Huizinga, Malte (2025) Defining the role of teaching assistants in inclusive education: a systematic review of TA role definition in England’s primary schools. Master thesis, Pedagogical and Educational Sciences.
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Abstract
Inclusive education aims to ensure access to quality education for all students. Teaching assistants (TAs) play an important role in achieving this goal. The aim of this study is to explore how the roles of TAs are defined in English primary schools. This was done with a systematic literature review, guided by the PRISMA 2020 standards. Nine qualitative studies published between 2015 and 2025 were included. These studies show the TA role to be unclear and changing, with responsibilities often shaped by school needs and personal interpretation rather than formal policy. In addition to behavioural and emotional support, TAs also increasingly took on instructional roles, sometimes without proper training or recognition. The COVID-19 recovery period amplified this, with TAs getting more responsibilities and even taking on specialist roles. An unexpected finding was that even within the same classroom, pupils and TAs had different perceptions of the TA role. This review concludes that the reactive and flexible nature of the TA role hinders their potential contribution to inclusive education. This study is limited by a relatively small number of (qualitative) studies, overlapping datasets and a focus on TA’s perspectives. This review implies that role definitions should be standardized and aligned with the goals of inclusive education. Training should match the responsibilities TAs are given, and TA-teacher communication should be improved for role clarity. In more general terms, to fulfil the goals of inclusive education, research should look beyond TAs and into what the system as a whole needs.
| Item Type: | Thesis (Master) |
|---|---|
| Supervisor name: | Tan, R. and Cantell, M.H. |
| Degree programme: | Pedagogical and Educational Sciences |
| Differentiation route: | Orthopedagogiek [Master Pedagogical and Educational Sciences] |
| Date Deposited: | 04 Jul 2025 14:35 |
| Last Modified: | 04 Jul 2025 14:35 |
| URI: | http://gmwpublic.studenttheses.ub.rug.nl/id/eprint/5291 |
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