Counting every child in: promoting inclusive and quality education for disabled children in China
Lead Research Organisation:
University of Edinburgh
Department Name: Moray House School of Education
Abstract
Education is central to any country's economic development and welfare. The principle global challenge of our times is how to ensure every child's equal access to inclusive, equitable and quality educational provision regardless of children's differences. In particular, disabled children have long been the most vulnerable group to marginalisation and exclusion in education with far less satisfying learning outcomes. My PhD research explored the current status of disabled children's inclusion in regular schools in China, by listening to what children had to say about their everyday school lives. The research findings show great relevance for developing inclusive practice in Chinese schools. They need to be disseminated to a wide range of stakeholders, in order to overcome inequality and inequity in education in a context where educational gaps become increasingly significant across groups and regions, and where sustainability in development is an urgent issue concerning global interest.
This fellowship will disseminate my PhD research findings and establish an international and collaborative network for inclusive education across disciplines. The findings from my thesis will be translated into 4 key messages: Hearing and acting on disabled children's voices is a sustainable strategy for developing inclusive education; Inclusive education means promoting children's learning, participation, and well-being; Teachers must be supported to develop inclusive pedagogy in classroom teaching; Efforts are required from all stakeholders to transform current thinking, policy and practice of inclusive education in China.
These 4 key messages will be delivered to relevant stakeholders including academics, policy-makers, disability organisations, international agencies, headteachers, classroom teachers, school pupils and wider public audiences through a range of tailored materials and training workshops. Besides the dissemination, it is also important to bring together international expertise in this research field through strong partnerships. Thus I will accept the placement at the Centre for Inclusive Education of Beijing Normal University as a visiting scholar, to build up solid collaboration with leading Chinese scholars in this area. The visit will also involve field trips to local schools to learn more about the needs of children and teachers. I will coordinate the establishment of a world-leading academic network involving key members from Beijing Normal University, University of Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin. The connection among network members will be strengthened through both online and face-to-face seminars. The network will facilitate the development of future educational development projects. Meanwhile, a network website will be set up to provide accessible public resources. In addition, I will receive further training to improve my academic and transferable skills. Progress and experiences will be shared with relevant audiences in Scotland and the UK. A pilot study will be conducted in one Chinese school to test the model for developing inclusive practice proposed in my PhD research. The fellowship will be undertaken through working with an advisory board formed by experienced researchers from multiple disciplines.
In all, this fellowship will create significant and important impacts on a comprehensive transformation towards inclusive and quality education in China at all levels, from government policy frameworks, structural reform and resource redistribution to educational management, everyday classroom teaching practice and school culture. By working knowledgeably, sensitively and ethically in the context of China, the fellowship will improve educational practices in China based on excellent scholarship, to contribute to the welfare of children and families, and the country's sustainable development.
This fellowship will disseminate my PhD research findings and establish an international and collaborative network for inclusive education across disciplines. The findings from my thesis will be translated into 4 key messages: Hearing and acting on disabled children's voices is a sustainable strategy for developing inclusive education; Inclusive education means promoting children's learning, participation, and well-being; Teachers must be supported to develop inclusive pedagogy in classroom teaching; Efforts are required from all stakeholders to transform current thinking, policy and practice of inclusive education in China.
These 4 key messages will be delivered to relevant stakeholders including academics, policy-makers, disability organisations, international agencies, headteachers, classroom teachers, school pupils and wider public audiences through a range of tailored materials and training workshops. Besides the dissemination, it is also important to bring together international expertise in this research field through strong partnerships. Thus I will accept the placement at the Centre for Inclusive Education of Beijing Normal University as a visiting scholar, to build up solid collaboration with leading Chinese scholars in this area. The visit will also involve field trips to local schools to learn more about the needs of children and teachers. I will coordinate the establishment of a world-leading academic network involving key members from Beijing Normal University, University of Edinburgh and Trinity College Dublin. The connection among network members will be strengthened through both online and face-to-face seminars. The network will facilitate the development of future educational development projects. Meanwhile, a network website will be set up to provide accessible public resources. In addition, I will receive further training to improve my academic and transferable skills. Progress and experiences will be shared with relevant audiences in Scotland and the UK. A pilot study will be conducted in one Chinese school to test the model for developing inclusive practice proposed in my PhD research. The fellowship will be undertaken through working with an advisory board formed by experienced researchers from multiple disciplines.
In all, this fellowship will create significant and important impacts on a comprehensive transformation towards inclusive and quality education in China at all levels, from government policy frameworks, structural reform and resource redistribution to educational management, everyday classroom teaching practice and school culture. By working knowledgeably, sensitively and ethically in the context of China, the fellowship will improve educational practices in China based on excellent scholarship, to contribute to the welfare of children and families, and the country's sustainable development.
Organisations
- University of Edinburgh (Lead Research Organisation)
- University of Sydney (Collaboration)
- Safe Inclusive Schools Network (Collaboration)
- Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China (Collaboration)
- Rong Ai Rong Le (Collaboration)
- Trinity College Dublin (Collaboration)
- Chinavasion Wholesale Ltd (Collaboration)
- Dublin City University (Collaboration)
- Department of Education of Zhejiang Province (Collaboration)
- United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (Collaboration)
- Beijing Normal University (Collaboration)
- UNIVERSITY OF EDINBURGH (Collaboration)
- Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) (Collaboration)
- University of Strathclyde (Fellow)
People |
ORCID iD |
| Yuchen Wang (Principal Investigator / Fellow) |
Publications
Wang, Y.
(2021)
'Teachers did not let me do it.': Disabled children's experiences of marginalisation in regular primary schools in China
in Disability & the Global South
| Description | This report summarises the significant achievements of the project, and key lessons learnt about the challenges for generating research impact in China. No new research was conducted as part of the project. The project, with its thoughtfully designed activities, successfully engaged diverse groups of key stakeholders in China including school practitioners, families, NGOs, academics, policy-makers and international agencies, to generate sustainable impact at all levels to promote new understandings of how to support disabled children's access inclusive and quality education. Following the issue of a key national policy which highlighted a commitment to an inclusive education in China in early 2017, by all possible means, this project successfully ensured its presence in the on-going debates and developments, and facilitated the formation of a strong alliance to influence the discourse, in order to benefit disabled children's participation and welfare in mainstream schooling. Recognition was given to the high relevance of the research: the research evidence and suggestions were consulted to inform national policy-making on educational provision for disabled children by the Ministry of Education; disability rights campaigning, independent research and the UN CRPD Shadow Report writing by Disabled People's Organisations; and UNESCO's engagement in China on disability and sustainable development issues. School practitioners valued the authenticity of the research that spoke truth of the highly performative education system. By participating in workshops, they felt inspired by learning about the possibility of ensuring inclusion through innovative approaches, and one institution sought collaboration in a pilot study to support teachers' professional development. New reciprocated research partnerships have been established, which were international, cross-sectoral, and interdisciplinary. As the first research that examined disabled children's inclusion in education in China with a critical perspective, the research was found to be useful by international academic communities, such as those in inclusive and special education, disability studies, international development, social policy, law and human rights, childhood studies, china studies and digital education, to understand better of China's development in this aspect, inform their teaching and supervision of postgraduate students who were interested in related topics, and open up new research questions. The project engaged academics in China on new paradigms such as involving children in research, qualitative inquiry, and collaborative relations with users. New opportunities were generated - visits of student teachers, academics, headteachers from China, consultancy on civil society organisations' projects, and collaboration for proposals of special issue, a conference panel and funding applications. These exchanges, with an agenda of promoting inclusive education, also broadened existing UK-China collaboration in education. The challenges that might have compromised outcomes within this one-year project were: culture in Chinese academia that marginalises female and early career researchers, and prefers 'white faces' for 'international' collaboration over researchers of other colours including Chinese ethnicity; internet censorship in China that blocks Western websites and social media platforms; time-consuming tasks of events organisation, administration and translation with no extra support personnel; long cycle of academic publication; no suitable further GCRF funding call and difficulties to join UK research teams as a postdoctoral researcher when China is being removed from international aid schemes. |
| Exploitation Route | The academic dissemination will involve the submission of three single authored papers to peer-reviewed journals, one of which is also part of a special issue that is going to be proposed by me and another editor, and one co-authored book chapter. Travel fund has been secured to support presenting the project at a high-profile international conference in 2018, as part of an international panel that I will chair. Besides academics, the research could be taken forward by policy-makers, disability communities, school practitioners, human rights activists, local NGOs that work in education, inclusive society, and sustainable development, international agencies such as UNESCO and UNICEF, UK organisations that operate in China on disability welfare such as Save the Children, China Vision, and Leonard Cheshire, and other organisations that have not been aware of the need to support this group of children's participation and well-being who are facing discrimination, marginalisation and segregation in Chinese education system. |
| Sectors | Communities and Social Services/Policy,Education,Healthcare,Government, Democracy and Justice |
| URL | https://yuchenwanguk.wixsite.com/ceciproject |
| Description | I have observed the continuing dissemination of the main messages from this research by the key in-country partners I have engaged through the fellowship, in particular, the call for supporting children's participation. Although it has been impossible to document the impact given the short length of the fellowship and the change in my career, I am confident that through this network of teacher educators, practitioners and disability rights advocates, positive impact is happening on the ground to benefit children and families. In early 2021, I was able to reconnect with the practitioners and teacher educators I worked with through a knowledge exchange event, and it was impressive to see how the partner kindergarten back in 2017 now has become the exemplary setting for the province to support many more practitioners' professional development. It is incredibly rewarding to be able to contribute to the collective action in China and witness incremental social change to recognise disabled children's rights to an inclusive education. |
| First Year Of Impact | 2018 |
| Sector | Education |
| Impact Types | Cultural,Societal,Policy & public services |
| Description | Impact on NGO projects |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Membership of a guideline committee |
| Impact | The project has benefited several civil society organisation in China who actively campaigned for disabled children's rights to access mainstream schools. The significant impacts include the integration of child-led initiatives, an increasing awareness of ethics, and opening up opportunities for future research collaboration. The research provided evidence on the marginalisation and neglect in mainstream schools towards disabled children, and these findings were seen as extremely useful for the writing up of a shadow report for the UN CRPD review to pressure policy change and a better system of monitoring. |
| Description | Impact on policy |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Policy Influence Type | Implementation circular/rapid advice/letter to e.g. Ministry of Health |
| Impact | None direct impact from the research has been observed because of the less transparent process of policy-making in the country. The research though was disseminated to policy-makers in the Ministry of Education, and several other key players such as international agencies, local civil society organisations and academics. I participated in the national public consultation in 2014 and offered comments on the draft of a key national policy on educational provision for disabled people, in which I pointed out the lack of definition of the term 'inclusive education'. In my communication with the personnel from the Ministry of Education, I also empathised the importance of ensuring quality provision and equal opportunities to participate, developing a safeguarding mechanism for well-being, developing teacher training programmes for inclusive education, and using effective ways of communication to facilitate the transition of special education. In the issued two policy documents later, these matters were indeed addressed, for example, a note was added to explain the definition of inclusive education. However, my other suggestions such as enhancing children's and families' participation in policy-making, and being more critical about the effects of resource classrooms, were not reflected - these became the limitations of the new policies that could counterbalance the purpose of promoting inclusion. The key messages disseminated by the project, were mostly consistent with an open letter signed by leading academics in China to pressure the Ministry of Education on ensuring quality provision for disabled children. However, the content on re-understanding children and disability was seen to be integrated in academics' teaching and presentations. |
| Description | Impact on schooling practice and teacher educcators |
| Geographic Reach | Asia |
| Policy Influence Type | Influenced training of practitioners or researchers |
| Impact | After the training workshops with school practitioners in the country, participants reported changes as clearer understandings of concepts of inclusive education and special education, and increased confidence and commitment with implementing inclusive education through professional development. The institution that participated in a pilot study after attending my workshop ran several initiatives to enhance children's participants and gain new views of children's competence and perceptions. It is expected that the practitioners would further generate impact through on-going exchange and collaboration with their colleagues. Teacher educators and school practitioners found the research findings on the agency and practice of mainstream teacher to enhance inclusion very encouraging. Since 2017, I have observer a shift in discourse and curriculum in teacher education, and more PGR students have started to take into consideration of voices of disabled children and their families' in research. In addition, the visits of Chinese student teachers and headteachers to the University of Edinburgh also benefited their own professional development for inclusion. |
| Description | Moray House Conference Travel Award |
| Amount | £1,000 (GBP) |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Start | 06/2018 |
| End | 07/2018 |
| Description | Academic network |
| Organisation | Beijing Normal University |
| Department | Faculty of Education |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been the convenor of this academic network to organise regular meetings with academics from the listed institutions and also one seminar to discuss future research collaboration opportunities. I spoke at two conferences under the invitation of the network members. I shared my knowledge of the situations faced by disabled children in China and insights into pathways for impact, to inform network members' understandings and future research. I have also facilitated the visiting of a group of students from Beijing Normal University to attend a summer school led by one colleague from the Edinburgh team. I am currently one of the guest editors for a proposed special issue, which will collect latest research papers from the network members. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Beijing Normal University has invited me to give keynote speech at the largest-scale conference of inclusive education in China, with full financial support. During my visiting in Beijing, I was invited to attend other relevant seminars, conferences and events in the country. The colleagues there have also facilitated the arrangement of workshops with practitioners. Colleagues from the University of Sydney have invited me to speak at Research for Development Impact conference in Australia, and endorsed me on the scholarship application which was granted. They have also invited one colleague from the Edinburgh team to speak at a seminar in Sydney. The colleagues from partner institutions have been extremely generous with their help. They also offered many good advices on the project itself and my future research. |
| Impact | Through this network, new partnerships between Beijing Normal University and two Irish universities have been formed, which leads to invitations of keynote speaking in China in 2018. The existing partnership among Beijing Normal University, University of Sydney and University of Edinburgh has been strengthened, which led to the submission of a joint research funding application. The visiting students from Beijing Normal University gained better understandings of how different education systems tackled the problem of marginalisation and exclusion in education. The knowledge exchange has led to a better engagement of colleagues in Beijing Normal University with the idea of child participation, as reflected in their conference presentations and teaching. The network members are keen to put together a special issue, which I and one colleague from Dublin City University will be the guest editors. The network's public seminar was successfully delivered and well received by attendees. Although the network members are mainly from a discipline of education, the research focuses of each member are diverse. Thus the discussion among the network members contributes to an under researched area, to link pupil voice research with research on inclusive practice and pedagogy. Since 2019, the international collaborator of this award has participated in several funding applications such as ESRC GCRF early childhood education call, UNESCO chair, Canadian Transformation Fund and British Academy small grant. In 2021, the key academic partner in Beijing Normal University and I co-convened a knowledge exchange event on quality and inclusive early years provision, which will lead to a formalised partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University in the area of disability inclusion and education. I was involved in an external funding application led by Beijing Normal University as an international collaborator. The academic partner in Beijing Normal University also acted as an international peer reviewer for the third edition of Scotland's National Framework for Inclusion, which I co-produced with a number of other colleagues in Scottish universities. There is also on-going discussion to establish a formal institutional partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Academic network |
| Organisation | Dublin City University |
| Department | School of Education |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been the convenor of this academic network to organise regular meetings with academics from the listed institutions and also one seminar to discuss future research collaboration opportunities. I spoke at two conferences under the invitation of the network members. I shared my knowledge of the situations faced by disabled children in China and insights into pathways for impact, to inform network members' understandings and future research. I have also facilitated the visiting of a group of students from Beijing Normal University to attend a summer school led by one colleague from the Edinburgh team. I am currently one of the guest editors for a proposed special issue, which will collect latest research papers from the network members. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Beijing Normal University has invited me to give keynote speech at the largest-scale conference of inclusive education in China, with full financial support. During my visiting in Beijing, I was invited to attend other relevant seminars, conferences and events in the country. The colleagues there have also facilitated the arrangement of workshops with practitioners. Colleagues from the University of Sydney have invited me to speak at Research for Development Impact conference in Australia, and endorsed me on the scholarship application which was granted. They have also invited one colleague from the Edinburgh team to speak at a seminar in Sydney. The colleagues from partner institutions have been extremely generous with their help. They also offered many good advices on the project itself and my future research. |
| Impact | Through this network, new partnerships between Beijing Normal University and two Irish universities have been formed, which leads to invitations of keynote speaking in China in 2018. The existing partnership among Beijing Normal University, University of Sydney and University of Edinburgh has been strengthened, which led to the submission of a joint research funding application. The visiting students from Beijing Normal University gained better understandings of how different education systems tackled the problem of marginalisation and exclusion in education. The knowledge exchange has led to a better engagement of colleagues in Beijing Normal University with the idea of child participation, as reflected in their conference presentations and teaching. The network members are keen to put together a special issue, which I and one colleague from Dublin City University will be the guest editors. The network's public seminar was successfully delivered and well received by attendees. Although the network members are mainly from a discipline of education, the research focuses of each member are diverse. Thus the discussion among the network members contributes to an under researched area, to link pupil voice research with research on inclusive practice and pedagogy. Since 2019, the international collaborator of this award has participated in several funding applications such as ESRC GCRF early childhood education call, UNESCO chair, Canadian Transformation Fund and British Academy small grant. In 2021, the key academic partner in Beijing Normal University and I co-convened a knowledge exchange event on quality and inclusive early years provision, which will lead to a formalised partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University in the area of disability inclusion and education. I was involved in an external funding application led by Beijing Normal University as an international collaborator. The academic partner in Beijing Normal University also acted as an international peer reviewer for the third edition of Scotland's National Framework for Inclusion, which I co-produced with a number of other colleagues in Scottish universities. There is also on-going discussion to establish a formal institutional partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Academic network |
| Organisation | Trinity College Dublin |
| Department | School of Education |
| Country | Ireland |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been the convenor of this academic network to organise regular meetings with academics from the listed institutions and also one seminar to discuss future research collaboration opportunities. I spoke at two conferences under the invitation of the network members. I shared my knowledge of the situations faced by disabled children in China and insights into pathways for impact, to inform network members' understandings and future research. I have also facilitated the visiting of a group of students from Beijing Normal University to attend a summer school led by one colleague from the Edinburgh team. I am currently one of the guest editors for a proposed special issue, which will collect latest research papers from the network members. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Beijing Normal University has invited me to give keynote speech at the largest-scale conference of inclusive education in China, with full financial support. During my visiting in Beijing, I was invited to attend other relevant seminars, conferences and events in the country. The colleagues there have also facilitated the arrangement of workshops with practitioners. Colleagues from the University of Sydney have invited me to speak at Research for Development Impact conference in Australia, and endorsed me on the scholarship application which was granted. They have also invited one colleague from the Edinburgh team to speak at a seminar in Sydney. The colleagues from partner institutions have been extremely generous with their help. They also offered many good advices on the project itself and my future research. |
| Impact | Through this network, new partnerships between Beijing Normal University and two Irish universities have been formed, which leads to invitations of keynote speaking in China in 2018. The existing partnership among Beijing Normal University, University of Sydney and University of Edinburgh has been strengthened, which led to the submission of a joint research funding application. The visiting students from Beijing Normal University gained better understandings of how different education systems tackled the problem of marginalisation and exclusion in education. The knowledge exchange has led to a better engagement of colleagues in Beijing Normal University with the idea of child participation, as reflected in their conference presentations and teaching. The network members are keen to put together a special issue, which I and one colleague from Dublin City University will be the guest editors. The network's public seminar was successfully delivered and well received by attendees. Although the network members are mainly from a discipline of education, the research focuses of each member are diverse. Thus the discussion among the network members contributes to an under researched area, to link pupil voice research with research on inclusive practice and pedagogy. Since 2019, the international collaborator of this award has participated in several funding applications such as ESRC GCRF early childhood education call, UNESCO chair, Canadian Transformation Fund and British Academy small grant. In 2021, the key academic partner in Beijing Normal University and I co-convened a knowledge exchange event on quality and inclusive early years provision, which will lead to a formalised partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University in the area of disability inclusion and education. I was involved in an external funding application led by Beijing Normal University as an international collaborator. The academic partner in Beijing Normal University also acted as an international peer reviewer for the third edition of Scotland's National Framework for Inclusion, which I co-produced with a number of other colleagues in Scottish universities. There is also on-going discussion to establish a formal institutional partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Academic network |
| Organisation | University of Sydney |
| Country | Australia |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I have been the convenor of this academic network to organise regular meetings with academics from the listed institutions and also one seminar to discuss future research collaboration opportunities. I spoke at two conferences under the invitation of the network members. I shared my knowledge of the situations faced by disabled children in China and insights into pathways for impact, to inform network members' understandings and future research. I have also facilitated the visiting of a group of students from Beijing Normal University to attend a summer school led by one colleague from the Edinburgh team. I am currently one of the guest editors for a proposed special issue, which will collect latest research papers from the network members. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Beijing Normal University has invited me to give keynote speech at the largest-scale conference of inclusive education in China, with full financial support. During my visiting in Beijing, I was invited to attend other relevant seminars, conferences and events in the country. The colleagues there have also facilitated the arrangement of workshops with practitioners. Colleagues from the University of Sydney have invited me to speak at Research for Development Impact conference in Australia, and endorsed me on the scholarship application which was granted. They have also invited one colleague from the Edinburgh team to speak at a seminar in Sydney. The colleagues from partner institutions have been extremely generous with their help. They also offered many good advices on the project itself and my future research. |
| Impact | Through this network, new partnerships between Beijing Normal University and two Irish universities have been formed, which leads to invitations of keynote speaking in China in 2018. The existing partnership among Beijing Normal University, University of Sydney and University of Edinburgh has been strengthened, which led to the submission of a joint research funding application. The visiting students from Beijing Normal University gained better understandings of how different education systems tackled the problem of marginalisation and exclusion in education. The knowledge exchange has led to a better engagement of colleagues in Beijing Normal University with the idea of child participation, as reflected in their conference presentations and teaching. The network members are keen to put together a special issue, which I and one colleague from Dublin City University will be the guest editors. The network's public seminar was successfully delivered and well received by attendees. Although the network members are mainly from a discipline of education, the research focuses of each member are diverse. Thus the discussion among the network members contributes to an under researched area, to link pupil voice research with research on inclusive practice and pedagogy. Since 2019, the international collaborator of this award has participated in several funding applications such as ESRC GCRF early childhood education call, UNESCO chair, Canadian Transformation Fund and British Academy small grant. In 2021, the key academic partner in Beijing Normal University and I co-convened a knowledge exchange event on quality and inclusive early years provision, which will lead to a formalised partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University in the area of disability inclusion and education. I was involved in an external funding application led by Beijing Normal University as an international collaborator. The academic partner in Beijing Normal University also acted as an international peer reviewer for the third edition of Scotland's National Framework for Inclusion, which I co-produced with a number of other colleagues in Scottish universities. There is also on-going discussion to establish a formal institutional partnership between the University of Strathclyde and Beijing Normal University. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Network with civil society organisations, international agencies and government |
| Organisation | Chinavasion Wholesale Ltd |
| Country | Hong Kong |
| Sector | Private |
| PI Contribution | The partners listed here are agencies both located in China and the UK who actively promote the inclusion of disabled children in education, by a range of means such as online media campaign, intervention projects. I have met key contacts from the organisations, and learned about their current work, priorities and challenges. I shared my research and perspectives, which were found to be helpful to inform their future work. I participated in the events organised by them, such as policy consultation meetings or multi-sector forums, and were also involved in further consultancy work to provide critical advice to their on-going projects. I ran workshops and had meetings with practitioners to support their capacity building. I also invited the DPO One Plus One Group for Disability to be the international partner on a funding bid. I facilitated the visiting study of a group of secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to Moray House. I have been sharing useful resources with them on a regular basis, and also provided other advice when they enquired me. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Representatives from the partner organisations consulted the research thesis. They welcomed my contribution to the important agenda of promoting educational opportunities for disabled children. They invited me to visit their workplaces to learn about their previous and on-going projects. They asked me questions about future directions for the development of inclusive education, and shared their insights into the policy-making process and other pressuring issues. Practitioners from some organisations participated in workshops that I facilitated. Teachers from Qisehua Kindergarten also took part in a pilot study to examine child participation. They invited me to attend events to give talks, which also provided valuable networking opportunities. They indicated other potential partners in the country that would be helpful to my research. |
| Impact | 1 UNESCO Beijing Office: The PhD research was commented by the education officer as the only good quality research available that provided rich information and convincing arguments about policy and practice of inclusive education for disabled children in China with a critical perspective; I was invited to participate in the sub-forum of inclusive education at China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum, and gave a concluding speech on behalf of all the sub-forum delegates; I was invited to be an international consultant to help edit two reports they produced, however, I had to turn this down due to workload. 2 China Vision: The founder of the organisation highly recognised the relevance of the research, and would be happy to collaborate in the future. 3 One Plus One Group for Disability: The research's relevance was highly recognised, which could also be used as evidence in the UN CRPD shadow report which they intend to submit in 2018; I took part in their Disability Voice Month initiative by publishing an article on their social media account; They were the formal international partner on one funding bid. The NGO also shifted their focus of their yearly publication to 'inclusive education'. 4 Qisehua Kindergarten: They helped arrange one workshop with early years practitioners in Henan province by inviting me to be one of the tutors on a National Teaching Training scheme; A pilot study on enhancing child participation and professional development was completed with teachers from the kindergarten, and their shared their experiences with all other teachers. In 2021, we are in the process of developing a larger-scale collaborative action research with the kindergarten and other partner settings in China, and we will explore developing international CPD programmes for practitioners in China. 5 Rong Ai Rong Le - National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: The authenticity of the research was highly recognised by parents' group; I was involved as an academic consultant on one of their several projects, and after introducing the idea of children as researchers and gatekeepers, they integrated more child-led activities in their school-based campaign project. They were also more aware of ethical issues in their work; I was invited to a policy consultation meeting and I offered my advice on the necessity of differentiating concepts. In 2021, we will organise a knowledge exchange meeting for Scottish parent advocates to share their experiences with the group. 6 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: The representative from Special Education Department requested to read the research thesis and found the discussion informative and helpful as they were in the process of drafting a key policy document. I offered my advice on the future direction of the development of special and inclusive education. 7 Zhejiang Education Authority: With my introduction and facilitation, they funded a group of secondary headteachers to visit Moray House and learn about inclusive education in Scotland. During the time I was employed by the same intuition 2017 and 2018, two visiting programmes were successfully delivered which brought in consultancy income around £50,000. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Network with civil society organisations, international agencies and government |
| Organisation | Department of Education of Zhejiang Province |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The partners listed here are agencies both located in China and the UK who actively promote the inclusion of disabled children in education, by a range of means such as online media campaign, intervention projects. I have met key contacts from the organisations, and learned about their current work, priorities and challenges. I shared my research and perspectives, which were found to be helpful to inform their future work. I participated in the events organised by them, such as policy consultation meetings or multi-sector forums, and were also involved in further consultancy work to provide critical advice to their on-going projects. I ran workshops and had meetings with practitioners to support their capacity building. I also invited the DPO One Plus One Group for Disability to be the international partner on a funding bid. I facilitated the visiting study of a group of secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to Moray House. I have been sharing useful resources with them on a regular basis, and also provided other advice when they enquired me. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Representatives from the partner organisations consulted the research thesis. They welcomed my contribution to the important agenda of promoting educational opportunities for disabled children. They invited me to visit their workplaces to learn about their previous and on-going projects. They asked me questions about future directions for the development of inclusive education, and shared their insights into the policy-making process and other pressuring issues. Practitioners from some organisations participated in workshops that I facilitated. Teachers from Qisehua Kindergarten also took part in a pilot study to examine child participation. They invited me to attend events to give talks, which also provided valuable networking opportunities. They indicated other potential partners in the country that would be helpful to my research. |
| Impact | 1 UNESCO Beijing Office: The PhD research was commented by the education officer as the only good quality research available that provided rich information and convincing arguments about policy and practice of inclusive education for disabled children in China with a critical perspective; I was invited to participate in the sub-forum of inclusive education at China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum, and gave a concluding speech on behalf of all the sub-forum delegates; I was invited to be an international consultant to help edit two reports they produced, however, I had to turn this down due to workload. 2 China Vision: The founder of the organisation highly recognised the relevance of the research, and would be happy to collaborate in the future. 3 One Plus One Group for Disability: The research's relevance was highly recognised, which could also be used as evidence in the UN CRPD shadow report which they intend to submit in 2018; I took part in their Disability Voice Month initiative by publishing an article on their social media account; They were the formal international partner on one funding bid. The NGO also shifted their focus of their yearly publication to 'inclusive education'. 4 Qisehua Kindergarten: They helped arrange one workshop with early years practitioners in Henan province by inviting me to be one of the tutors on a National Teaching Training scheme; A pilot study on enhancing child participation and professional development was completed with teachers from the kindergarten, and their shared their experiences with all other teachers. In 2021, we are in the process of developing a larger-scale collaborative action research with the kindergarten and other partner settings in China, and we will explore developing international CPD programmes for practitioners in China. 5 Rong Ai Rong Le - National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: The authenticity of the research was highly recognised by parents' group; I was involved as an academic consultant on one of their several projects, and after introducing the idea of children as researchers and gatekeepers, they integrated more child-led activities in their school-based campaign project. They were also more aware of ethical issues in their work; I was invited to a policy consultation meeting and I offered my advice on the necessity of differentiating concepts. In 2021, we will organise a knowledge exchange meeting for Scottish parent advocates to share their experiences with the group. 6 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: The representative from Special Education Department requested to read the research thesis and found the discussion informative and helpful as they were in the process of drafting a key policy document. I offered my advice on the future direction of the development of special and inclusive education. 7 Zhejiang Education Authority: With my introduction and facilitation, they funded a group of secondary headteachers to visit Moray House and learn about inclusive education in Scotland. During the time I was employed by the same intuition 2017 and 2018, two visiting programmes were successfully delivered which brought in consultancy income around £50,000. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Network with civil society organisations, international agencies and government |
| Organisation | Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Public |
| PI Contribution | The partners listed here are agencies both located in China and the UK who actively promote the inclusion of disabled children in education, by a range of means such as online media campaign, intervention projects. I have met key contacts from the organisations, and learned about their current work, priorities and challenges. I shared my research and perspectives, which were found to be helpful to inform their future work. I participated in the events organised by them, such as policy consultation meetings or multi-sector forums, and were also involved in further consultancy work to provide critical advice to their on-going projects. I ran workshops and had meetings with practitioners to support their capacity building. I also invited the DPO One Plus One Group for Disability to be the international partner on a funding bid. I facilitated the visiting study of a group of secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to Moray House. I have been sharing useful resources with them on a regular basis, and also provided other advice when they enquired me. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Representatives from the partner organisations consulted the research thesis. They welcomed my contribution to the important agenda of promoting educational opportunities for disabled children. They invited me to visit their workplaces to learn about their previous and on-going projects. They asked me questions about future directions for the development of inclusive education, and shared their insights into the policy-making process and other pressuring issues. Practitioners from some organisations participated in workshops that I facilitated. Teachers from Qisehua Kindergarten also took part in a pilot study to examine child participation. They invited me to attend events to give talks, which also provided valuable networking opportunities. They indicated other potential partners in the country that would be helpful to my research. |
| Impact | 1 UNESCO Beijing Office: The PhD research was commented by the education officer as the only good quality research available that provided rich information and convincing arguments about policy and practice of inclusive education for disabled children in China with a critical perspective; I was invited to participate in the sub-forum of inclusive education at China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum, and gave a concluding speech on behalf of all the sub-forum delegates; I was invited to be an international consultant to help edit two reports they produced, however, I had to turn this down due to workload. 2 China Vision: The founder of the organisation highly recognised the relevance of the research, and would be happy to collaborate in the future. 3 One Plus One Group for Disability: The research's relevance was highly recognised, which could also be used as evidence in the UN CRPD shadow report which they intend to submit in 2018; I took part in their Disability Voice Month initiative by publishing an article on their social media account; They were the formal international partner on one funding bid. The NGO also shifted their focus of their yearly publication to 'inclusive education'. 4 Qisehua Kindergarten: They helped arrange one workshop with early years practitioners in Henan province by inviting me to be one of the tutors on a National Teaching Training scheme; A pilot study on enhancing child participation and professional development was completed with teachers from the kindergarten, and their shared their experiences with all other teachers. In 2021, we are in the process of developing a larger-scale collaborative action research with the kindergarten and other partner settings in China, and we will explore developing international CPD programmes for practitioners in China. 5 Rong Ai Rong Le - National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: The authenticity of the research was highly recognised by parents' group; I was involved as an academic consultant on one of their several projects, and after introducing the idea of children as researchers and gatekeepers, they integrated more child-led activities in their school-based campaign project. They were also more aware of ethical issues in their work; I was invited to a policy consultation meeting and I offered my advice on the necessity of differentiating concepts. In 2021, we will organise a knowledge exchange meeting for Scottish parent advocates to share their experiences with the group. 6 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: The representative from Special Education Department requested to read the research thesis and found the discussion informative and helpful as they were in the process of drafting a key policy document. I offered my advice on the future direction of the development of special and inclusive education. 7 Zhejiang Education Authority: With my introduction and facilitation, they funded a group of secondary headteachers to visit Moray House and learn about inclusive education in Scotland. During the time I was employed by the same intuition 2017 and 2018, two visiting programmes were successfully delivered which brought in consultancy income around £50,000. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Network with civil society organisations, international agencies and government |
| Organisation | Rong Ai Rong Le |
| Country | China |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The partners listed here are agencies both located in China and the UK who actively promote the inclusion of disabled children in education, by a range of means such as online media campaign, intervention projects. I have met key contacts from the organisations, and learned about their current work, priorities and challenges. I shared my research and perspectives, which were found to be helpful to inform their future work. I participated in the events organised by them, such as policy consultation meetings or multi-sector forums, and were also involved in further consultancy work to provide critical advice to their on-going projects. I ran workshops and had meetings with practitioners to support their capacity building. I also invited the DPO One Plus One Group for Disability to be the international partner on a funding bid. I facilitated the visiting study of a group of secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to Moray House. I have been sharing useful resources with them on a regular basis, and also provided other advice when they enquired me. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Representatives from the partner organisations consulted the research thesis. They welcomed my contribution to the important agenda of promoting educational opportunities for disabled children. They invited me to visit their workplaces to learn about their previous and on-going projects. They asked me questions about future directions for the development of inclusive education, and shared their insights into the policy-making process and other pressuring issues. Practitioners from some organisations participated in workshops that I facilitated. Teachers from Qisehua Kindergarten also took part in a pilot study to examine child participation. They invited me to attend events to give talks, which also provided valuable networking opportunities. They indicated other potential partners in the country that would be helpful to my research. |
| Impact | 1 UNESCO Beijing Office: The PhD research was commented by the education officer as the only good quality research available that provided rich information and convincing arguments about policy and practice of inclusive education for disabled children in China with a critical perspective; I was invited to participate in the sub-forum of inclusive education at China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum, and gave a concluding speech on behalf of all the sub-forum delegates; I was invited to be an international consultant to help edit two reports they produced, however, I had to turn this down due to workload. 2 China Vision: The founder of the organisation highly recognised the relevance of the research, and would be happy to collaborate in the future. 3 One Plus One Group for Disability: The research's relevance was highly recognised, which could also be used as evidence in the UN CRPD shadow report which they intend to submit in 2018; I took part in their Disability Voice Month initiative by publishing an article on their social media account; They were the formal international partner on one funding bid. The NGO also shifted their focus of their yearly publication to 'inclusive education'. 4 Qisehua Kindergarten: They helped arrange one workshop with early years practitioners in Henan province by inviting me to be one of the tutors on a National Teaching Training scheme; A pilot study on enhancing child participation and professional development was completed with teachers from the kindergarten, and their shared their experiences with all other teachers. In 2021, we are in the process of developing a larger-scale collaborative action research with the kindergarten and other partner settings in China, and we will explore developing international CPD programmes for practitioners in China. 5 Rong Ai Rong Le - National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: The authenticity of the research was highly recognised by parents' group; I was involved as an academic consultant on one of their several projects, and after introducing the idea of children as researchers and gatekeepers, they integrated more child-led activities in their school-based campaign project. They were also more aware of ethical issues in their work; I was invited to a policy consultation meeting and I offered my advice on the necessity of differentiating concepts. In 2021, we will organise a knowledge exchange meeting for Scottish parent advocates to share their experiences with the group. 6 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: The representative from Special Education Department requested to read the research thesis and found the discussion informative and helpful as they were in the process of drafting a key policy document. I offered my advice on the future direction of the development of special and inclusive education. 7 Zhejiang Education Authority: With my introduction and facilitation, they funded a group of secondary headteachers to visit Moray House and learn about inclusive education in Scotland. During the time I was employed by the same intuition 2017 and 2018, two visiting programmes were successfully delivered which brought in consultancy income around £50,000. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Network with civil society organisations, international agencies and government |
| Organisation | United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization |
| Department | UNESCO Bangkok Asia-Pacific Regional Bureau for Education |
| Country | Thailand |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | The partners listed here are agencies both located in China and the UK who actively promote the inclusion of disabled children in education, by a range of means such as online media campaign, intervention projects. I have met key contacts from the organisations, and learned about their current work, priorities and challenges. I shared my research and perspectives, which were found to be helpful to inform their future work. I participated in the events organised by them, such as policy consultation meetings or multi-sector forums, and were also involved in further consultancy work to provide critical advice to their on-going projects. I ran workshops and had meetings with practitioners to support their capacity building. I also invited the DPO One Plus One Group for Disability to be the international partner on a funding bid. I facilitated the visiting study of a group of secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to Moray House. I have been sharing useful resources with them on a regular basis, and also provided other advice when they enquired me. |
| Collaborator Contribution | Representatives from the partner organisations consulted the research thesis. They welcomed my contribution to the important agenda of promoting educational opportunities for disabled children. They invited me to visit their workplaces to learn about their previous and on-going projects. They asked me questions about future directions for the development of inclusive education, and shared their insights into the policy-making process and other pressuring issues. Practitioners from some organisations participated in workshops that I facilitated. Teachers from Qisehua Kindergarten also took part in a pilot study to examine child participation. They invited me to attend events to give talks, which also provided valuable networking opportunities. They indicated other potential partners in the country that would be helpful to my research. |
| Impact | 1 UNESCO Beijing Office: The PhD research was commented by the education officer as the only good quality research available that provided rich information and convincing arguments about policy and practice of inclusive education for disabled children in China with a critical perspective; I was invited to participate in the sub-forum of inclusive education at China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum, and gave a concluding speech on behalf of all the sub-forum delegates; I was invited to be an international consultant to help edit two reports they produced, however, I had to turn this down due to workload. 2 China Vision: The founder of the organisation highly recognised the relevance of the research, and would be happy to collaborate in the future. 3 One Plus One Group for Disability: The research's relevance was highly recognised, which could also be used as evidence in the UN CRPD shadow report which they intend to submit in 2018; I took part in their Disability Voice Month initiative by publishing an article on their social media account; They were the formal international partner on one funding bid. The NGO also shifted their focus of their yearly publication to 'inclusive education'. 4 Qisehua Kindergarten: They helped arrange one workshop with early years practitioners in Henan province by inviting me to be one of the tutors on a National Teaching Training scheme; A pilot study on enhancing child participation and professional development was completed with teachers from the kindergarten, and their shared their experiences with all other teachers. In 2021, we are in the process of developing a larger-scale collaborative action research with the kindergarten and other partner settings in China, and we will explore developing international CPD programmes for practitioners in China. 5 Rong Ai Rong Le - National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities: The authenticity of the research was highly recognised by parents' group; I was involved as an academic consultant on one of their several projects, and after introducing the idea of children as researchers and gatekeepers, they integrated more child-led activities in their school-based campaign project. They were also more aware of ethical issues in their work; I was invited to a policy consultation meeting and I offered my advice on the necessity of differentiating concepts. In 2021, we will organise a knowledge exchange meeting for Scottish parent advocates to share their experiences with the group. 6 Ministry of Education of the People's Republic of China: The representative from Special Education Department requested to read the research thesis and found the discussion informative and helpful as they were in the process of drafting a key policy document. I offered my advice on the future direction of the development of special and inclusive education. 7 Zhejiang Education Authority: With my introduction and facilitation, they funded a group of secondary headteachers to visit Moray House and learn about inclusive education in Scotland. During the time I was employed by the same intuition 2017 and 2018, two visiting programmes were successfully delivered which brought in consultancy income around £50,000. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Other networks |
| Organisation | Safe Inclusive Schools Network |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Learned Society |
| PI Contribution | I attended events organised by these academic and interdisciplinary networks, such as running a workshop or giving a talk. I invited key members to attend or speak at the events I organised as well. I actively engaged members from the networks on a regular basis and have facilitated collaboration in research funding application. I provided advice for key network members on many aspects of research, such as how to work with China in research context. |
| Collaborator Contribution | These networks helped circulate information about my project events. They have invited me to attend their events such as seminar, and to lead on workshops or give speeches. The key members were interested in my work and recognised its relevance. They helped indicate useful contacts that could be helpful for this research. Some members have been invited to speak at my project events, and some were involved in joint funding application. These networks brought valuable opportunities to disseminate the research to audiences across different disciplines. |
| Impact | 1 Childhood and Youth Studies Network: By invitation, I facilitated a workshop 'keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts' at the network's Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree'; 2 Disability Research Edinburgh: Several members from this network joined together for a research funding application; 3 Research-led Teacher Education Network: The convener of the network spoke at the CECI network seminar; 4 Scotland China Education Network: I was invited to speak at its Advisory Council Meeting on 'working together for inclusive and quality education'; 5 Safe Inclusive Schools Network: Key members from the network spoke at the CECI network seminar. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Other networks |
| Organisation | Scotland China Education Network (SCEN) |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Charity/Non Profit |
| PI Contribution | I attended events organised by these academic and interdisciplinary networks, such as running a workshop or giving a talk. I invited key members to attend or speak at the events I organised as well. I actively engaged members from the networks on a regular basis and have facilitated collaboration in research funding application. I provided advice for key network members on many aspects of research, such as how to work with China in research context. |
| Collaborator Contribution | These networks helped circulate information about my project events. They have invited me to attend their events such as seminar, and to lead on workshops or give speeches. The key members were interested in my work and recognised its relevance. They helped indicate useful contacts that could be helpful for this research. Some members have been invited to speak at my project events, and some were involved in joint funding application. These networks brought valuable opportunities to disseminate the research to audiences across different disciplines. |
| Impact | 1 Childhood and Youth Studies Network: By invitation, I facilitated a workshop 'keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts' at the network's Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree'; 2 Disability Research Edinburgh: Several members from this network joined together for a research funding application; 3 Research-led Teacher Education Network: The convener of the network spoke at the CECI network seminar; 4 Scotland China Education Network: I was invited to speak at its Advisory Council Meeting on 'working together for inclusive and quality education'; 5 Safe Inclusive Schools Network: Key members from the network spoke at the CECI network seminar. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Other networks |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | Disability Research Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I attended events organised by these academic and interdisciplinary networks, such as running a workshop or giving a talk. I invited key members to attend or speak at the events I organised as well. I actively engaged members from the networks on a regular basis and have facilitated collaboration in research funding application. I provided advice for key network members on many aspects of research, such as how to work with China in research context. |
| Collaborator Contribution | These networks helped circulate information about my project events. They have invited me to attend their events such as seminar, and to lead on workshops or give speeches. The key members were interested in my work and recognised its relevance. They helped indicate useful contacts that could be helpful for this research. Some members have been invited to speak at my project events, and some were involved in joint funding application. These networks brought valuable opportunities to disseminate the research to audiences across different disciplines. |
| Impact | 1 Childhood and Youth Studies Network: By invitation, I facilitated a workshop 'keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts' at the network's Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree'; 2 Disability Research Edinburgh: Several members from this network joined together for a research funding application; 3 Research-led Teacher Education Network: The convener of the network spoke at the CECI network seminar; 4 Scotland China Education Network: I was invited to speak at its Advisory Council Meeting on 'working together for inclusive and quality education'; 5 Safe Inclusive Schools Network: Key members from the network spoke at the CECI network seminar. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Other networks |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Department | Research-led Teacher Education Network |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I attended events organised by these academic and interdisciplinary networks, such as running a workshop or giving a talk. I invited key members to attend or speak at the events I organised as well. I actively engaged members from the networks on a regular basis and have facilitated collaboration in research funding application. I provided advice for key network members on many aspects of research, such as how to work with China in research context. |
| Collaborator Contribution | These networks helped circulate information about my project events. They have invited me to attend their events such as seminar, and to lead on workshops or give speeches. The key members were interested in my work and recognised its relevance. They helped indicate useful contacts that could be helpful for this research. Some members have been invited to speak at my project events, and some were involved in joint funding application. These networks brought valuable opportunities to disseminate the research to audiences across different disciplines. |
| Impact | 1 Childhood and Youth Studies Network: By invitation, I facilitated a workshop 'keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts' at the network's Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree'; 2 Disability Research Edinburgh: Several members from this network joined together for a research funding application; 3 Research-led Teacher Education Network: The convener of the network spoke at the CECI network seminar; 4 Scotland China Education Network: I was invited to speak at its Advisory Council Meeting on 'working together for inclusive and quality education'; 5 Safe Inclusive Schools Network: Key members from the network spoke at the CECI network seminar. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Other networks |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Sector | Academic/University |
| PI Contribution | I attended events organised by these academic and interdisciplinary networks, such as running a workshop or giving a talk. I invited key members to attend or speak at the events I organised as well. I actively engaged members from the networks on a regular basis and have facilitated collaboration in research funding application. I provided advice for key network members on many aspects of research, such as how to work with China in research context. |
| Collaborator Contribution | These networks helped circulate information about my project events. They have invited me to attend their events such as seminar, and to lead on workshops or give speeches. The key members were interested in my work and recognised its relevance. They helped indicate useful contacts that could be helpful for this research. Some members have been invited to speak at my project events, and some were involved in joint funding application. These networks brought valuable opportunities to disseminate the research to audiences across different disciplines. |
| Impact | 1 Childhood and Youth Studies Network: By invitation, I facilitated a workshop 'keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts' at the network's Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree'; 2 Disability Research Edinburgh: Several members from this network joined together for a research funding application; 3 Research-led Teacher Education Network: The convener of the network spoke at the CECI network seminar; 4 Scotland China Education Network: I was invited to speak at its Advisory Council Meeting on 'working together for inclusive and quality education'; 5 Safe Inclusive Schools Network: Key members from the network spoke at the CECI network seminar. |
| Start Year | 2017 |
| Description | Secondary head teachers from Zhejiang province to attend 'Leadership for Future Schools' programme |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I facilitated and helped organise the visit of 20 secondary headteachers from Zhejiang province to attend 'Leadership for Future Schools' programme at the University of Edinburgh. The group learned about Scottish education system, theories and practices of inclusive education, and the implications of technology in education. The group also visited 5 local schools in Scotland and had professional dialogues with school practitioners. The visit was found by the headteachers as very useful, in particular, reminding themselves of the meaning of education, the importance of inclusion, and the responsibilities of teaching professions to work for every child's future. They planned to try out several strategies after they returned to their schools. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | 'Counting Every Child In' Network Seminar |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | About 30 participants attended the one-day free public 'Counting Every Child In' network seminar, and the majority of participants were postgraduate students in Scotland. The event featured presentations from senior and PhD researchers at University of Edinburgh and Dublin Trinity College, and also an academic team from Beijing Normal University. The seminar was to encourage reflection on the role of pupil voice in researching and developing inclusive practice in schools and classrooms. At the seminar, participants had many engaged conversations among each other. According to the feedback, the seminar was found to be engaging and useful, which also provided plenty of opportunities for networking. After the seminar, a meeting was held among network members, and future plans such as conference presentations and a special issue proposal were formulated. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Chinese student teachers attending 'Comparative and International Approaches to Inclusive Education Summer School' |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an open day or visit at my research institution |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | 9 student teachers from Beijing Normal University (BNU) attended the 'Comparative and International Approaches to Inclusive Education Summer School' in July 2017, funded by scholarships provided by BNU. The students learned about policy and practice in many different developed and developing contexts/ They participated in group discussions and also gave a presentation on the development of special education in China. The students gained a deeper understanding of inclusive and special education. After returning to China, they also wrote up formal reports about the visit, and presented to peers at a Faculty seminar. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Consultancy on child-led inclusive school culture campaign project |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | An initial online meeting was organised by the National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities with the group of consultants on one of their major projects 2017-2018. The project would involve running activities in mainstream schools to raise awareness of teachers and pupils on inclusive culture and community. At the meeting, comments and suggestions were provided by the panel over issues as negotiation access, curriculum design and ethics etc. I also had another meeting with the organisation on mid-term evaluation of the project, at which I responded to their concerns on the effectiveness of some disability awareness training activities and ethics. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Consultancy on policy engagement |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Third sector organisations |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to participate in a meeting organised by National Network of Parents for Children with Intellectual Disabilities, who were seeking comments on a recently issued national policy and suggestions on their approaches to influence policy-making. The panel of experts involved activists, governmental representatives, academics and other NGO representatives. I learned how difficult it had been for parents to gain access to key policy-makers and also how committed they were to keep identifying possible ways. During the discussion, I particularly pointed out that a confusion of the meanings of many used concepts would not be helpful for the campaign work, the advice of which was acknowledged as useful for their future work. The meeting concluded with a plan to conduct a survey of parents' experiences with the implementation of the policy, and the results have been published in early 2018. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Postgraduate teaching Comparative Approaches to Inclusive and Special Education |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was the tutor for a postgraduate course 'Comparative Approaches to Inclusive and Special Education' as part of MSc Inclusive Education Programme. I led one course lecture to introduce the development of inclusive education in China. The lecture was to give students an example of developing context and how inclusive education could be understood differently across contexts. 15 postgraduate students attended the course, who were from different countries and had worked as school practitioners or other child service professionals. The students found the lecture engaging and interesting, which made them reflect on differences but also similarities in global challenges for implementing inclusive education. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Postgraduate teaching Inclusive Pedagogy |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give a talk on the research at the course 'Inclusive Pedagogy' as part of the MSc Inclusive Education programme at Moray House School of Education. The talk was to introduce the implications of researching children's views for the development of inclusive practice. There were about 25 postgraduate students, who were from different countries and had diverse work experiences as practitioners. The recording of the lecture was also later shared with other online part-time postgraduate students on the course. Students asked many questions after the lecture, and also posted reflections and additional comments on the course's online discussion forum. For example, one Scottish student was surprised that mainstream disabled children had been taking place in China for nearly 30 years. Many also felt that the stories of children's everyday experiences triggering them to reflect on teachers' practices. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Postgraduate workshop |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Postgraduate students |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to run a workshop at the 6th Annual Childhood Studies 'Jamboree' workshop at University of Edinburgh. I designed a workshop titled 'Keep pedalling: generating research impact in international contexts.', to engage participants to reflect on potential issues in engagement activities. The participants were mainly postgraduate students and there were also child service professionals. According to the comments left in the feedback forms, the participants enjoyed the workshop and felt that they learned more about how to generate impact of their own research. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Project website |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Engagement focused website, blog or social media channel |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | International |
| Primary Audience | Public/other audiences |
| Results and Impact | A project website in both English and Chinese language was set up to update project activities and also provide other useful information. The website has helped publicise the research, for example, generated enquiry from fellow researchers and postgraduate students. The blog articles provided insights into current circumstances for disabled people in China. The website also updated a reference list, which has been found useful by other researchers who could then direct their postgraduate students to consult. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Round table panel |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to participate in a round table panel with other local academics in China at Haidian District International Seminar on Inclusive Education in Beijing. The panel took questions from practitioners in special education. I addressed one specific question related to researching teachers' practices in mainstream schools and argued for the need to draw on collaborative/action research framework, to respect teachers' expertise and understand many challenges they were facing such as pressure for high academic performance. The researcher who asked the question felt encouraged and reassured. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Scotland China Education Network advisory council meeting |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A talk or presentation |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Supporters |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to give a talk about the project at Scotland China Education Network advisory council meeting. I spoke about the engagement activities conducted over 2017, and advocated for the importance of working together for inclusive and quality education between UK and China. The presentation generated interest from several members, and we also discussed the necessity for Scottish practitioners to be more aware of the benefits of international engagement. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | UN China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | A formal working group, expert panel or dialogue |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | National |
| Primary Audience | Policymakers/politicians |
| Results and Impact | I was invited to participate in the discussion forum of inclusive education, as part of China Disability and Sustainable Development Forum organised by ILO, UNDP, UNESCO and UNICEF. With other delegates, we discussed a wide range of issues related to the development of inclusive education for disabled children in the context of China, and provided critical feedback for two in-country projects commission by UNESCO. I gave a concluding speech about the discussion to the whole audience of the Forum at the end of the event, and also offered my own reflection. I argued for the shifting of understanding of disability in the country and the importance of ensuring disabled people's participation in decision-making. The event also helped strengthen my partnerships with other organisations, and future plans for activities were discussed afterwards. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshop 1: Developing inclusive practice in schools |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Professional Practitioners |
| Results and Impact | A workshop was conducted with Beijing Chaoyang District Special Education Resource Centre, to introduce the research findings on children's experiences and teachers' practice and pedagogy. With a group of special education practitioners, we also discussed the future of special education as a discipline and an industry, what they could do to prepare themselves for the change, and what they could offer to support disabled children's mainstreaming experiences through collaboration with general educators. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |
| Description | Workshop 2: Inclusive pedagogy and listening to pupil voice |
| Form Of Engagement Activity | Participation in an activity, workshop or similar |
| Part Of Official Scheme? | No |
| Geographic Reach | Regional |
| Primary Audience | Schools |
| Results and Impact | A workshop was conducted with early years practitioners in Henan province. The workshop was run as part of a national teacher education programme, that involved teachers from both urban and rural areas in the province. The workshop comprised four sessions, and teachers were engaging in group activities that provided hands-out experiences with strategies, and stimulated the reflections of their own professional experiences. The workshop led to the interest from one kindergarten to try out child participation initiatives in their settings to enhance a sense of inclusion. A pilot study was conducted with teachers at the institution and at the end of the study, the participants also shared their experiences with colleagues. |
| Year(s) Of Engagement Activity | 2017 |