Support for students with special educational needs in Hong Kong

Abstract

The implementation of inclusive education has begun in Hong Kong for over a decade. This research is a mixed methods research consisting of two related studies that examine support for students with special educational needs (SEN) in Hong Kong. The first study explored the effectiveness of inclusive and segregated education in supporting students with intellectual disabilities (IDs). A total of 42 students (19 female and 23 male) attending primary 4 to primary 6 and diagnosed as having mild grade ID participated in this study. Eighteen of them (8 female and 10 male) were from 16 ordinary schools and 24 (11 female and 13 male) were from 3 special schools designed for students with mild grade ID. The two groups were compared based on academic achievement, socio-emotional functioning and self-perception of acceptance, popularity among peers, and intellectual and school status. The results indicated that students in ordinary schools outperformed their counterparts in academic achievement. However, students in special schools were found to have better peer relationships and a lower level of emotional distress in addition to exhibiting more helpful behavior. Their self-perception was also more positive. The second study was conducted to investigate the contextual factors that could have affected the academic achievement, socio-emotional functioning, and self-perception of the two groups of students. To this end, a total of 3 parents, 8 school personnel and 3 students from 2 ordinary schools and 2 special schools were interviewed and 2 classroom observations were conducted. Special schools were found to have lower academic demand. They adopted a functional curriculum designed to strengthen the students’ practical and generic skills and offered various support programs to increase confidence and develop positive attitudes. Small class sizes allowed teachers to use individualized, interactive, and experiential strategies that catered to the students’ individual learning styles and socio-emotional needs. Close home-school collaboration was also maintained. In contrast, ordinary schools followed a standard mainstream curriculum and assessment for all with both teachers and parents exhibiting higher expectations of the students that resulted in more active involvement in the students’ academic learning. These collective factors might have contributed to the better academic achievement of SEN students in ordinary schools and the more positive socio-emotional functioning and self-perception of their counterparts in special schools. The implications of this research for policy makers tasked with the development of and resource allocation for the support system for SEN students, in addition to its effects among practitioners who wish to strengthen current practices and support for SEN students, are discussed.