Examining the Impact of Self-Contained Special Education Classes on Students’ Academic Achievement, Social Belonging, and Engagement in School: A Systematic Literature Review

Through this systematic literature review we examine the impact of self-contained special education classes on students’ academic outcomes, experiences of belonging, and school engagement. Overall, the results of this systematic review demonstrate limited support for self- contained class placements. Of the 15 studies collected through this review, only three studies examining student belonging and engagement showed more favorable results for students who were educated in self-contained classes. The review did not find any studies that demonstrated more favourable academic outcomes for students in self-contained programs. Two studies explicitly reported harm caused by being in a self-contained class. The findings are reviewed and discussed using a social model approach to disability grounded in critical disability theory.