Conference Agenda

Early childhood education is a critical factor that shapes children’s development and well-being. Education received during the early childhood period has been shown to make a significant contribution to children’s cognitive, linguistic, and social-emotional development (Camilli et al., 2010; OECD, 2020). Valuing individual differences among students and fostering social-emotional skills (such as respect, empathy, and understanding) are fundamental elements in creating inclusive learning environments in which all students feel a sense of belonging and are able to realize their learning potential (Cerna et al., 2021). In that regard, inclusive education is an approach that enables children with all types of disadvantages to learn together with their peers and ensures equal access to social, cultural, and educational opportunities for all students by organizing learning environments according to diverse learning needs (Aydın Güngör & Pehlivan, 2021). While students with special needs exhibit lower levels of social interaction, participation in shared activities, and, especially, peer acceptance compared to their typically developing peers, increased opportunities for interaction in learning environments contribute to the development of their social skills; this process also enables students without developmental disabilities to gain tolerance and respect for diversity (Kart & Kart, 2021; Petrovska & Sivevska, 2024). Considering the central role of peer relationships in inclusive early childhood settings, systematically examining how children with special educational needs are accepted by their peers is essential for informing inclusive educational practices and promoting meaningful participation, social inclusion, and social development for all children.

Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory (Bronfenbrenner, 1979) provides an important framework for understanding the peer acceptance processes of children with special educational needs. Utilizing this perspective, the child with special needs is placed at the center, while their environment interacts with them at multiple levels. At the microsystem level, the teacher and typically developing peers in the classroom engage in direct interactions with the child, whereas at the mesosystem and exosystem levels, the parents of both the typically developing peers and the child with special needs, and the interaction between these parents and the teacher in the classroom influence the process indirectly. The teacher’s individual attitudes and behaviors, as well as their strategies for supporting interactions within the classroom, play a determining role in the child’s relationships with peers. Similarly, the perspectives and attitudes of parents of typically developing children toward children with special needs shape their children’s peer acceptance behaviors. In this context, the peer acceptance of a child with special needs is not limited to direct interactions with peers but is realized through the integrated influence of teachers, peers, and the families of all parties involved. Therefore, understanding the multiple factors that affect the peer acceptance of children with special needs in the preschool period is critical for the development of inclusive educational practice.

The purpose of this study is to systematically examine empirical kindergarten studies that address peer acceptance of children with special educational needs in the preschool period. The literature was examined and analyzed based on the following guiding questions; (a) How do the empirical kindergarten studies define peer acceptance of children with special education needs? (b) Which theories do the empirical kindergarten studies utilize to examine peer acceptance of children with special education needs? (c) Which methodological aspects guided the empirical kindergarten studies examining peer acceptance of children with special education needs in terms of participants, research design, and research questions or foci? and (d) What do the empirical kindergarten studies examining peer acceptance of children with special education needs reveal?

Selective mutism (SM) is an anxiety-related condition that significantly limits learners’ oral participation and social interaction in classroom settings, particularly in English as a Second Language (ESL) contexts. Drawing on a social and relational view of disability, this study approaches selective mutism not as an individual weakness but as a challenge shaped by classroom interaction and participation structures (Slee, 2011; Florian & Black-Hawkins, 2011). Although identity texts and peer-supported learning are widely recognized as inclusive practices in multilingual education (Cummins & Early, 2011; Mercer, 2007), previous research has largely explored these approaches separately and has mainly focused on general ESL learners rather than students with selective mutism. Peer coaching and peer response models are well-established in mainstream ESL settings (Kobayashi, 1998; 2003), yet their effectiveness has not been closely examined with learners experiencing selective mutism, who face specific emotional and communication barriers.

In addition, much of the existing research on selective mutism concentrates on clinical or therapeutic interventions delivered outside mainstream classrooms (Bergman, 2013; Kearney, 2010; Oerbeck et al., 2015). As a result, there is limited understanding of how everyday classroom teaching and peer interaction can support participation. There is a clear need for teacher-led, classroom-based research that investigates how structured peer support combined with identity-based activities can promote oral participation for selectively mute ESL learners in inclusive settings.

This ongoing action research study addresses this gap by examining how a peer-buffering approach, combined with identity text production, supports selectively mute students’ oral participation and sense of emotional safety in mainstream ESL classrooms. In this study, peer buffering refers to a structured practice in which selectively mute learners work with psychologically trusted peers who share speaking responsibility, support turn-taking, and build meaning together. This allows participation to develop gradually through supported interaction rather than individual performance. This approach extends existing peer-support research by treating peer interaction not simply as general collaboration but as a deliberate strategy to reduce communication anxiety and open access to participation. Trusted peers were identified through sociometric tools, teacher observation, and student preference in order to ensure relational safety rather than forced participation. The study began in September 2025 and continues through ongoing cycles of classroom-based action research.

The study is guided by the following research question:

- How does peer-buffered identity text production influence oral participation and anxiety among selectively mute ESL learners?

In this research, anxiety is examined through observable signs of emotional comfort and reduced avoidance of participation rather than through clinical diagnosis, in line with an educational perspective on learner well-being.

The study is grounded in sociocultural and dialogic theories of learning (Vygotsky, 1978; Mercer, 2007), which view learning as socially shaped through interaction, as well as in stress-buffering theory (Cohen & Wills, 1985), which explains how social support can reduce anxiety in stressful situations. Together, these perspectives help explain how trusted peer relationships can serve as protective social support for learners who experience communication-related anxiety. Identity texts (Cummins & Early, 2011) are used as multimodal tools that allow learners to express personal meaning before speaking, thereby reducing both linguistic and emotional pressure. Although identity texts are recognised as multimodal, limited research has explored how the choice of mode works together with peer support for selectively mute learners. This study begins to explore this connection. By combining these perspectives, the study presents peer buffering with identity texts as an inclusive classroom practice that supports meaningful participation.

Educational research has traditionally treated students as passive recipients of researchers’ decisions and actions (Pinter et al., 2016). Considering students only as informants is no longer deemed appropriate and thus educational research focuses on reinforcing student participation and involvement by raising their voice and engagement in decision making process to improve school practice (Sant 2019 Cook-Sather 2018; Charteris and Smardon 2019). Students have the agency to interpret and depict the challenges of the instruction they receive and, as Cook–Sather (2018, 17) highlights, students can become the ones who can “speak and act alongside credentialed educators as critics and creators of educational practice”. To this end, student voice can provide unique insights with regard to teaching and learning especially when it is used to lead reforms in practice (Cardiff et al., 2023).

The aim of this study is to actively engage students with and without disabilities and those from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds to identify their views and evaluate their experiences with regard to access to the curriculum and the assessment tasks they have to fulfil in the Greek primary classrooms. Following the international inclusion movement, students with disabilities (SWD), students without disabilities (SWOD) as well as students from different cultural backgrounds (SDB) are provided with educational services in mainstream schools to access the curriculum through differentiated and inclusive instruction according to their needs (Friend et al., 2010; Strogilos et al., 2023). To respond to the needs of students from diverse backgrounds, Greek legislation provides human resources such as psychologists, social workers, second language teachers and special education teachers (SET) to promote inclusive instruction (Law 3699/2008). Thus, commonly, in a Greek primary school, one can find different types of support for diverse students such as a general education teacher (GET) and a SET, usually assigned for one or two SWD, working in a classroom as co-teachers; a SET for all students with specific learning difficulties to provide individual or group support in a special class; a second language teacher for all students with diverse linguistic and cultural backgrounds; a psychologist or/and social worker to assist students with behavioral difficulties.

Even though there is high level of human resource to support students from diverse backgrounds, there is research evidence indicating that inclusive practices (e.g. co-teaching, collaborative learning, differentiated instruction) are not effectively implemented (Manoli, Mouti, & Kantzou 2021;Lytrivi & Papadopoulou 2022). Thus, a considerable number of students, especially those with disabilities, and from different cultural backgrounds, are still marginalized and excluded from the mainstream curriculum.

To explore the above inconsistency, we aim to actively engage students i) to describe their difficulties; ii) to discuss why there is still a failure in the system to effectively implement inclusive practices despite the considerable number of professionals working in Greek primary schools; and iii) to propose changes on teaching and learning processes with regard to collaboration amongst professionals (e.g. co-teaching methods), collaborative student learning and access to the curriculum (O’ Conner 2022).

The research questions are as follows:

How do students with and without disabilities and those from culturally and linguistically diverse backgrounds describe and evaluate the instruction they receive?

How do students perceive the discrepancy between high levels of support and the lack of inclusive teaching processes?

What changes do students suggest regarding the teaching and learning processes to enhance inclusive practice?