Culturally inclusive teaching in diverse classroom settings in Chinese kindergartens: a qualitative...

Grounded in the framework of Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4), this study explores culturally inclusive teaching practices among Chinese kindergarten teachers in multicultural classrooms, identifies core instructional methods and their influencing conditions, and constructs a "context-method-outcome" theoretical model capable of explaining the internal logic of these practices. However, existing research remains insufficient in developing empirically grounded and practice-oriented models to explain how culturally inclusive teaching is implemented at the kindergarten level within the Chinese cultural context.

A qualitative research design was adopted, involving semi-structured interviews with 12 teachers and 8 parents from four kindergartens across different regions of China, as well as classroom observations and relevant documentary materials. Systematic analysis was conducted through open coding, axial coding, selective coding, and theoretical integration.

This study identified six categories of core teaching methods, and integrated three overarching dimensions: communicative and cognitive support, emotional support and identity construction, and social-environmental support. The findings indicate that these teaching methods are jointly shaped by multiple factors and collectively promote the development of socio-emotional skills, linguistic and cognitive abilities, and inclusive attitudes.

This study proposes a theory-driven framework of culturally inclusive teaching rooted in the Chinese context, offering actionable practical pathways for teacher professional development, curriculum design, and policy improvement. Meanwhile, analysis based on parent interviews clarifies the critical role of home-school collaboration mechanisms in supporting culturally inclusive practices. Together, the construction of a coordinated home-school educational ecosystem represents an important pathway for achieving the Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG 4) in early childhood education.