Teaching science skills and knowledge to students with developmental disabilities: A systematic review

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  • Magdalena M. Apanasionok
    University of Warwick
  • R.P. Hastings
    University of Warwick
  • Corinna Grindle
  • Richard Watkins
  • Andread Paris
    University of Warwick
A comprehensive review of the literature was conducted to identify current practice on teaching science to students with intellectual disability (ID) and/or Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in relation to two review questions—students' science outcomes and students' and teachers' experiences of the interventions. Six databases related to education, psychology, and science were systematically searched. A detailed protocol can be viewed on PROSPERO (registration number: CRD42017057323). Thirty studies were identified that reported on science interventions and 20 on student/teacher experiences of the interventions. The majority of the studies targeted science vocabulary and concepts. Other targets included inquiry skills and comprehension skills. The majority of the interventions used components of systematic instruction (n = 23). Five studies focused on self-directed learning and two on comprehension-based instruction. Students and teachers reported positive experiences of the interventions. The findings suggest that components of systematic instruction in particular might be effective in teaching science content to students with ID and/or ASD. Further research is needed to explore the effectiveness of identified interventions on teaching more complex science skills and with students with severe disabilities. Some limitations related to the search strategy are highlighted.
Original languageEnglish
Pages (from-to)847-880
JournalJournal of Research in Science Teaching
Volume56
Issue number7
Early online date29 Jan 2019
DOIs
Publication statusPublished - Sept 2019
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