Barriers to Effective Inclusive Education in Primary School in China: Perspectives from Teaching Practice

Inclusive education is steadily developing and has achieved some results in China, but there are also many barriers, such as insufficient teacher capacity for inclusive education, insufficient school resource support, and difficulties in communicating with parents. These barriers are particularly evident in underdeveloped provinces, which constrain the development level of inclusive education in the local area and are detrimental to educational equity. This study conducted interviews with 15 teachers from 3 ordinary schools in Guizhou Province in China. Through thematic analysis, the results were obtained from three aspects: teaching practice, barriers faced, and solutions. In terms of teaching practice and the obstacles faced, there are significant problems such as insufficient level of inclusive education, insufficient personalized education, communication difficulties, inadequate management of behavioral norms, and lack of resources for teachers. Teachers overcome these obstacles through self-improvement, diversified teaching methods, emotional communication, and seeking external help, with good results.