Professional Qualities of Special Education Itinerant Teachers: A Qualitative Study from China

Abstract

ABSTRACT In China, many special education schools are or have been rebuilt into resource centres. To support the national program of ‘Learning in Regular Classroom’ (LRC), these centres often recruit teachers in special education schools to serve as special education itinerant teachers (SEITs), who travel across regular schools to provide specialised professional support. However, most studies of professional qualities of SEITs have been conducted in western countries and the analysis was based on SEITs for students with visual or hearing impairment. Little is known about the professional qualities of SEITs in the Chinese LRC context. This study aims to make a contribution in this regard. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with seven SEITs. It was found that beliefs, knowledge, skills, professional identity and motivation, and self-awareness of professional development were recognised as the core professional competencies necessary for the implementation of itinerant service. Implications for practice and future research in SEITs’ professional development are presented.