Enhancement of academic engagement of students with  intellectual disability using peer support interventions : A systematic literature review

Children with intellectual disabilities (ID) in inclusive classrooms differ in ways of processing information and learning speed compared to their peers without disabilities. Therefore teaching methods must be adapted to their individual needs. Peer support is seen as an additional form of improving students’ academic engagement. This systematic review focuses on peer supported interventions which facilitate academic engagement of children and youth with mild to profound ID. It contains six studies, which met pre-determined inclusion criteria focusing specifically on academic engagement. The studies were analysed to examine (a) different types of peer support, (b) peer support characteristics, (c) definition of academic engagement of students with ID and (d) if a change in academic engagement as an outcome can be evaluated after a peer support intervention. In this review, the data of 18 students with mild to profound ID and their peers in the age of 8 to 17 years, were included. Four different types of peer support intervention were identified, which included different characteristics mostly focussing on supporting students’ communication, access to information and active participation in class. The different definitions of academic engagement which were found hindered comparison of results. Nevertheless, all studies had a positive effect on the academic engagement of students with ID. Future research is needed to investigate the long-term impact of different types of peer support on academic engagement of students with ID and their need in relation to specific forms of ID.