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Teacher career motivation and professional development in special and inclusive education: perspectives from Chinese teachers

Limited evidence is available from the existing literature that relates teachers' career motivation to their attitudes towards special and inclusive education and their motivation for professional development in China. A mixed-method approach was used to investigate teachers' perspectives in this respect. A sample of teachers at seven mainstream schools (N = 326), two special schools (N = 36) and student teachers from one university (N = 565) in a city in China was identified. Triangulation of data collected from questionnaire surveys, interviews and observations facilitated the identification of cases for narrative enquiry. Self-Determination Theory (SDT) was applied in data analysis and discussion. The key findings indicate that teachers researched were largely extrinsically motivated. Some were amotivated (unwilling) and were regretful of their career choice. Low teaching competencies influenced teacher attitudes towards inclusive education. Despite a high awareness of, and motivation for, professional development, many teachers were not taking an active initiative in engaging themselves in professional development. The paper highlights the impact of the multi-dimensional factors on teacher career motivation and professional development in special and inclusive education in China. It implies a correlation between the key themes and extends the discussion of the SDT model in terms of the continuum of extrinsic motivation.