Peer-reviewed article
The use of digital technologies by children with learning difficulties in inclusive primary schools: a literature synthesis
Narelle Robertson ·
Summary
Written by AI, not yet AICS's view · claude-haiku-4-5-20251001This literature review examined how digital technologies affect educational inclusion for children with learning difficulties in Australian primary schools. The synthesis found that while digital technologies can enhance academic learning for these children, the relationship between technology use and inclusion is complex, with both beneficial and exclusionary effects occurring simultaneously. The review calls for more research into children's own experiences of inclusion when using digital technologies in schools.
Key points
- Digital technologies can enhance academic learning for children with learning difficulties in inclusive primary schools
- The relationship between digital technologies and inclusion is complex, with compounding and counteractive effects observed
- Both inclusion and exclusion can emerge simultaneously from digital technology implementation
- Assistive technologies have well-established specific benefits, but wider implementation effects are less clear
- More research is needed on children's subjective experiences of inclusion with digital technologies
Limitations
This is a literature synthesis rather than original empirical research, so it cannot provide direct evidence about intervention effectiveness. The review does not quantify outcomes or provide comparative data about which specific technologies or implementations are most effective.
Abstract
Digital technology is now deeply embedded in educational processes and practices, with claims regularly made about the inclusionary potential of such technologies for children with learning difficulties. The specific benefits of many assistive technologies are well established, but it is less clear how the wider implementation of digital technologies in inclusive schools is influencing inclusive practices and inclusionary outcomes. An integrative literature synthesis was therefore conducted to gain more detailed understanding how digital technologies may influence the educational inclusion of children with learning difficulties in inclusive primary schools. A literature corpus was developed using established literature review practices and examined using a multi-dimensional model of inclusion as an interpretive lens. Results confirm the prevailing understanding that digital technologies can enhance educational inclusion for children with learning difficulties in inclusive primary schools, particularly in academic learning. However, the synthesis also revealed that digital technologies are associated with complex interactions between various domains of inclusion, including compounding and counteractive effects, and the simultaneous emergence of both inclusion and exclusion. Further research that can facilitate a nuanced understanding of the complex relationship between digital technologies and various domains of inclusion, including children’s subjective experience of inclusion, is recommended.