Different Yet Wonderful: A Study on the Character Development of Children with Special Needs

Jingyu Li; Miao Liu; Zhaoqi Jiang; Shuhui Shi; Chunxia Wei; Jia Guo; Shihan Li

doi:10.70088/z7zfj778

Authors

Jingyu Li Faculty of Psychology, Tianjin Normal University, Tianjin, 300387, China; College of Education, Weifang Univer-sity of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Miao Liu College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Zhaoqi Jiang College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Shuhui Shi College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Chunxia Wei College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Jia Guo College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author
Shihan Li College of Education, Weifang University of Science and Technology, Weifang, Shandong, 262700, China Author

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70088/z7zfj778

Keywords:

exceptional children, character, special education, moral education

Abstract

In recent years, localities have adhered to the overarching goals of moral education, consistently enhancing the quality of special education, and promoting the holistic development of moral, intellectual, physical, aesthetic, and labor education, while ensuring the physical and mental well-being of children with special needs. This study focuses on the character development of children with special needs, examining three dimensions-honesty, bravery, and cooperation-through a questionnaire survey of 328 participants. The findings indicate that, although children with special needs generally demonstrate robust development of positive character traits, their performance in the domain of cooperation is significantly lower compared with typically developing peers. Furthermore, hierarchical regression analyses reveal that the developmental trajectories of these character strengths are significantly influenced by age, geographic location (urban vs. rural), parental educational attainment, and diagnostic category of disability.