Enhancing Student Engagement and Emotional Regulation in ASD through Technology-Enhanced Universal Design for Learning in Inclusive Classrooms
Tri Gunadi

Magister Psikologi, Universitas 17 Agustus 1945 Surabaya

Abstract

This pilot study examines the effectiveness of technology-enhanced Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in improving academic engagement and emotional regulation among students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in inclusive elementary classrooms, aligned with SDG 4 (Quality Education) and SDG 10 (Reduced Inequalities). Students with ASD frequently experience difficulties sustaining engagement and regulating emotions in mainstream classroom settings, necessitating adaptive, technology-integrated instructional approaches. A quantitative quasi-experimental one-group pretest-posttest design was employed. Eight students with ASD (n = 8- ages 7-12- DSM-5-TR Level 1-2) enrolled in inclusive elementary classrooms in Jakarta, Indonesia, were selected through purposive sampling. A priori power analysis (G*Power 3.1) confirmed n = 8 as sufficient to detect large effects (d &#8805- 0.80, &#945- = .05, power = .80). The five-week technology-enhanced UDL intervention integrated AAC applications, visual scheduling software, video modeling platforms, and adaptive learning systems within the three UDL principles. Academic engagement was assessed using an observational rating scale (ICC = .89) and emotional regulation using the Emotion Regulation Checklist (Shields & Cicchetti, 1997- &#945- = .84). Results indicated statistically significant improvements in academic engagement (t(7) = 5.21, p < .001, d = 1.20) and emotional regulation (t(7) = 4.87, p < .001, d = 1.10), with large effect sizes confirmed across all eight participants. These preliminary findings suggest that technology-enhanced UDL effectively supports both learning participation and emotional functioning in students with ASD within inclusive settings, with important implications for Indonesian inclusive education policy and practice.

Keywords: autism spectrum disorder- emotional regulation- inclusive education- student engagement- sustainable development goals- technology-enhanced learning- Universal Design for Learning

Topic: AI for Learning

Plain Format | Corresponding Author (Tri Gunadi)

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