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Integration to Inclusion in Hong Kong: Not an Easy Progression

Part of: AJSIE Special Education Perspectives

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  11 May 2021

Peter Westwood Open the ORCID record for Peter Westwood [Opens in a new window]
Peter Westwood*
Affiliation:
Independent Education Consultant, Macau, China
*
Corresponding author. Email: sepsw@yahoo.co.uk
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Abstract

This article describes the evolution of inclusive education in Hong Kong, moving from segregation via integration to inclusion. The outside influence of education policies and trends from Britain, Australia, and the United States are identified, and the current situation is described. In particular, obstacles that are encountered on the route to inclusion are compared with those found in other countries. These obstacles include large class size, teachers’ often negative attitudes, parents’ expectations, teachers’ lack of expertise for adapting the curriculum and for providing differentiated teaching, and ongoing conflicts between the notion of ‘inclusive schooling for all’ and the ‘academic standards agenda’.

Keywords

inclusionHong Kongspecial education
Type
Special Education Perspectives
Information
Australasian Journal of Special and Inclusive Education , Volume 45 , Issue 2 , December 2021 , pp. 268 - 280
Copyright
© The Author(s), 2021. Published by Cambridge University Press

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Footnotes

†

This manuscript was accepted under the Editorship of David Paterson.

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