Shaping the Future of Special Education Using the Student Voice
A special issue of Education Sciences (ISSN 2227-7102). This special issue belongs to the section "Special and Inclusive Education".
Deadline for manuscript submissions: 28 February 2026 | Viewed by 24
Special Issue Editors
Interests: special education; school bullying; inclusion; intervention programmes; autistic spectrum disorder; children with medical conditions; child psychology
Special Issues, Collections and Topics in MDPI journals
Special Issue Information
Dear Colleagues,
Special education should involve the student voice in order to create more inclusive, equitable, and effective learning environments. In many cases, students with disabilities and special educational needs often face exclusion, segregation, and limited opportunities to express themselves in traditional educational settings. Using their own voices will empower them as active participants in their education and school communities. Shaping the future of special education using the student voice means actively involving students with disabilities in shaping their educational experiences, policies, and practices. This approach not only empowers students but also leads to more responsive, inclusive, and effective education systems that honour the diverse needs and aspirations of all learners.
The scope of this Special Issue encompasses a broad spectrum of topics, including but not limited to the following:
- Empowerment and Engagement: Encouraging students to actively participate in planning, learning, and leadership roles within their classrooms and schools in order to foster empowerment and engagement.
- Inclusive Practices: Providing accessible tools, personalized support, and differentiated instructional strategies ensures that all students, regardless of ability, can meaningfully contribute their voices.
- Professional Development: Training special educators to understand and amplify the voices of students with disabilities is crucial.
- Impact on Educational Practice: Listening to students with disabilities offers valuable insights that can shape instructional methods, reduce stigma, and improve academic and social outcomes.
- System-Level Change: Student voice can drive transformational change at multiple levels—classroom, school, and community—by informing policies, enhancing cultural responsiveness, and expanding educational opportunities.
- Promoting Inclusion: Engaging students in dialogue and action promotes inclusion by valuing their input and fostering open adult mindsets.
Suggested themes:
Manuscripts that address the following are solicited:
- Systematic reviews or meta-analyses that integrate the voices of students with disabilities.
- Teaching approaches that increase the participation of students with disabilities.
- Teaching approaches that increase inclusion.
- Teacher development models that change classroom instruction strategies to include students with disabilities.
We look forward to receiving your contributions.
Dr. Maria Georgiadi
Dr. Eleni Tragoulia
Guests Editors
Manuscript Submission Information
Manuscripts should be submitted online at www.mdpi.com by registering and logging in to this website. Once you are registered, click here to go to the submission form. Manuscripts can be submitted until the deadline. All submissions that pass pre-check are peer-reviewed. Accepted papers will be published continuously in the journal (as soon as accepted) and will be listed together on the special issue website. Research articles, review articles as well as short communications are invited. For planned papers, a title and short abstract (about 100 words) can be sent to the Editorial Office for announcement on this website.
Submitted manuscripts should not have been published previously, nor be under consideration for publication elsewhere (except conference proceedings papers). All manuscripts are thoroughly refereed through a double-blind peer-review process. A guide for authors and other relevant information for submission of manuscripts is available on the Instructions for Authors page. Education Sciences is an international peer-reviewed open access monthly journal published by MDPI.
Please visit the Instructions for Authors page before submitting a manuscript. The Article Processing Charge (APC) for publication in this open access journal is 1800 CHF (Swiss Francs). Submitted papers should be well formatted and use good English. Authors may use MDPI's English editing service prior to publication or during author revisions.
Keywords
- student voice
- pedagogy
- inclusive education
- differentiated instruction
- co-teaching
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