Participation and environmental aspects in education and the ICF and the ICF-CY: Findings from a systematic literature review

Background: This paper presents findings from a systematic review of the literature related to participation and the ICF/ICF-CY in educational research. Objectives: To analyse how and investigate the application of participation in educational research. Specifically, how participation is related to the environmental dimensions availability, accessibility, affordability, accommodability and acceptability. Methods: A systematic literature review using database keyword searches and refinement protocols using inclusion and exclusion criteria at abstract, full-text and extraction. Results: Four hundred and twenty-one initial works were found. Twenty-three met the inclusion criteria. Availability and accommodations are the most investigated dimensions. Operationalization of participation is not always consistent with definitions used. Conclusion: Research is developing a holistic approach to investigating participation as, although all papers reference at least one environmental dimension, only four of the 11 empirical works reviewed present a fully balanced approach when theorizing and operationalizing participation; hopefully this balanced approach will continue and influence educational policy and school practice. © 2012 Informa UK Ltd. All rights reserved.