Teachers’ perceptions of the teacher-student relationship among students with social, emotional, and behavioral difficulties (SEBD) in residential schools in Thailand and Hong Kong

Students with Social, Emotional, and Behavioral Difficulties (SEBD) pose a major challenge to inclusive education. A positive teacher-student (t-s) relationship has been confirmed a vital factor in the development of students with SEBD. In Hong Kong, students with SEBD may study in mainstream schools, or special schools with residential service, while in Thailand, parents can only choose mainstream schools (either public or private) for their children with SEBD. A qualitative study was conducted in two Hong Kong special schools (one primary and one secondary) and one private school (with both primary and secondary schools) in Thailand to explore teachers’ perceptions of the t-s relationship among students with SEBD. The three schools offer residential services. Information was collected mainly from individual interviews with 21 teachers from these three schools. Themes emerging from the analysis reflect that the cultural concerns about the difference between‘relationship’ and ‘guanxi’ require further elaboration and discussion. Copyright @ 2023 Center for Promoting Ideas, USA.