ABSTRACT
Universal Design for Learning (UDL) is a framework in which each student is intended to have autonomy to learn in inclusive classrooms, in ways that best suit them. While UDL was designed for the inclusion of students with disabilities, over time it has become a proposal for all students. Research studies suggest that the benefits of UDL for students stem from cognitive outcomes and experiences in classrooms. However, these studies generally lack comparative measures and causal research designs, which cast some doubt on the acclaimed benefits of the UDL classroom. In this new systematic literature review, 204 studies were screened for rigorous assessment. Only four empirical studies with a causal design were found eligible for data extraction and synthesis. The synthesis found that none of the four studies had sought to find UDL-based teaching's impact on any aspects of students’ social and emotional competence. These were treated as secondary or tertiary outcomes that were not obvious to interpretation. This systematic review is the first of its kind, concluding that there is no evidence yet to show how UDL influences primary school students’ social and emotional competence in the learning environment. This leads to recommendations for future research to study UDL's impact, based on more robust research methods than are used currently.
