Early childhood education is a critical factor that shapes children’s development and well-being. Education received during the early childhood period has been shown to make a significant contribution to children’s cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional development (Camilli et al., 2010; OECD, 2020). Valuing individual differences among students and fostering social-emotional skills (such as respect, empathy, and understanding) are fundamental elements in creating inclusive learning environments in which all students feel a sense of belonging and are able to realize their learning potential (Cerna et al., 2021). In that regard, inclusive education is an approach that enables children with all types of disadvantages to learn together with their peers and ensures equal access to social, cultural, and educational opportunities for all students by organizing learning environments according to diverse learning needs (Aydın Güngör & Pehlivan, 2021). While students with special needs exhibit lower levels of social interaction, participation in shared activities, and, especially, peer acceptance compared to their typically developing peers, increased opportunities for interaction in learning environments contribute to the development of their social skills; this process also enables students without developmental disabilities to gain tolerance and respect for diversity (Kart & Kart, 2021; Petrovska & Sivevska, 2024). Considering the central role of peer relationships in inclusive early childhood settings, systematically examining how children with special educational needs are accepted by their peers is essential for informing inclusive educational practices and promoting meaningful participation, social inclusion, and social development for all children.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) provides an important framework for understanding the peer acceptance processes of children with special educational needs. Utilizing this perspective, the child with special needs is placed at the center, while their environment interacts with them at multiple levels. At the microsystem level, the teacher and typically developing peers in the classroom engage in direct interactions with the child, whereas at the mesosystem and exosystem levels, the parents of both the typically developing peers and the child with special needs, and the interaction between these parents and the teacher in the classroom influence the process indirectly. The teacher’s individual attitudes and behaviors, as well as their strategies for supporting interactions within the classroom, play a determining role in the child’s relationships with peers. Similarly, the perspectives and attitudes of parents of typically developing children toward children with special needs shape their children’s peer acceptance behaviors. In this context, the peer acceptance of a child with special needs is not limited to direct interactions with peers but is realized through the integrated influence of teachers, peers, and the families of all parties involved. Therefore, understanding the multiple factors that affect the peer acceptance of children with special needs in the preschool period is critical for the development of inclusive educational practice.

The purpose of this study is to systematically examine empirical kindergarten studies that address peer acceptance of children with special educational needs in the preschool period. The literature was examined and analyzed based on the following guiding questions; (a) How do the empirical kindergarten studies define peer acceptance of children with special education needs? (b) Which theories do the empirical kindergarten studies utilize to examine peer acceptance of children with special education needs? (c) Which methodological aspects guided the empirical kindergarten studies examining peer acceptance of children with special education needs in terms of participants, research design, and research questions or foci? and (d) What do the empirical kindergarten studies examining peer acceptance of children with special education needs reveal?

This study employs a systematic review as its research methodology. As its research foci, the present review poses a set of inquiries into the following aspects across selected studies: their definitional, theoretical, and methodological foundations, and their empirical findings related to peer acceptance of students with special education needs. Accordingly, the selection criteria were that studies be empirical research, written in English, published between 2000 and 2025, conducted at the early childhood education, preschool, or kindergarten level, include children with special needs, and focus on peer acceptance, social acceptance, or peer relationships. A comprehensive search query was developed with grouped keywords and controlled terms (wildcards). Running the developed query across all available search fields in three prominent scientific databases during the last week of March 2025 yielded 15 studies from WoS, 119 from ERIC, and 22 from Scopus. After removing 19 duplicates, the study pool was finalized with 137 unique study inputs. Screening for each level was conducted in two stages: title and abstract screening (TAS), and full-text review (FTR). During each stage for each level, two researchers blindly screened the studies in accordance with the selection criteria and gathered for conflict resolution meetings. Before conflict resolution, Cohen’s κ was computed for each screening step to assess agreement among the screeners. The initial yield rate after TAS was 46.72%, referring to 64 studies, and the test result revealed a moderate agreement (McHugh, 2012), κ = .543 (95% CI, .414 to .672), SE = .066, p < .01. The final yield rate following FTR was 13.86%, with an almost perfect agreement (McHugh, 2012), κ = .817 (95% CI, .644 to .970), SE = .078, p < .01. The data extraction was conducted with 19 studies. Using inductive thematic analysis, the data were analyzed to organize information based on similar definitional, theoretical, methodological, and empirical characteristics.

The extracted information was organized around the review’s research foci. Conceptually, peer acceptance of children with special educational needs (SEN) in early childhood is framed by six interconnected themes, encompassing inclusive education, peer interaction/social relationships, attitudes and perceptions, belonging/acceptance, socioemotional competencies, and educational participation, activities, and environment. Across the 19 included studies, inclusive education appears as the dominant definitional lens, suggesting that placing children with SEN in the least restrictive, support-equipped classroom is repeatedly linked to greater mutual understanding, shared learning experiences, and improved social acceptance. Theoretical foundations are multi-layered but consistently emphasize proximal and interactional explanations. Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory is widely used to situate peer relations within nested socioecological contexts, with a focus on teacher-child and peer interactions. Bandura’s Social Learning, some attitude formation approaches, Piagetian and Vygotskian developmental perspectives, and applied models such as multi-tiered supports, Person–Environment Fit, and Theory of Mind are invoked to explain how individual skills, modeling, and classroom supports jointly shape peer acceptance of children with SEN. Methodologically, the research questions of the selected studies cluster into two broad strands. First, studies mainly examine individual determinants encompassing children’s and adults’ attitudes, knowledge, expectations, developmental competencies, and peer-play relationships. Secondly, studies also investigate school experience & environment, encompassing program evaluations and studies of classroom quality, intervention integration, provider competencies, and exposure duration to early childhood education. Empirically, the selected studies indicated that peer acceptance is shaped by children's, parents', and teachers’ attitudes, knowledge, developmental skills, and peer interactions, and is strengthened through direct interaction and positive perceptions. Classroom-based inclusive interventions, teacher guidance, and supportive environments play a key role in enhancing social acceptance and peer relationships.

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