Peer relationship instructions in inclusive educational settings in Korea: a meta-analysis

This study aimed to identify the effects of peer relationship instructions between students with and without disabilities in inclusive education settings in South Korea. We conducted a meta-analysis using journal articles published over the last 20 years. From a total of 1419 student data within 33 primary studies, we found an overall effect size of 0.78 (Hedges’ g), which indicates a strong effect size of intervention efforts on peer relations of students with disabilities. With respect to outcomes, we found higher effect sizes (g = 0.82) particularly on collaboration than self-directedness (g = 0.47). We also found that instructions were highly effective for both students with (g = 0.93) and without disabilities (g = 0.76). It would be encouraged for educators to put consistent effort into implementing instructions that target to improve peer relationships and consider instruction variables such as length of program while balancing the quantitative and qualitative aspects of peer relationship.