Multiculturalism, Educational Inclusion, and Connectedness

This book offers a unique focus on the wellbeing of Chinese and South/Southeast Asian students in the context of Hong Kong, and the particular experience of integrating these young people into its schooling system. Yuen uses a narrative method that captures and gives a vivid insight into the actual experience of students from disadvantaged backgrounds, whilst providing fascinating comparisons between students coming from Mainland China and those whose parents are South Asian immigrants. Readers will be particularly interested in the attention given to spiritual wellbeing and how religious participation and affiliation make a difference, as viewed and explained by students themselves. This well-organized volume begins by laying out the major themes relating to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, followed by a richly elaborated theoretical chapter which defines core concepts and their interconnection. This is followed by substantive chapters where the voices of each of the different diverse groupings of students: Chinese Mainland immigrants, Chinese Cross-boundary youth, South/Southeast Asian ethnic youth and mainstream HK youth from underprivileged backgrounds, are heard and interpreted in relation to themes of inclusion and wellbeing. It then builds upon the narratives to provide bottom-up solutions and pathways towards the inclusion and wellbeing of all students, also the professional development of teachers who can take up the challenge of ensuring that all young people are nurtured to fulfill their potential. Providing readers with practical implications and takeaways for education practice, this must-read work will appeal to a wide range of education practitioners and students involved in providing or researching inclusive education relating to Chinese and South Asian students--