Teacher resilience in the Chinese context of 'learning in regular classroom': a response to 'Lazy inclusivism'

Date

2022

Authors

Mu, G.M.

Editors

Beamish, W.
Yuen, M.

Advisors

Journal Title

Journal ISSN

Volume Title

Type:

Book chapter

Citation

Source details - Title: The Inclusion for Students with Special Educational Needs across the Asia Pacific, 2022 / Beamish, W., Yuen, M. (ed./s), Ch.4, pp.59-78

Statement of Responsibility

Conference Name

Abstract

Three decades after the advent of “Learning in Regular Classroom” (LRC), remarkable developments have been achieved in inclusive education in China. Parallel to these developments is the strident criticism of the structural absence of system support to LRC. Behind this structural problem lurks “lazy inclusivism” where seemingly hardworking legislation, regulation, and education paradoxically engage in much tokenistic inclusive practice that barely introduces transformational change. In response to the paradox of “lazy inclusivism,” this chapter draws on multiple correspondence analysis to quantitatively investigate the ordinary and extraordinary wisdom of a national sample of 1167 Chinese LRC teachers. When faced with visible adverse conditions (e.g., lack of system support) and invisible structural constraints (e.g., neoliberalism), some LRC teachers may play the game of tokenism and become “lazy”; others, however, may strategically refuse to play the game, demonstrating resilience to symbolic violence of “lazy inclusivism.” The chapter showcases teacher agency in seeking and creating resources in the face of deficient LRC support system and in counteracting neoliberalized structural constraints. Such teacher agency buttresses a sociological process of resilience that purposefully transforms inclusive education into an enabling and welcoming pedagogical space for the betterment of children with diverse needs in China.

School/Discipline

Dissertation Note

Provenance

Description

Access Status

Rights

Copyright 2022 The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Singapore Access Condition Notes: Accepted manuscript available after 1 January 2024

License

Grant ID

Call number

Persistent link to this record