Freeman, B., Lamoreau, R., Borquaye, Y., & Burke, S. (2016). A Summary of the Evidence on Inclusive Education. Abt Associates.
Hong QN, Pluye P, Fàbregues S, Bartlett G, Boardman F, Cargo M, Dagenais P, Gagnon M P, Griffiths F, Nicolau B, O’Cathain A, Rousseau M-C, Vedel I. (2018). Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool (MMAT), 2018. Canadian Intellectual Property Office.
Kidger, J., Araya, R., Donovan, J., & Gunnell, D. (2012). The effect of the school environment on the emotional health of adolescents: a systematic review. Pediatrics, 129(5), 925-949.
Litvack, M. S., Ritchie, K. C., & Shore, B. M. (2011). High-and average-achieving students' perceptions of disabilities and of students with disabilities in inclusive classrooms. Exceptional children, 77(4), 474-487.
Long, H. A., French, D. P., & Brooks, J. M. (2020). Optimising the value of the critical appraisal skills programme (CASP) tool for quality appraisal in qualitative evidence synthesis. Research Methods in Medicine & Health Sciences, 1(1), 31-42.
Louari, M. (2013). Can typical students define the word “disability”? A pilot study about their knowledge or misconceptions. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 93, 699-703.
Maich, K., & Belcher, E. C. (2012). Using picture books to create peer awareness about autism spectrum disorders in the inclusive classroom. Intervention in school and clinic, 47(4), 206-213.
Merrigan, C. and Senior, J., 2023. Special schools at the crossroads of inclusion: do they have a value, purpose, and educational responsibility in an inclusive education system?. Irish Educational Studies, pp.1-17.
Morrison, W.E., & Rude, H.A. (2002). Beyond textbooks: A rationale for more inclusive use of literature in preservice special education teacher programmes. Teacher Education and Special Education, 25(2), 114-123.
National Council for Special Education (NCSE), 2015. Supporting Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder in Schools, NCSE Policy Advice No. 5, Meath: NCSE.
Pennell, A. E., Wollak, B., & Koppenhaver, D. A. (2018). Respectful representations of disability in picture books. The Reading Teacher, 71(4), 411-419.
Petticrew, M., & Roberts, H. (2003). Evidence, hierarchies, and typologies: horses for courses. Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health, 57(7), 527-529.
Prater, M. A., Dyches, T. T., & Johnstun, M. (2006). Teaching students about learning disabilities through children's literature. Intervention in school and clinic, 42(1), 14 24.
Richardson, W. S., Wilson, M. C., Nishikawa, J., & Hayward, R. S. (1995). The well-built clinical question: a key to evidence-based decisions. Acp j club, 123(3), A12-A13.
Rieger, A., & McGrail, E. (2015). Exploring children's literature with authentic representations of disability. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 51(1), 18-23.
Rose C.A., Monda-Amaya L.E., Espelage D.L. (2010). Bullying perpetration and victimization in special education: a review of the literature. Remed Spec Educ 2010;32:114–30.
Roshini R., & Rajasekaran V. (2022). More than an invalid: A comparative study addressing disability portrayal in children's fiction. Theory and Practice in Language Studies. 12(3),551-557.
Schwab, S., Lehofer, M., & Tanzer, N. (2021). The impact of social behavior and peers’ attitudes toward students with special educational needs on self-reported peer interactions. In Frontiers in Education (Vol. 6, p. 561662). Frontiers Media SA.
Shamberger, C., Williamson-Henriques, K., Moffett, N., & Brownlee-Williams, Y. (2014). Special educators speak out on co-teaching knowledge and skills. Journal of Research Initiatives, 1(2), 6.
Shevlin, M., & Banks, J. (2021). Inclusion at a crossroads: Dismantling Ireland’s system of special education. Education Sciences, 11(4), 161.
Smith-D'Arezzo, W. M., & Moore-Thomas, C. (2010). Children's Perceptions of Peers with Disabilities. Teaching exceptional children plus, 6(3), n3.
Subban, P., Woodcock, S., Sharma, U., & May, F. (2022). Student experiences of inclusive education in secondary schools: A systematic review of the literature. Teaching and Teacher Education, 119, 103853.
Tiernan, B. (2021). Inclusion versus full inclusion: implications for progressing inclusive education. European Journal of Special Needs Education, 1-9.
Tondreau, A., & Rabinowitz, L. (2021). Analyzing representations of individuals with disabilities in picture books. The Reading Teacher, 75(1), 61-71.
United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD), December 13, 2006, https://www.un.org/development/desa/disabilities/convention-on-the-rights of persons-with-disabilities.html
Van Mieghem, A., Verschueren, K., Petry, K., & Struyf, E. (2020). An analysis of research on inclusive education: a systematic search and meta review. International Journal of Inclusive Education, 24(6), 675-689.
Wilkins, J., Howe, K., Seiloff, M., Rowan, S., & Lilly, E. (2016). Exploring elementary students’ perceptions of disabilities using children's literature. British Journal of Special Education, 43(3), 233-249.
Woodcock, S., & Woolfson, L. M. (2019). Are leaders leading the way with inclusion? Teachers’ perceptions of systemic support and barriers towards inclusion. International Journal of Educational Research, 93, 232-242.
Woodgate, R. L., Gonzalez, M., Demczuk, L., Snow, W. M., Barriage, S., & Kirk, S. (2020). How do peers promote social inclusion of children with disabilities? A mixed methods systematic review. Disability and rehabilitation, 42(18), 2553-2579.
Downloads
Published
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2023 REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
Copyright Notice
Authors contributing to REACH: Journal of Inclusive Education in Ireland retain the copyright of their article and at the same time agree to publish their articles under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution- NonCommercial- NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0) License allowing third parties to share, copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format under the following terms:
- Attribution (BY): You must give appropriate credit, provide a link to the license, and indicate if changes were made. You may do so in any reasonable manner, but not in any way that suggests the licensor endorses you or your use.
- NonCommercial (NC): You may not use the material for commercial purposes.
- NoDerivatives (ND): If you remix, transform, or build upon the material, you may not distribute the modified material.
Learn more about Creative Commons licensing.
