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’. Copyright © 2021 Cambridge University Press.

Background and aims: The COVID-19 pandemic poses a grim challenge to adolescents' daily life, including schooling and learning, which has great impacts on their mental and behavioral health. This study aimed to test the roles of stress related to schooling and online learning during COVID-19 (COVID-19 stress) in depression and Internet gaming disorder (IGD) among adolescents and the potential mediators of social support, academic stress, and maladaptive emotion regulation based on the framework of Conservation of Resources theory. Sex differences in these associations were further examined. Methods: A school-based survey was conducted among Chinese adolescents in 13 secondary schools in Hong Kong (n = 3,136) from September to November 2020 (48.1% males; mean age = 13.6 years old) using stratified random sampling. Results: The prevalence of probable depression and IGD was 60% and 15%, respectively. Results of structural equation modeling indicated that the proposed model fit the data well (Χ²/df = 7.77, CFI = 0.92, IFI = 0.92, RMSEA = 0.05). COVID-19 stress was positively and indirectly associated with both depression and IGD through social support, academic stress, and maladaptive emotion regulation. Multi-group analyses identified that the associations between COVID-19 stress and academic stress, between academic stress and depression, and between social support and depression were stronger among females compared to males. Discussion and conclusions: Findings highlight the roles of academic stress, poor social support, maladaptive emotion regulation, and sex to understand how disruption and stress caused by COVID-19 increases adolescent depression and IGD. Psychosocial interventions based on these factors are highly warranted. Copyright © 2021 Akademiai Kiado.

This study examines a promising new coping and parental competency (CPC) intervention for parents of children with special educational needs that targets parents' mental health outcomes. Coping and parental competency impact parents' mental health, but no studies have rigorously assessed whether CPC is an effective strategy for cultivating emotional wellness in these parents. A seven‐week skills‐based CPC parenting programme was developed and administered in groups. One hundred twenty‐four parents in Hong Kong were randomly assigned to the intervention group or the wait‐list control group. Parents in the intervention group (a) showed reductions in depression, anxiety, and stress, (b) used fewer emotion‐oriented coping strategies and (c) exhibited an increased sense of parenting competency compared to the wait‐list control group. The serial multiple mediation of emotion‐oriented coping and parental competence in the relationship between treatment condition and mental health outcomes was found to be statistically significant. The discussion highlights the potential usefulness of a CPC intervention for populations at risk for parenting and coping challenges. Copyright © 2021 Wiley.

The COVID-19 pandemic and social unrest have posed a unique set of challenges to Hong Kong. During these two social events, parents of children with special educational needs (SEN) who were already experiencing caregiving pressure, likely coped with additional stressors; they were at a higher risk of mental health problems. A pre-registered, cross-sectional survey study was carried out among 234 Hong Kong parents of children with SEN, investigating the associations of stigmatized identity, perceived discrimination, and subjective well-being under the impact of these social events. Utilizing the Bayesian modelling, we found that highly self-stigmatized parents not only perceived more daily-life discriminating behaviors against them, but also reported having higher distress, more negative emotions, and lower life satisfaction. A higher perceived impact of social events and more discrimination were also associated with lower well-being. Additionally, stigmatized identity, perceived discrimination, and perceived impact of social events demonstrated unique associations with well-being variables, indicating they were substantial stressors. The study called out for public attention to the mental health conditions among parents of children with SEN and other disadvantaged groups in society. Copyright © 2021 by the authors.

Students with SEBD bring a major challenge to the success of inclusive education. Positive relationships between teachers and students have been found to be a factor vital to the development of students with SEBD. A study reported that students with severe SEBD perceived the teacher student (t-s) relationship in residential schools as better than that in mainstream schools. In Hong Kong, students with SEBD may either study in mainstream schools, or special schools. Some special schools provide residential services. In Thailand, parents can only choose mainstream schools (either public or private) for their children with SEBD. From a qualitative approach, a study was conducted in two Hong Kong special schools (one primary and one secondary) and one private school (with both primary and secondary sections) in Thailand to explore teachers’ perception of the t-s relationship among students with SEBD. The three schools offer residential services. Information was collected mainly from individual interviews with 21 teachers from these three schools. Themes emerging from the analysis reflect that the cultural concerns about the difference between “relationship” and “guanxi” require further elaboration and discussion. Copyright © 2019 ICTEL.

The Special Educational Needs Coordinator (SENCO) is a teacher responsible for the implementation of policies relating to the inclusion of students with special educational needs (SEN) at various levels of schooling in the mainstream setting. The UK has taken the leading role in SEN coordination since the early 1990s (DFE, 1994). Before 1994, there was no formal requirement for schools to appoint such a teacher. However, the 1994 Code (DFE, 1994) placed a statutory obligation on all schools to identify a specialist teacher to coordinate provision for pupils with SEN, and it described the roles and responsibilities of the SENCO. In the UK, a dominant theme in SENCO research in the past decade has been the extent to which the role is concerned with aspects of leadership and management (e.g., Cole, 2005; Layton, 2005; Rosen-Webb, 2011; Tissot, 2013). The role of SENCOs have been debated in the literature (Norwich, 2010; Oldham & Radford, 2011), specifically concerning whether it should be a specialist role or a more generic management role. An individual's interpretation and enactment of the role of SENCO – as specialist or management, or somewhere in between – depends on the individual (Kearns, 2005) and school-level factors (Blandford, 2013). While the UK schools are exploring effective ways for assuring the effective functioning of SENCOs, Hong Kong followed the footstep of the UK by introducing a similar position in 2015. Through a pilot scheme in 2015, a total of 124 schools, including 65 secondary schools and 59 primary schools, were included. The final evaluation report of the pilot scheme concluded that although there was variation in the roles of SENCOs in different schools, it was clear that they were engaging in more strategic activity as the new role develops (Education Bureau, 2018). In addition, two studies (Poon-McBrayer & Wong, 2013; Poon-McBrayer, 2017) investigating the roles of principal leadership on HK schools' inclusive education reforms found that

While the short form of career development self-efficacy inventory (SF-CDSEI) has been validated in students with and without special educational needs, the relationships between the five subscales (i.e., Career goal setting, Career planning, vocational training selection, Job hunting preparation and Job hunting) have not yet been adequately explored to inform more effective practices (e.g., intervention development). Based on the Social cognitive career theory (SCCT), this study examined their relationships based on two SCCT-supported models with a new sample of secondary students with SEN(n=218). In model 1, student self-efficacy of career planning (CP) and career goal setting (CGS) were two cognitive-oriented predictors of a general action-oriented self-efficacy factor consisting of job-hunting preparation (JHP), vocational training selection (VTS) and job-hunting behavior (JHB). In model 2, JHP and VTS formed a general factor of job-hunting preparation (G-JHP), while JHB was separated. The results of model 1 showed 95% variance of action-oriented CDSEI could be explained by cognitive-oriented self-efficacy of CP and CGS with CGS was a stronger predictor (β=.60 vs. β=.43). Comparatively, model 2 showed that 90% variance of G-JHP and 87% JHB could be explained by career planning and career goal setting. But as compared to CGS(β=.42), CP (β=.57) was a stronger predictor of JHB. For G-JHP, CGS was a stronger predictor (β=.68) as compared to CP (β=.32). The results are discussed in relation to the SCCT to develop intervention programs for addressing the needs of SEN students in terms of CDSEI. Copyright © 2020 International Conference on Learning and Teaching.

Objective: This study investigated how school counsellors in international schools in Hong Kong supported the wellbeing of students and families during the period of school closure caused by the COVID-19 pandemic from the perspective of parents.Method: Sixteen parents with children in eleven different international schools in Hong Kong were interviewed and the data were analysed thematically.Results: Strong pre-existing relationships, role clarity, and open communication between counsellors and parents were associated with the effective adaptation of counselling services to the changing needs of parents during the school closure period, but these characteristics were often weak or absent.Conclusions: Parents’ perceptions of counselling during the school closure period provide important feedback that schools can use to build more integrated and responsive support services. Counsellors can support students’ wellbeing more effectively during crises by communicating their roles clearly, building strong relationships with parents, and helping students to maintain a diverse experience in their schooling. Copyright © 2021 Informa UK Limited.

Integrated education is linked to a process of placing students with special education needs in ordinary schools. The aim of inclusive education is to provide high quality learning opportunities for students with different educational needs. Development in every region has experienced different stages and areas of concerns, and covered service targets with different types of specific needs. In the development process, the government will base on the current needs and formulate relevant regulations and ordinances to steer the implementation. Inclusion education is one of the essential tasks in school reform as observed in overseas countries. The government is expected to advocate inclusion proactively, deploy the necessary resource and encourage collaboration. Copyright © 2015 Asian Journal Center, Asian Federation on Intellectual Disabilities.