The role of assistive technology in improving learning outcomes for students with special educational needs
Keywords:
Assistive Technology, Inclusive Education, Special Educational Needs, Learning Outcomes, Mainstream SchoolsAbstract
Background: The role of assistive technology in inclusive education is growing, given that such technology facilitates the student with special educational needs to access the curriculum content, communicate, and perform tasks, and participate actively in instruction in the classroom. The objective of the study was to review the role of assistive technology in enhancing academic performance, independence, engagement, and confidence as well as peer participation among students with special educational needs. A convergent mixed-methods design was used with 96 students from eight inclusive schools. This intervention consisted of text to speech, speech to text, word prediction, graphic organizers, virtual manipulatives and augmentative communication applications. Pre-post curriculum based tests, classroom observations, teacher interviews, student responses and field notes were used to collect data over a period of eight weeks as part of the intervention. It exhibited statistically significant changes in reading, writing, mathematics accuracy, task completion, engagement, independence, peer participation, and confidence. There were reduced teacher prompts and increased tool-use fluency. Domain matched tools yielded higher gains including reading access tools to reading, writing support tools to writing, and mathematics tools to mathematical performance. Stronger outcomes were predicted with implementation fidelity, teacher training, and classroom support. Assistive technology is most efficient when chosen based on the needs of the learners, it becomes a part of regular lessons, it has to be supported by trained teachers, students have to accept it. It must not be seen as a teaching aid but as a device and an electronic supplement.
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Copyright (c) 2026 Dr. Farzana Jabeen Khoso, Rafia Naz Manganhar, Mudasir Saeed, Rizwan Ahmed Mangnejo (Author)
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