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Classroom Practices for Supporting Students With Internalising Mental Health Difficulties in the Primary School Classroom: A Scoping Review

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European Journal of Education

Published online on

Abstract

["European Journal of Education, Volume 61, Issue 2, June 2026. ", "\nABSTRACT\nPrimary schools can provide early intervention for students with internalising difficulties (e.g., anxiety), who can be less likely to receive classroom support than students experiencing externalising difficulties. However, an overview of what supportive classroom strategies could be used for students with internalising difficulties has not been established. This scoping review examined the existing literature on teacher practices for supporting these students. 6592 articles were screened by title and abstract, with 23 articles aligned with screening criteria. 473 practice statements were identified and classified under 15 categories. Six meta‐themes of practices were identified: Academic and Instructional Adjustments, Building a Positive Classroom Ecology, Teaching Coping Strategies, Relational Practice, Building Collaborative Support Networks and Identifying Internalising Difficulties. The literature comprised primarily recommendations and qualitative studies. Key areas for future research include addressing the paucity of practices reported for students who present with less common internalising difficulties and establishing an evidence‐base for the use of practices.\n"]