Inclusive education and psychological wellbeing: Support strategies for students in diverse settings

This study examines the relationship between inclusive education and psychological wellbeing, emphasizing pedagogical and institutional strategies that promote students’ active participation in diverse educational contexts. The purpose of the research is to analyze the main barriers affecting inclusion and emotional wellbeing in school settings and to identify support strategies with the greatest perceived impact on students’ engagement and retention. A qualitative, hermeneutic-interpretative approach was adopted, based on a documentary review of scientific literature published between 2020 and 2025. Peer-reviewed articles, policy documents, and institutional reports were selected from recognized databases such as Scopus, SciELO, ERIC, and IEEE Xplore. The analysis focused on inclusive education, psychological wellbeing, teacher training, socioemotional strategies, and educational policy. The results reveal that the most significant barriers to inclusive education are insufficient teacher training in inclusive and socioemotional practices (reported in 85% of the reviewed studies), the disconnect between pedagogical strategies and students’ psychological needs (78%), and the lack of adaptive educational resources (72%). Additionally, limited emotional support systems and weak institutional policies oriented toward wellbeing contribute to higher levels of demotivation and school dropout, particularly in vulnerable regions. Conversely, strategies such as Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) and Universal Design for Learning (UDL) showed the highest perceived impact, with effectiveness scores of 4.6 and 4.4 out of 5, respectively. The study concludes that inclusive education cannot be achieved without systematically addressing students’ psychological wellbeing. Integrating socioemotional education, strengthening teacher training, and aligning public policies with inclusive and human-centered approaches are essential to fostering equitable, safe, and meaningful learning environments. These findings highlight the need for comprehensive educational models that connect pedagogical, emotional, and institutional dimensions.

Subjects

educational inclusion...

school dropout preven...

socioemotional learni...

student engagement

teacher training