Inclusion of Students with Disability in Qualitative Education Research – A Scoping Review

Abstract

Children and adolescents are typically at the bottom of the hierarchy of knowledge production, and those with disabilities are further marginalised. Despite recent attempts to include them in the design and implementation of qualitative studies, it is unclear as to whether this is the case in education research. To explore this, we conducted a scoping review of qualitative research studies in K–12 education. We applied the conceptual framing of research with and by, which engages students with disability as research participants, rather than research on, which treats such students as the object of study. The aim was to generate a methodological map of studies conducted with or by students with disability, describe methodological approaches used, offer an interpretation of inclusive educational research, and identify areas for future research. We searched Proquest and Ebscohost databases, this journal and Google Scholar from 1 January 2012 to 31 December 2022 to identify studies using research with or by methodological approaches with school-aged students with disability. We included 96 studies from 29 countries, which focused predominantly on inclusion and participation, and student social and emotional wellbeing. We found that almost all studies took a research with approach by employing individual and focus group interviews, sometimes supplemented with arts- or play-based activities to guide student responses. Only two studies used a research by approach, involving students in decision-making from the outset of research, methods used and dissemination of outcomes. This suggests that the priorities and experiences of students with disability continue to be marginalised in research that guides educational decisions deemed best for them. We argue that educational research should move beyond ableist and exclusionary practices to include students with disability in knowledge generation that guides decisions about schooling to generate greater diversity in education research and practice.