Special Education Practices in Higher Education: A Case Study of Teachers' Perspectives at a Provincial Normal University in China

Abstract

Inclusive higher education has become a global reform priority, yet the gap between policy commitments and institutional practice remains particularly pronounced in provincial universities in developing regions. Drawing on Ainscow's systemic framework of inclusive education, this study examines how university teachers at Zhengzhou Normal University, a provincial teacher-education institution in Henan Province, China, interpret, implement and experience inclusive practices for students with disabilities. A qualitative case-study design was adopted, using semi-structured interviews with fifteen teachers selected through purposive and snowball sampling. Thematic analysis was applied across four interrelated systemic dimensions: institutional priorities, governance structures, community participation, and evaluation systems. Findings indicate that inclusive education at the institution is at an early and fragmented stage. Teachers carry the burden of inclusion through individual initiative in the absence of coordinated governance, systematic professional development, community engagement, and inclusive evaluation criteria. Although national and provincial policies have created a supportive external environment, declarative institutional commitments have not been translated into operational structures. The study contributes to the literature in three ways: it extends Ainscow's framework to a non-Western provincial higher-education context; it foregrounds teacher perspectives in a setting dominated by policy-centred research; and it identifies the strategic multiplier role of teacher-education universities, whose inclusive practices shape the next generation of school teachers. Implications for institutional reform, policy implementation, and teacher professional development are discussed.