Building teacher capacity for inclusive education: Evaluating professional development models based on UDL

Abstract

Inclusive education represents a global imperative, yet teachers consistently report feeling underprepared to teach increasingly diverse learners. Universal Design for Learning (UDL) has gained considerable traction as a principled approach to reducing instructional barriers and promoting equitable access. This review evaluates the effectiveness of UDL-based professional development (PD) models in building teacher capacity for inclusive education. The review examines how different PD formats, including sustained coaching, collaborative inquiry, short-term workshops, and pre-service programs, shape teacher knowledge, self-efficacy, attitudes, and classroom practice. Findings indicate that sustained, contextually embedded, and collaborative PD anchored in UDL principles significantly improves teacher competences associated with inclusive practice. However, barriers including limited institutional support, inadequate resources, surface-level implementation, and policy-practice gaps continue to constrain the potential of UDL-based PD. The review identifies critical gaps in longitudinal evaluation, low-resource settings, and culturally responsive adaptations of UDL frameworks. Policy makers must move beyond merely referencing UDL in legislation to explicitly defining it, adequately funding its implementation, and extending research and practice to low- and middle-income environments where inclusive education mandates remain chronically under-resourced. Keywords: Universal Design for Learning, Inclusive Education, Teacher Professional Development, Teacher capacity, Special Educational Needs.