A Study on the Influence Mechanism and Enhancement Strategies of Teacher Agency in Chinese Primary and Secondary Schools in the Context of Inclusive Education

Teacher agency is central to effective practice within China’s ‘Learning in Regular Classroom’ (LRC) model for inclusive education. This study investigated the mechanisms underlying teacher agency by surveying 1,385 LRC teachers in Chinese primary and secondary schools and assessing their perceptions of school inclusive climate, job stress, and teacher agency. The results revealed that a positive school inclusive climate strongly enhanced teacher agency, whereas job stress severely undermined it. Job stress mediated the relationship between school inclusive climate and teacher agency. Drawing on social-ecological systems theory, these findings call for multi-level interventions: a supportive school environment at the microsystem level, collaborative teacher networks at the mesosystem level, and enabling policies at the macrosystem level.