Abstract
Introduction
China started pilot inclusive education projects in 1980s to enroll more children with disabilities into schools, in response to the national goal of universalizing compulsory education to all and the international trend toward inclusion (Xiao, 2007). National Education Statistics showed that about 50% of students with disabilities receiving education have been enrolled in regular schools in the last few years (Yan & Deng, 2019).
Chinese government published a series of crucial policy documents such as the “Special Education Promotion Plan (2014–2016)” (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2014), “Special Education Promotion Plan (2017–2020)” (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2017), and “Fourteenth Five-Year Plan for Improvement Action of Special Education Development” (Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China, 2022), to set up the goal and provide support for developing a “high-quality inclusive education system.”
Also, the Central Committee of the Communist Party of China and State Council issued “China Education Modernization 2035” in the year of 2019, to call for movement forward to a high-quality special education toward inclusion. These policy mandates have resulted in the acceleration of developing inclusive education toward a high-quality goal at national level based on the early pilots in the past decades. Massive inclusive education projects have been implemented across China, and some economically developed areas such as Beijing and Shanghai, were found to lead the development of inclusive education.
This paper aims to present three cases of inclusive education practices in the kindergartens, and primary and middle schools, so that the Chinese experiences of inclusive education can be summarized, analyzed, and heard at the international level. This report was facilitated by Shanghai Jing’an District Education Bureau, a system pioneer of experimenting and practicing inclusive education in China. All cases have received the consent and cooperation of parents and local schools.
Case 1: When drinking water becomes a technical skill
The first case is about Harry who struggled with drinking from a cup in the kindergarten. Harry was four-year old from Shanghai Jing’an Zhonghua Xinlu Kindergarten. He had developmental delays, most prominently in the form of speech and language impairment. While his peers were able to drink water without assistance during activity breaks, Harry grew increasingly frustrated by his failures in doing the same. To help Harry with the technical difficulty he experienced when trying to drink water and to improve his participation in inclusive activities, we adopted a multiple intervention approach to adjust our inclusive activities in real time, and made various attempts to aid Harry to drink water on his own. This would also build a foundation for his language development.
Structured functional assessment
Through daily observations, we discovered the challenge facing Harry and traced its cause by using functional assessment tools. To better understand his difficulty, we enlisted the help of the Special Education Guidance Center in Jing’an District of Shanghai. The teachers there assessed Harry further.
The results of these assessments revealed that Harry exhibited sensory-perceptual difficulties, prohibiting him from perceiving the flow of water. Compounding matters, the muscle weakness around his lips prevented him from coordinating the muscles involved in the process of drinking and speaking.
To address these specific issues, we formulated a training regimen in collaboration with teachers from the Special Education Guidance Center. Of course, the impact of training took time, but Harry needed to drink water at school every day. After thorough communication with his parents, we decided to hand him a cup and a small spoon as a preliminary measure, allowing him to scoop up water with the spoon whenever he needed to drink.
Dynamic peer assistance
In inclusive practices, peer assistance took place all the time in a natural manner. It was characterized by a dynamic quality and immediacy, providing direct feedback to young children, and serving an intuitive and significant regulatory function that could substantially influence their emotional state and exploratory behaviors. Therefore, we have always valued the capturing and organization of peer assistance.
One morning, as several classmates of Harry drank water in front of the teacup crate in the classroom, one of them blurted out, “Why are you spilling water on the floor, Harry?” The teacher looked down and saw a small pool of water at Harry's feet. His head was slightly lowered and his face flushed bright red. Harry stood absolutely still, with his cup and spoon clutched in both hands, unsure what to do. Seeing this, the teacher pulled out some tissues and guided him to wipe the floor with her. The teacher then turned to the children next to us and said, “Although Harry got the floor wet, he knew to wipe it dry. He's clever, isn't he?” The children all nodded in agreement and gave Harry a thumbs-up, eliciting a happy grin in response. With this, what appeared to be trivial drama thus came to an end, but it raised an alarm in teachers’ minds.
During a subsequent team meeting, members unanimously agreed that drinking with a spoon caused Harry to drink too slowly, hindering his participation in other activities. It also created a striking contrast between Harry and his peers. Moreover, because of his poor hand–eye coordination, it predisposed him to drip water on the floor. As a result, he was under considerable psychological burden and even became averse to the idea of drinking water.
Based on the results of our observational assessments, we concluded that, although the individual speech and language training currently in place had produced some preliminary results, it failed to tackle the root cause of Harry's difficulty with drinking water. Therefore, we made a second attempt and decided to let him drink from a straw cup. A few days later, Harry brought a straw cup from home, but he was unable to unscrew its lid by himself because he lacked the necessary hand strength. Upon noticing this, we helped him fill his cup every morning in advance, so that he could drink anytime.
One day, as the children were proceeding to the next activity after drinking their water, one of them saw that Harry was joining the group and asked in amazement, “Have you also finished drinking your water, Harry?” Harry nodded somewhat shyly. The children next to them joined the conversation. “Harry is a really fast drinker now!” said one. “That's right. One time, he even finished before me,” gushed another. Listening to his peers chiming in one after another, Harry nodded fervently and, with a smile on his face, joined the next activity with the group.
Positive peer support played a significant role in motivating young children. Teachers could be adept at identifying and appreciating the strengths and potential of all young children. Teachers could take active steps to create a harmonious classroom atmosphere and foster an amiable collective life, so that children would develop positive peer relationships and learn the importance of respecting differences and diversified development.
Collaborative support strategies
Two months later, we invited Harry's childcare worker and mother to join an educational research activity conducted by our inclusive education team. We discussed Harry's recent learning situation, and agreed that he had acquired the basic ability to participate in various inclusive activities freely and, together with his peers, displayed a high level of homogeneity when taking part in collective life.
Nevertheless, the fact that he was the only one using a straw cup signaled a divide between him and his peers. After pooling together information, including the inclusive and resource room teachers’ activity observation and assessment logs, individual training records, and feedback and understanding on Harry's behaviors at home, the team had a clearer understanding of Harry's progress and concluded that he would be able to drink from a small teacup. We asked his mother to help in guiding Harry in attempting this skill at home, hoping that this would help him build confidence before trying to drink from a teacup at school. As parents can offer a realistic representation of children's developmental changes, listening to their evaluations was helpful in this case.
Also, we incorporated the childcare worker's viewpoint as an integral part of the integration of childcare and education for delivering effective interventions based on the results of observational assessment. After a period of observational assessment, both the teachers and childcare workers noticed that Harry watched his peers closely when drinking water. On several occasions, he appeared eager to take a small teacup from the crate, but eventually grabbed his straw cup instead. During role-playing games, Harry would reach for the small cup in the doll house and pretend to drink water on his own. After some deliberation, both the teachers and childcare workers agreed that they should encourage Harry to try drinking from a teacup.
One day, during snack time, the children were instructed to enjoy their snacks in groups. Seeing Harry, the childcare worker said, “Harry, would you like to try drinking milk from a cup today?” Somewhat hesitant, Harry lowered his head slightly without saying a word. “Harry,” the childcare worker continued, “Mrs. Zhao told me you tried drinking from a cup at home.” Hearing this, Harry lifted his head slightly and gave a mischievous grin. Seizing the opportunity, the childcare worker handed him a cup of milk saying, “Let's give it another try today.” Harry took the cup carefully and started drinking from it one sip at a time. Watching him, one of the children sitting at his table exclaimed in surprise, “Harry, you know how to use a cup now!” The children next to them also turned around and joined in congratulating their classmate. “Harry is so awesome!” they proclaimed, “He can use a cup like us now!”
Summary
This was the story of how Harry learnt to drink water in the inclusive education. Through structured functional assessment, dynamic peer assistance, and collaborative strategies, we drew on multiple perspectives to gather clues, and to pinpoint a young child's developmental needs, while adjusting our inclusive strategies in real time through a multiple intervention approach. As a result, we were able to help Harry better adapt to inclusive activities and develop his abilities to drink water and to speak in a better way.
Case 2: “Marshmallow” teachers: Make inclusive education take place silently
The “challenging children” who belong to all of us
On his first day at Shanghai International Studies University Jing’an Foreign Language Primary School, Little Y's father made a request to see the school principal. In the reception room, he explained his son's condition. With a look of embarrassment on his face, he noted his son's poor concentration, difficulty following instructions, tendency to wet himself when feeling nervous, and lack of self-restraint, which led him to walk and move around and make loud and weird noises.
Apologetically, Little Y's father repeatedly said, “I am so sorry that my child would cause the school trouble!” The principal expressed understanding and returned appreciation for his sincerity, promising to wait at the school entrance and greet Little Y with a story every day.
As time went on, it became a habit for Little Y, who was eager to listen to the story that the principal prepared, to let go of his father's hand as soon as they reached the school entrance and hold the principal's hand as she walked him to his classroom. Since then, more teachers held Little Y's hand, as he often got lost on the campus. From his fellow students to the school's security guards, his teachers, and the teachers of other classes, many have taken his hand around the campus—from the stairwell and corridors to the playground and the special-purpose classroom.
Building a team of caring “marshmallow” teachers
Little Y's teachers were at their wits’ end. In class, he often talked to himself, screamed unexpectedly, or ran around at his will. As he had to be accompanied whenever he wanted to use the bathroom or leave the classroom, his teachers found themselves overburdened with responsibilities. As far as we could tell, Little Y seemed to require someone to accompany him at all times, from arriving at school in the morning to engaging in activities between classes, taking his lunch break, receiving after-class services, and waiting to be picked up from school. To ensure his safety and potential development, the school recruited volunteer teachers for challenging children at a school-wide level. Through voluntary enrollment and comprehensive selection, we created a team comprising 16 like-minded teachers, including key subject panel teachers, educational psychologists, school nurses, and library staff, dubbed the “marshmallow” teachers.
The school also designated space for personalized companion sessions with the “marshmallow” teachers in the library. In the afternoons, Little Y loved to visit the school library, where a teacher would always be present to read amusing books with him; he liked to lie down on his stomach and read with his shoes off. He also had the choice of playing football on the playground, as Mr. Cai, the physical education teacher, promised to meet him there every Monday or Thursday afternoon. Whenever he had difficulty sitting still in class, he could draw with the pencils and cardboard sheets given to him by the art teacher; his drawings were often applauded by his peers. During the after-class services, “marshmallow” teachers from different subjects would take turns writing, playing chess or musical instruments, and doing other activities with him. Little Y was aware of all the different places he was free to visit and had become friends with many teachers. He was kept busy every day.
By designing the “Marshmallow” Teachers Program, we provided the support and human resources necessary to implement inclusive education. “‘Marshmallow’ Teachers” was both the name of the program team and a symbol of the program's philosophy. The softness of marshmallows symbolizes the program's commitment to creating a space where students can relax, feel free to explore, and grow in confidence. Also, the delicacy of marshmallows signifies our gentle companion and respect for every student's unique characteristics and pace of growth. Finally, the sweetness of marshmallows represents our loving support for students’ socialization and self-directed growth.
Action design of special love silently given to a special you
During the regular monthly meetings of the “Marshmallow” Teachers Program, participants engaged in lively discussions as they shared their classroom observations, daily diagnoses, record analyses, and home–school communications for each challenging child. However, the most heatedly discussed issue was the various failures they had experienced. For example, as Little Y was increasingly reluctant to hold a pencil, asking him to do his homework had become a considerable challenge. His subject teacher was constantly worried about his tendency to scream and run around and wondered what could be done to calm him down. During the companion sessions, Little Y would take off his shoes and run and jump around the library barefoot, with little consideration for others. This made it difficult for his subject teachers to deliver their pre-designed activities as planned, including musical relaxation, exercise therapy, math calculation learning, and picture book appreciation.
Leveraging their combined ingenuity, the “marshmallow” teachers devised a plethora of solutions and innovative tools during their meetings, which they then improved through trial and error. Grappling with the problem of children who refused to hold and write with a pencil, the “marshmallow” teachers thought outside of the box and sought breakthroughs in the media and tools of learning. For instance, motivated by the sight of the fun “grove pencils,” which come in different colors and shapes, Little Y developed the habit of choosing a pencil and using it to solve five math problems involving the addition and subtraction of numbers below 10 on a beautifully colored worksheet every day. It was truly endearing to see him counting on his fingers and trying to make sense of the math problems.
To resolve the problem of scattered and ineffective learning content, the program team devised a curriculum-wide theme-based learning framework. Adopting “African drums” as the primary theme, the framework guided all subject teachers in integrating relevant elements of the theme into the learning content design at a curriculum-wide level. Little Y was fascinated by what he learned about drum beats and rhythms from his music teacher and discovered that he could produce drastically different sounds by hitting different parts of the drum. During a storytelling session, when the teacher was reading him a picture book about a little rabbit being chased by a big wolf, Little Y began beating his drum faster and faster in an attempt to help the rabbit escape. In this situation, Little Y was able to practice his language comprehension and hand–eye coordination, and thus underwent the process of brain development.
Moreover, to address challenging behaviors in the classroom, every class attended by challenging children was equipped with a “quiet time bin.” The bin was filled with earplugs, soft and plush stuffed toys, squeezable stress-relief toys, a picture book, an hourglass, a timer, and other visual and tactile stimuli. For instance, whenever Little Y was having an emotional outburst in class, his teacher would quietly hand him a stuffed toy. He would then squeeze the toy tightly with both hands and eventually calm down. As a result, his display of disruptive behavior was overridden by tactile stimuli.
Over time, Little Y developed the ability to calm himself down and to write with composure. During the Plum Blossom Festival, an annual calligraphy and painting activity organized by the school, he copied out an ancient Chinese poem, “Plum Blossom,” in immaculate handwriting. Indeed, his work was even selected for display in the plum blossom garden in the sculpture park. Basking in the spring sunlight, Little Y stood before his work and proudly led a group of first-grade students in reciting “Plum Blossom.” To his younger peers, he was like a remarkable older brother.
We advocate treating special children with special love silently. We also encourage “marshmallow” teachers to strive for an educational design that is non-invasive, non-controlling, and non-interfering in nature, and to respect and value each challenging child's mental development and emotional release.
Seeking “professional support” for inclusive education
In addition to requiring teachers with sufficient patience, compassion, and a strong sense of responsibility, doing school-based inclusive education needs theoretical and intellectual support from the professionals. We integrated the effective implementation of inclusive education into the school-based research and training system of teachers’ professional development.
By collaborating with higher education institutions, scientific research institutes, and related medical professionals, we mobilized teachers to embark on professional conversations that deepened their understanding of inclusive education, broadened their minds and horizons, and helped them develop the professional consciousness and capabilities necessary to continuously improve inclusive education.
As inclusive education touches people's souls, its silent materialization is even more crucial. The “Marshmallow” Teacher Program demonstrates how the school was able to transform its integration of educational resources in inclusive education into practical actions. We continued our long-standing efforts in advocating for inclusive education by promoting the concept of “marshmallow” teachers and endeavor to maximize each student's growth and well-being on a campus replete with happiness. Let us turn every teacher into a practitioner of inclusive education equipped with the qualities of a “marshmallow” teacher and give every child in need of care a “marshmallow” teacher who can support their growth silently.
Case 3: Xiaotian's story: A tale of “toning it down”
The first class: A big fright
It was the first class of the school term at Shanghai Jing’an Fenghua Junior High School West Campus, and everything went smoothly until the Hydrogen Test. As the spirit lamp heated up, it made a loud whistling noise. “Eek!” Xiaotian, a student sitting in the front row, shrieked. With his hands over his ears and his head hanging down, he shoved his deskmate out of the way and dashed out of the classroom. The teacher hastily dropped the equipment, hurried over, and held him tightly. Not knowing how to help him, the teacher could only try to soothe the panic-stricken child. Xiaotian's trembling gradually subsided. The teacher gently patted his back and whispered to him, telling him that there was no need to be afraid and that everything was okay. After a while, the dismissal bell finally rang. The teacher rushed to find his class teacher and came to learn that Xiaotian was a student with autism spectrum disorder.
Finding the “culprit”: Stupefaction
Since that day, Xiaotian was terrified of science class despite my best efforts to exercise caution. He always waited until the last ring of the bell before reluctantly entering the classroom. If the teacher bumped into him in the hallway while carrying the experiment toolbox, he instinctively covered his ears. Seeing Xiaotian sitting stiffly with his head down, the teacher found herself at a loss. He was already somewhat isolated before that incident. Bewildered by the situation, the teacher began to contemplate what Xiaotian was actually afraid of. Identifying the source of his fear was the only way to lift the weight off his shoulders and enable him to immerse himself in the rigor and fun of the science class. As a science teacher, the teacher considered her proficiency in seeking answers to problems through the scientific method, including controlled experiments.
First, the teacher wondered whether he was afraid of the science teachers. Despite appearances, Xiaotian was actually a passionate “do-gooder,” eager to participate in class activities and help his classmates. For this reason, the teacher appointed him the Junior Science Ambassador, that is, as her classroom assistant who is responsible for supporting the work of the class representative. Although Xiaotian was somewhat nervous on his first visit to the science office, his visits became more frequent, and he was soon travelling in and out of the place as if it were his own home. The teacher then wondered whether he was afraid of the frequent experiments conducted during the science class. Therefore, the teacher tasked him with the job of carrying the experiment toolbox instead of the exercise books, a task in which he remained completely unruffled.
Why was Xiaotian so afraid of science class? The teacher revisited her memories of the many experiments conducted during the science class and realized that Xiaotian had only had a major emotional outburst during one experimental session. As she carefully parsed through her recollections of that particular experimental session, the teacher realized that the class ended with the high-pitched whistling sound made by the hydrogen igniting and exploding.
At the time, the teacher was about to conduct a class on the “Production and Propagation of Sound,” which would involve a number of noisy experiments that would very likely trigger another one of Xiaotian's emotional outbursts. To prevent the same incident from happening again, the teacher brought Xiaotian to the laboratory and warned him, “The noises I’m going to make can be a little loud; you can cover your ears if you don't like it, and I’ll stop the drumming.” Before the teacher had even finished speaking, he began beating the small drum as if oblivious to her presence. He then moved on to explore a number of objects from a simple rubber band to a tuning fork and eventually an intricate sonometer.
Did sound really play no part in Xiaotian's outburst during the science class? The teacher put on the pre-recorded video of an experiment she had prepared to familiarize him with the sounds of the experiment beforehand. The experiment demonstrated that sound cannot pass through a vacuum. The teacher instinctively turned down the volume, but as the vacuum pump shown in the video stopped working and air gradually flowed back into the bell jar, the alarm clock began making an increasingly loud noise. With mounting tension in his eyes, Xiaotian clenched his small fists tighter and tighter. The teacher stopped the video just as he was about to cover his ears in terror. It
Xiaotian's progress: A pleasant surprise
Identifying the cause was only the first step of a long journey. What really mattered was how future science classes should be conducted. The teacher quickly recorded a new video of the experiment, replacing the sound of the alarm clock with a soothing piece of music. However, avoiding high-frequency noises was merely a short-term fix, not a permanent solution. Xiaotian could not live in a soundproof vacuum, nor could his teachers and classmates walk on eggshells all the time to avoid making any noise. What could we do to help Xiaotian blend into the classroom like the rest of his peers?
The teacher recalled that the regional authorities had published the “Action Outline for Inclusive Education” as early as in 2021, and that the school had organized an online program called “General Education 2.0,” which included a multitude of case studies related to inclusive education. Accordingly, the teacher reached out to the head teacher in charge of the program for help and gained the wholehearted support of the school. In addition to reviewing relevant documents and case studies, the teacher perused an extensive body of literature on children with special needs, discovering that Xiaotian was experiencing auditory hypersensitivity. A common condition among autistic individuals, this condition can be treated using a method called “systematic desensitization,” among others.
With this in mind, the teacher collected and recorded various high-frequency noises that might be heard during a science class, such as the sound of thunder, the static noise emitted when searching for a radio station, and high-pitched squeaky sounds. The teacher then enlisted his mother's help in playing the recorded sounds at home whenever she was free, starting with the lowest volume before gradually dialing it up, depending on Xiaotian's reaction. At one point, his mother considered giving up, frustrated by Xiaotian's lack of progress for a long period of time. At the time, he could only tolerate the slightest of noises and experienced mood swings in response to any sound that was marginally louder. Given the circumstances, the idea of giving up also crossed the teacher's mind, but the thought of Xiaotian, constantly on edge and with a tense look on his face, made persevering feel worthwhile. Alongside the desensitization taking place every day at home, the teacher carefully observed Xiaotian in school. Over time, Xiaotian grew accustomed to the sounds. When the teacher was conducting experiments in class, he increasingly maintained a composed demeanor, the terror in his eyes giving way to a gleam of curiosity. Instead of clenching his fists, he gradually began raising his little hand in the air.
Just when the teacher thought everything would go smoothly, she faced the first test. During one of the experimental sessions, students were required to measure time using stopwatches borrowed from the sports room, but a whistle had made its way into the pile. While the teacher was handing out the equipment, a student found the whistle and blew on it right away. Immediately, the teacher looked at Xiaotian, fearing his reaction. To the teacher’s astonishment, Xiaotian calmy said, “We should behave properly in class. No random noise, please.” Since then, the teachers have discovered a number of other qualities that set Xiaotian apart from his peers. For instance, he can quickly and effortlessly convert time using the base-60 system, including kilometers into light years and days into weeks, and vice versa. In class, his peers showered him with heartfelt words of praise and encouragement (e.g., “Xiaotian is awesome”). As the teacher was leading the class in giving him a rapturous round of applause, he grinned at her with eyes crinkled in delight.
This year, the district education authorities published a document titled “Guiding Opinions on Enhancing the Professional Competence of Teachers in Inclusive Education,” advocating that, teachers “adopt a sincere and accepting attitude and consider it their bound duty to include students with special educational needs in a regular educational environment.”
Indeed, while we may not be able to address all of their special needs, we can do our utmost to observe, inquire, and help these children, and apply our professional knowledge to lead them out of the corners of the classroom, so that they can integrate with their classmates and develop a love for learning in class. Arguably, being able to help such students is one of the greatest pleasures for us as educators. We hope that our humble experience can inspire and help more fellow educators.
Concluding remarks
China has been committed to developing equitable and high-quality inclusive education for students with diverse needs in recent years. A series of significant policies have been mandated to support the implementation of inclusive education. However, inclusive education develops in a varying speed and form across China due to its large regional and socio-cultural disparities. The three cases presented above from Jing’an District of Shanghai reflect a cross-sectional profile of the locally rooted implementation of inclusive education in China's most developed metropolitan city.
Preschool inclusive education lays a solid foundation for children's lifelong development. Children are not developing uniformly and some children are making headway slowly and even stumbling as they navigate the early stages of life. In Harry's case from Shanghai Jing’an Zhonghua Xinlu Kindergarten, the true essence of inclusive preschool education lies in undertaking cooperative peer learning, evaluating and facilitating children's progressive development within an ecological environment, and providing personalized guidance and professional support while keeping pace with everyday life. By comprehensively integrating the environment, activities, and curriculum, they make use of collaborative and interconnected inclusive activities to stimulate young children's development potential.
Guided by the shared value of “building a school filled with happiness,” Shanghai International Studies University Jing’an Foreign Language Primary School has applied a personalized design to the “Marshmallow” Teacher Program, thus offering a practical system of inclusive teachers that enhances the school's visibility and attaining the ideal of “letting inclusive education take place silently.” Marshmallow represents an atmosphere of inclusion and acceptance, providing fertile soil in which children can flourish. It signifies the professional efforts in providing children with delicate and personalized support. By blending into the school, connecting teachers with students, and bringing warmth into the classroom, inclusive education offers an exciting arena in which every student thrives.
Shanghai Jing’an Fenghua Junior High School West Campus revealed how the science teacher helps an autistic student overcome the problem of fearing high-pitched whistles and the ringing of an alarm clock. The teacher responded to the student needs promptly by conducting research, updating their know-how, and adopting a theoretical approach to practical quandaries, thereby joining the new generation of research-oriented teachers. This signified that the best practice of inclusive education eventually lies on teachers’ hands, and inclusion would not succeed unless teachers are prepared with willingness and ability to make use of evidence-based approaches.
In its implementation of inclusive education, Jing’an District of Shanghai highlights demonstrating its regional characteristics in terms of school cultural changes and personalized professional support toward an in-depth inclusion and high quality. The inclusive education progress taking place in China has deeply rooted in its cultural tradition of benevolence and ethics. The implications of these cases confirmed that inclusive education can succeed with necessary peer cooperation, professional support, and most importantly the positive cultural changes taking place on campus.
Takeaway message
China has experimented inclusive education called “
The recent acceleration of policy mandate and school reforms toward an equitable and high-quality inclusive education has expanded the traditional special education for students with disabilities toward meeting the needs of a broader range of students with diverse needs that challenge the current education system.
Chinese inclusive education has been shaped by its traditional ethics and current endeavor to a modernized and high-quality education system. Inclusive education programs have been practiced and developed in a varied speed and form across Chinese regional and socio-cultural disparities.
A few common practices are evidenced to be effective in Chinese education context including necessary peer cooperation, professional support, and most importantly the positive cultural changes taking place on campus.