Teacher Career Motivation and Professional Development in Special and Inclusive Education in China

Using autobiographical accounts acquired from her extensive career in education, the author has explored the multi-faceted influences on teacher career motivation and professional development in special and inclusive education in China. The social realities faced by teachers in their professional lives in a city in China have been highlighted through comparison and contrast with those of their international peers. This is achieved through a comprehensive review of recent literature and an empirical study to encourage teacher voices with this regard. The study reveals opportunities and challenges in China in the process of moving towards inclusive education. In particular, it identifies the impact of teacher recruitment policies, teacher education programmes, education decentralisation, rural-urban disparities as well as socio-cultural values on teacher career motivation and their professional development. It also addresses various implications regarding ethical dilemmas overlooked in previous educational research. Meanwhile, the author proposes a discussion on Self-Determination Theory in terms of motivational change.