Who should teach? A Chinese teacher candidate’s understandings of a good teacher and racialised experiences

ABSTRACT

Being a good teacher depends on many cultural and linguistic assumptions. Dominant definitions of a good teacher are often based on these implicit assumptions. Probing notions of a good teacher, we examine the endeavors of a Chinese international pre-service teacher, Ling, to become a “good teacher” through her encounters with micro-aggression in the context of her coursework and fieldwork at a U.S. university. The data presented here were collected through semi-structured interviews and field notes from 2014 to 2015 as part of a larger ethnographic case study. We find that the process of becoming a good teacher depends on many cultural and linguistic assumptions that are linked to micro-aggression. We conclude by reflecting on Ling’s understanding of a good teacher in light of dominant views on the matter and her ambivalence to speak up, and make recommendations for further research to allow for alternative views of good teachers to coexist.

KEYWORDS:

• International pre-service teachers
• micro-aggressions
• fieldwork
• teacher quality

Ethics statement

The institutional review board reviewed and approved the current study.

Acknowledgments

The first author would like to thank the participant, reviewers, and Dr. Rohan Maddamsetti who carefully read the earlier versions of the manuscript and provided insightful comments.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Michigan State University [Dissertation Completion Fellowship 2016, Research Enhancement Grant 2015, Summer Research Funding 2014].

Notes on contributors

Jihea (Kang) Maddamsetti

Jihea (Kang) Maddamsetti recently earned her Ph.D. from the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Her research interests include transnational and intercultural lived experiences in educational contexts and teacher education.

Terry K. Flennaugh

Terry K. Flennaugh is an Assistant Professor of Race, Culture, and Equity in Education in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. His research is primarily concerned with urban education, race, culture and equity in education, and the educational experiences of Black boys and men of color.

Cheryl L. Rosaen

Cheryl L. Rosaen is Professor Emerita in the Department of Teacher Education at Michigan State University. Her research focuses on learning to teach literacy in diverse settings, teacher candidates’ evolving conceptions of new literacies instruction, technology integration, and the role video can play in supporting teacher learning.