Inclusive education has become a global priority, as reflected in the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal 4 (United Nations, 2015). Advocating for inclusive, equitable and high-quality education for all, it underscores the importance of addressing the diverse needs of children and emphasises the creation of an environment where every child feels valued and supported. In China, inclusive education policies primarily focus on structural integration, such as placing children with disabilities in mainstream schools (MoE, 2017). However, this approach overlooks broader aspects of diversity and difference, including the experiences of ethnic minority children, children with diverse gender identities, and children from migrant worker families (Qu, 2024).

Although there has been momentum toward promoting inclusive education(United Nations, 2015), structural barriers and deeply entrenched social norms continue to shape children’s educational experiences in unequal ways. In particular, the intersection of multiple social identities--such as gender, socioeconomic status, disability, ethnicity, and rural-urban background--further exacerbates these challenges in Europe and internationally. This is also apply in China—For instance, rural children from low-income families may face marginalisation due to financial hardship, cultural bias, and systemic neglect (Zhang & Luo, 2016); likewise, ethnic minority children may face additional challenges, including poor-quality schools and a lack of funding (Cao, 2008), and ethnic minority girls are particularly likely to drop out of school (Yang, 2001).

Achieving inclusive education requires more than policy implementation or resource allocation; it necessitates a deeper exploration of how children experience inclusion and exclusion within multilayered social environments (Qvortrup & Qvortrup, 2018). Intersectionality provides a valuable framework for understanding these experiences (Crenshaw, 1989). By examining the interplay of different social identities in educational settings, research can move beyond single-dimensional analyses to offer a more comprehensive understanding of the complexities of inclusion and exclusion. Although research on inclusive education in China has increased in recent years, most studies remain focused on policy implementation (Deng & Poon‐McBrayer, 2012; Xu, et al., 2018; Qu, 2024), with limited attention to children’s everyday educational experiences. Furthermore, even studies that consider children’s perspectives often adopt a single-axis approach, such as disabled children(Qu, 2024), without adequately addressing how multiple social identities intersect to shape their schooling experiences.

By investigating how different social identities influence children’s everyday lives, this study contributes to a more comprehensive and nuanced understanding of inclusion and exclusion in the Chinese context. It also provides insights for policymakers and educators to foster genuinely inclusive learning environments that recognise and accommodate diverse forms of difference. Therefore, this ethnographic study seeks to fill the gap in understanding how Chinese primary school children experience inclusion and exclusion in their daily lives. This research aims to address the following questions:

1. How are inclusion and exclusion manifested in the everyday educational environment of a Chinese primary school, especially for children with different social identities (e.g., gender, ethnicity, socioeconomic background, disability status, etc.)?
2. What role does social identity play in shaping these experiences?
3. How do multiple social identities intersect to influence children’s educational experiences and social interactions in the school environment?

This study uses an ethnographic approach to gain an in-depth understanding of children’s daily experiences at school. The researcher is required to conduct fieldwork and spend a significant amount of time with the people they are studying in a ‘real world’ setting (Agar, 2008). Considering the richness of intersectional data, I will not label any children when selecting research participants. A whole class will be approached, and that data will be gathered from participants that have given consent and have parental consent. Additionally, teacher educators will be recruited to participate in the study to gain a deeper understanding of inclusive education, its implementation, and their experiences and challenges in supporting children of different social identities. Participatory observation, a central technique for data collection in ethnographies (Gallagher, 2009) and the mosaic method (Clark & Moss, 2011), will be used to collect data from the child participants. Participatory observation will be conducted by observing teacher-student interactions, children’s behaviours and daily activities, which may last from 30 minutes to 1 hour. School schedules, facilities, classes, extra-curricular activities, school discipline and rules, policies, images and documents will be observed and collected in field notes. Then, through participatory activities (mosaic method) with children, such as drawing, photography, conversations and tours, each lasting about 15-30 minutes, a comprehensive understanding of the real story from the children’s inner depths will be obtained. In addition, semi-structured interviews will be conducted with the participating teachers. Through interviews, teachers express their personal views of children’s experiences and attitudes toward social environments and inclusion (Cohen et al., 2018). The data will be analysed using thematic analysis, which involves identifying recurring themes and patterns in the children’s narratives and behaviours. The visual and verbal materials gathered (photos, drawings, transcripts) will be reviewed, coded, and analysed. The combination of child-led and researcher-observed data offers a holistic view of the children’s experiences. To increase the validity of the data (Cohen et al., 2018), data from different sources (e.g., semi-structured interviews with teachers, participatory activities with children, and observations) will be triangulated to ensure that findings are robust and consistent across methods. The ethnographic nature of the study means the researcher’s role will be reflexive (Reeves, et al., 2008), ensuring that interpretations of the data are conscious of cultural context and the researcher’s influence on the participants.

Data gathering will take place between February and May 2025. Although still in its early stages, the research has already identified gaps in the literature, formulated research questions, and conducted an in-depth literature review. Data will be available for presentation at the conference. Specifically, the study will explore in depth in what ways the experiences of primary school students are affected by the complex intersections of their social identities and the interconnections of various forms of oppression, which present challenges and advantages to them. Also, whether these intersections affect various aspects of their education, including social relationships, perceptions of teachers, and self-identity. Considering the diverse contextual background shaped by China’s unique socio-cultural and educational system, as well as the interplay between children's social identities (e.g., gender, social class, and ethnicity), this study aims to provide a comprehensive understanding of how children experience inclusion and exclusion in Chinese schools. Secondly, the study is expected to emphasise best practices in engaging children as active participants in research using participatory methods and addressing ethical issues. These insights can inform educational policies and practices aimed at creating inclusive environments in schools, paving the way for a more inclusive and equitable education system not only in China but in other European and international contexts where inclusion in education remains a challenge.

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