The Importance of 'Guanxi' for Parents of Children with Autism: A Study of Social Capital in Navigating School Sources
Main Article Content
Keywords
Inclusive Education, Parental Advocacy, social capital, Guanxi, Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis
Abstract
Studies relating to the impact of power imbalances between parents and school actors have increased in recent years. Yet, there remains little insight into the nature of such imbalances from a parent perspective in non-Western countries such as China. Drawing from Bourdieu’s Social Capital framework from the 1960s, we analyzed audio-recorded interviews with 16 parents of children identified as autistic who live in one of four different provinces across China using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Specifically, we analyzed the expressed processes and strategies (e.g., personal connections with key school officials, or what is called in Mandarin guanxi) that participating parents used to advocate for inclusive education services. Findings from our study suggest that a parent’s use of social capital (in the form of guanxi) surpasses explicit national policies as an effective strategy for garnering adequate services for their child. Such unspoken power dynamics between schools and parents reveal significant implications for equitable access to educational resources. In making more visible the parental perspective from a less-understood region of the world, we aim to support a deeper understanding of the often-hidden tensions that emerge when parents seek support for their children with special needs.
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Hui Zhang, University of California, Santa Barbara
Hui Zhang is a PhD student at the University of California, Santa Barbara. Her research pursuits are driven by a profound interest in family-centered, community-based special education services, parental advocacy within school and community contexts, and a strong commitment to advancing disability rights.
Diana Arya, University of California, Santa Barbara
Diana Arya (she/they) is an Associate Professor in the Department of Education and Faculty Director of GGSE's McEnroe Reading and Language Arts Clinic. Their research interests converge on the intersection of multimodal, critical reading practices, intergenerational mentoring, and place-based, interdisciplinary literacies with an emphasis on social, economic, and environmental justice. Recent scholarship has highlighted the importance of sociocultural and sociolinguistic diversity, equity, and inclusion in literacy instruction and assessments and the recentering of learning on community interests, knowledge, and expertise. Dr. Arya's research is grounded on more than 30 years of urban school (K-8) instruction, holding multiple teaching certifications and endorsements in language and literacy program development for diverse, multilingual populations. Dr. Arya has developed a multi-program initiative called Community Based Literacies (CBL) that is guided by a mission to contribute to long-needed transformations in K-8 literacy education in the U.S.