Inclusive education, a foundation of modern educational discourse, requires progressive approaches that extend beyond cultural boundaries and promote effective, collaborative learning environments. In this systematic review, we thoroughly examine preservice teachers’ readiness for inclusive education by analysing how their attitudes, experiences, and training shape their perceptions and self-efficacy. Drawing on studies from the past two decades, we report generally positive attitudes toward inclusive practices alongside challenges such as limited practical experience, time constraints, and insufficient institutional support. In this review, we critique current tools for measuring teacher self-efficacy and call for more comprehensive, culturally responsive approaches. Findings indicate that although formal training fosters positive attitudes, its impact is maximised when combined with authentic teaching experiences. Overall, this systematic review underscores the need for an integrated teacher education strategy that bridges theory and practice, thereby equipping teachers with the skills and confidence to meet students with diverse needs.

While the theory of planned behaviour identifies subjective norms as a key determinant of behavioural intention, empirical research has been limited by narrow conceptualisations and measurement approaches. This study addresses these gaps by reconceptualising subjective norms as comprising two distinct components: normative beliefs (NB), which capture individuals’ perceptions of what significant others approve or expect, and motivation to comply (MC), which reflects the influence of others’ observable behaviours and the perceived social pressure to conform to them. Drawing on data from 597 elementary school teachers in a second-tier city on China’s southeast coast, this study develops and validates the Subjective Norms for Inclusive Education scale to assess how social referents influence teachers’ intentions to adopt inclusive practices. Results from multiple regression analyses reveal that MC significantly predicts teachers’ behavioural intentions, whereas NB does not. These findings suggest that teachers are more strongly influenced by the inclusive behaviours demonstrated by their colleagues, leaders, and other stakeholders than by their verbal expectations or beliefs. This highlights the critical role of modelling in professional learning and policy implementation, emphasising that visible, inclusive actions are more effective than abstract endorsements in promoting inclusive education.

In this study, we apply a stated preference experiment and discrete choice modelling to examine Greek primary teachers’ preferences for reward and consequences strategies in supporting students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder. We also investigate how these preferences differ based on teacher gender, educational attainment, and special education training. A total of 430 general and special education teachers completed 2,948 choice cards. Each card presented hypothetical scenarios combining five behavioural management attributes: verbal praise, responses to undesired behaviours, privilege removal, point-based systems, and tangible versus intangible rewards. Data were analysed using an alternative-specific conditional logit model. Verbal praise and intangible rewards (e.g., free time, token economies) received the highest preference ratings, while reprimands and privilege revocation were consistently disfavoured. Female teachers, those with postgraduate degrees, and special education trained educators assigned significantly greater utility to informational consequences and tangible rewards. Findings reveal a strong consensus among teachers in favour of positive reinforcement strategies and a reluctance to employ punitive measures. Professional development should emphasise reward-based techniques. Future research should link these stated preferences to actual classroom practices and student outcomes to assess their real-world effectiveness.

The implementation of evidence-based practices (EBPs) does not always lead to successful outcomes due to various contextual factors. The Evidence-Based Practice Attitude Scale (EBPAS; Aarons, 2004) assesses implementers’ attitudes towards adopting EBPs (ATE), helping to understand the discrepancy between planned and implemented EBPs. Despite the growing implementation of school-based EBPs, the EBPAS has seldom been applied to general education teachers. This study aimed to validate the EBPAS for primary school teachers in Singapore using content validity and confirmatory factor analysis and to examine how the contextual characteristics influence ATE. A total of 170 teachers from 10 schools participated anonymously in an online survey. Confirmatory factor analysis results supported the four-factor structure of the EBPAS. All subscales showed excellent to acceptable internal consistency, with Divergence being the lowest. Teachers with higher educational attainment were more likely to be open to adopting EBPs. Similarly, teachers’ perceived school leadership support was significantly associated with their ATE. However, neither years of teaching experience, years of supporting students with special educational needs, nor teacher efficacy in inclusive practices significantly predicted ATE. The study highlights the need for further refinement, particularly of the Divergence subscale, through the exploration of alternative constructs and validation with larger samples.

Policy reform in many remote or developing nations focuses on quality education and inclusive education practices, yet many schools are ill-prepared to enact these reforms. In this study, we examined the attitudes and observed teaching behaviours of 27 educators towards inclusive education in Vanuatu schools. Attitudes were measured using the Teacher Attitudes to Inclusion Scale (TAIS), and inclusive practices were observed using the Effective Teaching Practices Checklist (ETPC). Both instruments were administered before and after a professional learning (PL) workshop and time provided for the participants to implement their new learnings. Results indicated that participants’ attitudes towards inclusive education were quite high on the TAIS scale and had a nonsignificant change; however, significant gains were observed across all five ETPC subscales (p < .001) of Classroom Organisation and Order, Behaviour Management, Lesson Planning, Lesson Delivery and Reinforcement, and in particular Adaptive Instruction. These findings suggest that although attitudinal shifts were modest, the targeted PL was associated with meaningful improvements in inclusive classroom practices. The results highlight the value of context-specific training to support inclusive education implementation in remote and developing contexts.

School refusal among neurodivergent students underscores systemic failures in traditional educational systems. This qualitative study, informed by the neurodiversity paradigm, examines how Flexible Learning Options (FLOs) in South Australia address drivers of disengagement, such as sensory overload, punitive discipline, and identity erasure, while fostering reengagement through autonomy, relational safety, and identity empowerment. Drawing on interviews conducted with a subsample of 18 students aged 13–19, reflexive thematic analysis resulted in the development of three themes: (1) autonomy and its limits, (2) relational safety as harm reduction, and (3) identity empowerment through neuroaffirmation. The findings reported in this paper advocate for educational models that transform flexibility from a temporary solution into a blueprint for equity, ensuring schools become spaces of support rather than harm for neurodivergent learners.

Autistic high school students overwhelmingly have a poor experience of school. Research into this stage of life is limited, and researchers have tended not to talk to autistic students directly, instead hearing from non-autistic observers such as teachers and parents. This study aimed to address this gap in our knowledge by interviewing autistic students in mainstream high schools about their experience of school and their ideas for how this could be improved. Ten autistic students (13 to 20 years old) in Australian high schools were interviewed. Students overwhelmingly reported a negative experience. Most said their ideal school would be one where teachers and peers had greater understanding about autism and teachers had training in autism. By including the student voice, this research makes a valuable contribution to our understanding of autistic students’ school experience, adding depth and detail, and including what they would like to see changed. Importantly, the interview data also challenged misconceptions about what autistic students prioritised. The voice of autistic teens can make an important contribution to policies and practices aimed at improving their experience of school.

Females with autism, and especially young females, have been underrepresented in research on students with autism. Females with autism are typically diagnosed later than are males, due in part to differences in their presentation and lack of awareness of autism in females. This means that potentially serious mental health disorders originating in preadolescence in females can go unnoticed and untreated. We addressed this gap by examining the school-related wellbeing of females with autism aged 7–14 through an anonymous online survey completed by 38 parents. Seven key themes were identified: social issues, sensory issues, change issues, bullying, lack of understanding of autism, academic issues, and issues related to food or eating. By mapping these issues against aspects of wellbeing identified in the literature, we highlight their negative impacts on social and emotional wellbeing among females as young as 7 years and conclude that greater awareness and understanding of autism among young females is needed.

In this article, we present an innovative programming and instructional practice to foster the social-emotional competence of twice-exceptional students — those who are gifted and have a learning disability. We review the benefits of bibliotherapy, provide an overview of the structure of a developmental bibliotherapy intervention, and identify potential barriers to implementation before providing a guide for teachers. Gifted students with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) may be supported to develop social-emotional wellbeing and competence through developmental bibliotherapy. Due to a gap in the research with this particular population of students, we focused on reviewing research that explored the use of bibliotherapy with gifted students specifically and the wider student population generally. This instructional practice can be utilised by counsellors, teachers, and gifted and talented coordinators to meet the unique needs of this student population in Australian primary schools. A reflection on the implementation of this guide for gifted students is shared from a practitioner’s perspective to conclude the article.

School reformers have inundated staff with numerous improvement efforts in recent years. These efforts include multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) that involve early, preventative interventions. Educators, already burdened with heavy workloads, may feel frustrated by the lack of time to implement MTSS approaches. Researchers suggest that time-use studies could help educators better understand and optimise their use of temporal resources. However, no time-study research has specifically addressed school MTSS leadership teams. This research involved developing a time-use study process to support leadership teams in gathering and reflecting on time-use data to improve MTSS implementation. Researchers gathered educators’ recommendations from four participants using focus group methodology for time-use study codes, data collection, and reporting protocols. Participants emphasised the need for a clear purpose, efficient data collection, and staff motivation to ensure meaningful participation. Implementing time-use studies following these recommendations may help MTSS team members to improve their effectiveness, efficiency, and sense of wellbeing.