Digital technology supports science education for students with disabilities: A systematic review

Abstract

AbstractStudents with disabilities are being encouraged to achieve high academic standards in science education to understand the natural world, acquire life skills, and experience career success. To this end, digital technology supports students with disabilities in order for them to achieve science literacy. While relevant research has presented evidence-based practices to teach science content, the role of technology has yet to be clearly defined in teaching and learning processes. This article presents a systematic literature review on the contribution of technology in science education for students with disabilities. A total of 21 journal articles, during the 2013–2021 period, were identified after an exhaustive search in academic databases. The educational context and learning outcomes of these 21 empirical studies were analyzed. The results show that increased motivation was the main contribution for using digital technology in science education. Positive learning outcomes likely depend on the way digital technology is used, i.e., affordances of each specific technological implementation. Digital technology and its affordances are recommended among other quality indicators for evidence-based research designs in digitally supported learning environments for students with disabilities.