Leadership of special educational needs coordinators for Inclusive Education in Hong Kong’s mainstream primary and secondary schools

To strengthen the implementation of inclusive education, the government created a new deputy principal position beginning in the academic year 2008–2009. The position included taking on the roles of a special educational needs coordinator (SENCO). The SENCOs are a new tier of middle leaders who are in a vital position to change and restructure the education system. With no available research data regarding the roles and responsibilities of SENCOs, this study represents an initial and significant effort to understand SENCOs’ conception of their roles and the challenges of fulfilling their responsibilities. The pilot study adopted an inductive qualitative case study approach that examine the middle leadership in a sample of local primary schools, including (a) investigations into the various conceptions of SENCO leadership held by principals, SENCOs, and other teachers; and (b) the development process of SENCO leadership at the school level. Data will contribute to a hypothetical foundation for further research in a larger study and significant in terms of informing policies and practices on school reforms for inclusive schooling, shedding light on leadership training needs, and providing foundational data for future research in this area.

Funding Source: RGC - General Research Fund (GRF)