Inclusive education is widely considered as the most preferred form of education for students accredited with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) around the world. Investigating the perceptions held by students with SEND about their mainstream education context could be seen as an indicator of the quality of education provided and the students’ overall well-being. Such a research emphasis can be seen in in the resurgence of studies over the last decade focusing on students’ perceptions of their learning environment in inclusive educational settings (Schwab, Sharma & Loreman, 2018; Margas, 2023).

“School climate” is a multifaceted and complex construct that has attracted significant interest by researchers in the field of educational psychology (Wang & Degol, 2016; Grazia, & Molinari, 2021). Although different conceptualisations of school climate can be found in the literature, there seems to be consensus about its multidimensionality. Nevertheless, there is substantial variability concerning the aspects of the learning environment explored in various studies (Lenz, Rocha & Aras, 2021). Despite the ongoing debate, Rudasill Moritz et al. (2018) suggest a more holistic term that views school climate from a systemic perspective and defines it as comprised of “...the affective and cognitive perceptions regarding social interactions, relationships, safety, values, and beliefs held by students, teachers, administrators, and staff within a school” (p. 46). Yet, most researchers insist on investigating students’ perceptions exclusively and mostly focus on their attitudes towards schooling and their relationships to their peers and teachers (Lewno-Dumdie, Mason, Hajovsky & Villeneuve, 2020).

            Creating a positive school climate is a vital condition for the successful inclusion of students with SEN in mainstream school settings (McMahon et al., 2016). Research suggests that a positive school climate can significantly enhance the inclusion of students with SEND, facilitating their psychosocial adaptation and promoting academic success (Margas, 2023; Weber et al., 2021). Based on this premise, Schwab, Sharma and Loreman (2018) developed the Inclusion Climate Scale (ICS), a comprehensive measure of students' perceptions which could be used to assess the effectiveness of inclusive arrangements and their impact on the academic and socioemotional development of students with SEND. This newly developed scale represents an attempt to encompass all relevant dimensions of school climate as outlined in the literature. By contrast, other researchers have solely focused on one dimension of school climate, such as the students’ sense of belonging to the school community (Dimitrellou & Hurry, 2018; Nepi, Facondini, Nucci, & Peru, 2013).

            The few available reviews of the literature on students’ perceptions about their school climate emphasise on conceptual and methodological issues emanating in relevant research on mainstream school populations (Gonzalvez et al, 2023; Lenz, Rocha & Aras, 2021; Wang & Degol). With the exception of one review (Hunt et al, 2024) covering research published up to 2022, no other systematic attempts have been made to synthesize studies focusing exclusively on the perceptions held by students with SEND about their school climate. Strikingly, the strict criteria applied by Hunt et al (2024) resulted in the incorporation of only 12 studies in their review. Consequently, it was deemed necessary to extend this review by systematically searching a larger number of databases and covering studies conducted over the last decade (2015-2024).

 The aim of this review was threefold:

(a)        To examine whether perceptions of school climate held by students with SEND have remained stable over the last ten years

(b)        To determine whether discrepancies in perceptions exist among students with SEND educated in settings with different types of inclusive arrangements

(c)        To critically evaluate the methodological approaches utilized to date and outline directions for further rigorous research.

To identify studies, we undertook computerised searches in EBSCO host (including Academic Search Ultimate, APA PsycINFO, ERIC, and MEDLINE), SCOPUS, Web of Science, and ProQuest. The search dates were between the 1st of January 2015 to 31st of December 2024. To find appropriate literature, the following search terms were used individually or in combination: (“school climate” OR “school environment” OR “school culture” OR “school connect*” AND disab* OR “special education”). Eligible criteria included: (a) Relevance to the topic: The contribution deals directly with the perceptions of students with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND) about their school climate; (b) date of publication: The article was published between 1st of January 2015 and 31st of December 2024; (c) publishing medium: The article was published in a peer-reviewed journal; (d) language: The article was published in English; (e) research design: The study encompasses empirical results (e.g. quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methods); and (f) Setting: the study took place in mainstream secondary education. For the purpose of this review, SEND was defined broadly to include students with diagnosed or identified specific learning difficulties in reading, writing, and/or mathematics, emotional and behavioral disorders (e.g., attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder), autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities (mild, moderate, and severe), and physical or sensory impairments impacting their educational experience. Initial search yielded 1,284 records. After removing 587 duplicates, 697 unique records remained. Subsequent screening by title and abstract excluded 563 non-related studies, leaving 134 for retrieval. By reading the full text of these articles, we excluded 84 due to the following reasons: (i) 41 studies were not aligned with this review’s research focus (ii) 5 articles were systematic reviews, (iii) 1 article was editorial (iv) 6 studies were conducted in special settings (v) 15 studies were conducted in primary schools (vi) 8 studies investigated perceptions held by school staff (vii) 5 studies investigated parents’ perceptions (viii) 3 studies were published in language other than English. Next, we refined our search results according to SCImago Journal Rankings, retaining only those articles falling in Quartile 1 and 2 in at least one discipline as an indication of quality and rigour. This process resulted in the exclusion of 11 studies. Consequently, a total of 39 studies were synthesized in the present systematic review.

Our preliminary analysis of the identified empirical studies has reaffirmed the multidimensional nature of the school climate construct. Indeed, commonly investigated dimensions of school climate include teacher-student relationships, peer relationships, peer victimization, connectedness with the school community, perceptions of academic achievement, quality of school life, and overall mental health. An important methodological observation concerns the variability in the dimensions examined in the identified studies resulting in the absence of a commonly agreed theoretical framework amongst researchers. Another methodological observation concerns the dominance of quantitative research designs employing psychometric instruments with a view to measuring students’ perceptions of school climate and identifying factors affecting their judgements. By contrast, a considerably smaller number of qualitative studies we detected which typically involve in depth interviews, focus groups, observations, and case studies. Finally, only five studies utilized mixed methods approaches combining evidence from psychometric inventories with data from semi-structured interviews. In considering the results reported, it is regrettable that most studies portray students with SEND as reporting negative school climate ratings, more victimization, and generally struggling with their relationships with peers and staff. Strikingly, such negative perceptions were often associated with reports of higher anxiety and poor wellbeing. Specific populations, such as black girls with learning disabilities, black boys with emotional and behavioral disorders and students identifying as both having a disability and an alternative sexual orientation (LGBTQ), often emerged as having more negative perceptions about their school climate. A further important finding concerns the vital role school leadership and other community characteristics play in addressing the needs of students with disabilities and, by extension, shaping their school experiences. Based on the above, we intent to highlight the need schools to actively pursue the creation of responsive learning environments that cater for diversity. Directions for future research studies utilizing sophisticated methodologies are also outlined.

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