Academic engagement of autistic students in inclusive classrooms: a systematic review

Objectives: Academic engagement has the potential to influence the quality of inclusive education and predict the learning and development of autistic students. This review examines the methodological characteristics of included studies, as well as the definitions and operationalisations of academic engagement in inclusive classrooms, and then summarizes the main results reported across studies. Methods: Five databases, PubMed, Scopus, PsycINFO, ERIC, and Web of Science Core Collection, were surveyed, and 22 studies were finally selected for analysis. Results: Methodologically, 63.6% of the studies (n = 14) employed a single-subject experimental design and failed to report sample representativeness and sampling strategies. 36.4% of studies (n = 8) included autistic students and other disabilities, undermining the ability to draw autism-specific conclusions. The included studies focus on three areas: profiling academic engagement, evaluating the effectiveness of measures, and exploring influencing factors. Regarding the conceptual and operational definitions, nearly all definitions emphasized observable behaviours and neglected the inner engagement of autistic students. Key findings revealed that autistic students had relatively lower academic engagement than their neurotypical peers in inclusive classrooms. Antecedent physical activity, collaborative planning through consultation, peer support arrangements, instructional with iPad, and self-monitoring were effective strategies to promote academic engagement of autistic students in inclusive classrooms. Additionally, individual differences, teaching organizational forms, curriculum adaptation, and the proximity of adults or peers were significant factors affecting the academic engagement of autistic students in inclusive classrooms. Conclusions: The findings highlight the need for more targeted research on autistic students’ academic engagement. Qualitative studies are highly essential to illuminate the connections between observational behaviours and internal experiences of autistic students. Furthermore, it is significant to define academic engagement in combination with the individual characteristics of autistic students and explicitly distinguish the core dimensions of academic engagement. When choosing effective methods in practice, educators need to understand autistic students’ characteristics and diversity, and take procedural fidelity and social validity into consideration. Fostering academic engagement requires a multifaceted approach, such as customized interventions, collaboration among educators, and supportive classroom environments to unlock the potential of inclusive education.