Self-concept and its connections with peer relationships of students with intellectual disabilities in regular primary schools: evidence from China

In China, the advancement of inclusive education has led to a growing number of students with intellectual disabilities attending regular schools. However, little is known about the current state of their peer relationships or the factors that influence them. This study aimed to investigate the self-concept and peer relationships of students with intellectual disabilities in China and to examine how sociodemographic variables and self-concept affect their peer relationships. The participants included 52 students with intellectual disabilities and 1,583 typically developing peers from the same classes. All participants completed a peer nomination test, while the students with intellectual disabilities additionally completed a self-concept questionnaire. The results showed that the overall self-concept of students with intellectual disabilities in China was generally at a medium-low level, with their non-academic self-concept higher than their academic self-concept. Gender was found to significantly influence overall self-concept among these students. Furthermore, self-concept significantly predicted peer acceptance, normalized betweenness centrality, and membership in 2-cliques within peer networks. Based on these findings, implications for future research and practice are suggested, and the limitations of this study are discussed.