Teachers’ Interpersonal Styles Toward Students with Special Educational Needs in Chinese Inclusive Classrooms

Abstract

This study aims to develop and validate a questionnaire based on the model of interpersonal teacher behavior to assess teachers’ interpersonal styles with students with special educational needs (SEN) in inclusive education. The survey was administered to 1,695 regular education teachers in China. The findings of this study are that (1) Chinese teachers trained in inclusive education used interpersonal styles with students with SEN that were represented by a two-dimensional (control and affiliation) four-factor (understanding, support, indulgence, and conflict) model; (2) teachers perceived that they show high affiliation (understanding and support) and low control (indulgence and conflict) toward students with SEN; and (3) teachers’ interpersonal styles are affected by a series of factors: whether they are head teachers, their academic qualifications and the length of their inclusive education training, the grade level they teach, type of student disability, and class size. This study helps construct a conceptual framework and corresponding tools for inclusive education teachers in China to adapt their interpersonal styles. The theoretical and practical implications, limitations of the study, and suggestions for further research are discussed.