Research on inclusive education in China from 1999 to 2024: A scientometric analysis

Since 1999, research on inclusive education in China has evolved into a distinct and structured academic domain. Based on 584 journal articles from 1999 to 2024, this study employs scientometric methods to perform a visual clustering analysis of literature sourced from the China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), with the objective of identifying developmental trajectories and existing research gaps in the field of inclusive education within the Chinese context. The analysis yields several noteworthy findings. First, inclusive education at the senior secondary level and within core academic subjects remains insufficiently addressed in current scholarship. Second, research subjects have been disproportionately concentrated on university students with visual impairments, while other marginalized populations have received limited academic attention. Third, there is considerable conceptual ambiguity arising from the interchangeable use of the terms “inclusive education,” “mainstreaming of special education,” and “special education” in both scholarly publications and policy documents. This terminological conflation has impeded the establishment of a coherent theoretical framework. Fourth, existing international comparative studies predominantly emphasize policy analysis and are largely devoid of empirical investigation, thereby constraining their relevance to both global academic discourse and practical implementation. Through a data-driven and systematic approach, this study maps the evolution of inclusive education research in China and highlights the imperative of constructing robust theoretical foundations and fostering meaningful international engagement to advance the field.