Information and communication technology to improve school participation among upper secondary school students with special educational needs

Background Evidence-based information and communication technology (ICT) interventions to enhance school participation among students with special educational needs (SEN) are required. Aim To evaluate the impact of an ICT intervention on school participation among upper secondary school students with special educational needs. Materials and methods Data on 300 students' assessments with the School Setting Interview (SSI), grades and school attendance were used in this quasi-experimental study, with a one-group pretest-posttest design. Descriptive and inferential statistics and effect size were used, as well as Rasch analysis to generate interval data on the students' ordinal SSI ratings. Results In the ICT intervention (median time eight hours), 54% of the students received a tablet, and software concerned with planning and structure was received by 85%. After the ICT intervention, a significant decrease in perceived need for adjustments in school activities was found on a group level and 30% of the students improved their school attendance. Students who benefitted the most from the ICT intervention had few adjustment needs in school activities and no special educational support at baseline. Conclusion An ICT intervention is promising for improving school participation among upper secondary school students with SEN.