Inclusive Education in China: Ideas, Practices, and Challenges

By adopting a comparative approach, this book investigates the philosophy, policy, practices, and challenges of inclusive education in the Chinese contexts, recognizing influences of Chinese culture, such as Confucianism, collectivism, and familism.

In the 1980s, the Chinese government promoted a policy named ＂Learning in Regular Classroom＂ to ensure educational rights for children with disabilities, which subsequently turned into an inclusive education program in the western sense. Starting from this point, the policy and practice of inclusive education have developed tremendously. To facilitate reflection and future development, this is the latest and most comprehensive attempt at understanding the status quo of inclusive education in China from a variety of perspectives: from early childhood to higher education, from family to schools and communities, from peers to teachers and parents. It also analyzed the unique Chinese philosophy of inclusive education, adding to current debates with a Chinese lens.

This book will appeal to academics, students, and practitioners in disciplines such as education, early childhood studies, sociology, social work, social policy, disability studies, and youth studies.

Wangqian Fu is a Special Education specialist. She obtained her PhD in Education from Beijing Normal University and was a visiting scholar at University of California, Santa Barbara. After working as a research assistant in China Institute of Education Policy, she joined the School of Special Education, Faculty of Education at Beijing Normal University in 2021, teaching and supervising both undergraduate and postgraduate students. Her research interests are concerned with inclusive education, special education policy, the development and learning of children with developmental disabilities such as peers’ relationship, intervention for children with developmental disabilities, etc. She has published more than 30 articles on these topics.