Mastery learning has been widely recognised as a structured instructional approach that emphasises competency-based progression and continuous feedback to enhance student learning outcomes. This narrative review synthesises and critically analyses existing literature on mastery learning within special education contexts, focusing on its effectiveness, instructional strategies, teacher roles and implementation challenges. Drawing on both foundational theories and recent empirical studies, the review demonstrates that mastery learning consistently improves academic achievement and learner engagement by ensuring that students attain mastery prior to progression (Bloom, 1968; Guskey, 2010; Onuoha et al., 2025). The findings further indicate that mastery learning is particularly well suited to special education, as it supports individualized pacing, structured instruction and ongoing formative assessment, all of which are essential for learners with diverse needs (Brink, 1997; Tomlinson, 2014). In addition, the integration of adaptive technologies has expanded its potential by enabling personalised learning pathways and real-time feedback (Bouarour et al., 2023; Szabo et al., 2025). However, the effectiveness of mastery learning is contingent upon implementation quality. Key challenges include time constraints, teacher readiness, resource limitations and misalignment with traditional assessment systems (Guskey, 2015; Álvarez et al., 2025). The review also identifies critical gaps, particularly in relation to hearing impairment, teacher perspectives and technology integration in special education contexts. Overall, this review argues that mastery learning should be positioned as a core instructional framework in special education rather than a supplementary approach. Its emphasis on structured progression, feedback and individualised learning provides a strong foundation for advancing inclusive and equitable education.
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