Diverse Learners Receiving UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Instruction: A Systematic Review and a Meta-Analysis

• In Event: Frameworks for Inclusivity and Readiness in Special Education: Insights From Transition Planning and UDL (Universal Design for Learning) Implementation

Abstract

Universal design for learning (UDL) is a framework for proactive design, delivery, and assessment of curricula. UDL experts maintain that learners’ challenges stem from unresponsive ways curriculum is taught, rather than that barriers rest within the learners themselves. This is critical for students for whom “one size fits all” curricula are non-responsive. Inclusion criteria were applied to over 14,000 articles from multiple databases. We targeted students with disabilities, representative of multiple racial groups. Nine studies featured learners’ achievement data before and after receiving UDL-based interventions. Results indicated a high effect size (g = 0.89), substantiating the need for teachers to disrupt traditional curriculum delivery and replace pedagogy with UDL-based methods. Such methods yield more equitable learning environments.

Authors

• Reagan L. Mergen, Arlington Public Schools

• Abraham Stefanidis, St. John's University

• Peggy King-Sears, George Mason University

• Kavita Rao, University of Hawai‘i at Mānoa

• Anya S. Evmenova, George Mason University

• Morgan Strimel, George Mason University

• Lindsay S. Owen, George Mason University