Teacher Professional Development for Inclusive Pedagogy in Mainstream Primary and Secondary Schools: A Systematic Review of Quantitative Pre–Post Studies

This systematic review examined empirical studies on in-service professional development (PD) aimed at fostering inclusive pedagogy-related practices in mainstream primary and secondary schools, focusing specifically on research employing quantitative pre–post teacher-level outcome designs. The review addressed three areas: (1) the core content and design features of such PD programmes; (2) their reported effects on teacher-, student-, and classroom-related outcomes; (3) factors associated with broader or more sustained forms of change. Searches of ERIC, Web of Science Core Collection, and Scopus identified 1915 records, of which 16 studies met the inclusion criteria. Most programmes reported short-term improvements in teacher knowledge, beliefs, self-efficacy, and, in some cases, instructional practice. To interpret programme heterogeneity, this review applied an alignment framework derived from inclusive pedagogy theory to examine the pedagogical assumptions reflected in PD programmes. Programmes varied substantially in their degree of alignment, and those showing stronger alignment more often reported broader and, in some cases, more sustained teacher-, classroom-, or participation-related changes. However, these patterns should be interpreted cautiously given the methodological limitations of the evidence base. More uniformly positive findings were concentrated in weaker single-group studies relying largely on self-report, whereas studies with comparison group designs reported more mixed, modest, or less sustained effects. Overall, the review suggests that inclusion-oriented PD may support meaningful forms of teacher learning, although evidence regarding sustained classroom transformation and longer-term student-level impact remains limited.