“Teach to adapt or adapt to teach”: qualitative study on the new “special-post teachers” in China’s rural schools

Abstract

The number of new “Special-post teachers” has decreased considerably, especially at China’s rural schools in recent years. This study applies the semi-structured interview data of new “Special-post teachers” in China’s rural schools to explore their perceptions on the rural new teachers’ problems and challenges at nine developing rural provinces in China. It finds that the new rural teachers were confronted with severe challenges and difficulties for their professional adaptability in rural areas, such as the interpersonal relationship, heavy workload and dissatisfied salary, and unqualified teaching capacities. Those interviewed new “Special-post teachers” also learned lots from those challenges in reality, such as the diversified personality characteristics, professional beliefs and career motivation. It also suggested that, Chinese government should offer sufficient and diversified educational policies to stimulate rural teacher development, especially for new “Special-post Teachers” at rural areas. Chinese central government plays a significant role to guarantee the sustainable funding support for the development of new “Special-post teachers”. In addition, the principals in rural schools should pay close attention to new Special-post Teachers’ personability characteristics, hobbies and needs to create a supportive teaching environment for them to move toward successful rural teacher development.

Keywords:

• Rural school teacher
• special-post teachers
• china’s education system
• rural education

Acknowledgements

Eryong, Xue and Jian Li serve as co-first/corresponding authorship in this study.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Notes

1 The Special post plan for School Teachers in Rural Compulsory Education Retrieved from http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A10/s7151/201901/t2090116_367111.html

2 The new “Special-post Teacher” is defined as a special post within the establishment set by Chinese central government and assigned new “Special-post Teachers” whose service period is around 1-3 years. The substantial topics of the studies on “Special-post Teachers” in China’s rural schools include teaching motivation, professional confidence, the basic conditions of rural teachers.

3 Rural areas with specific natural landscape and social and economic conditions, refers to a place where workers mainly engaged in agricultural production live together, is different from cities, towns and engaged in agriculture farmers living together. Rural areas are agricultural areas, with market towns and villages. They are dominated by agricultural industries (natural economy and primary industry), including various farms (including livestock and aquaculture farms), forest farms, horticulture and vegetable production. Rural areas are sparsely populated compared with densely populated towns. Before entering the industrial society, most of the population in the society lived in the countryside. The pace of rural life is slow, and the pressure of life is relatively small compared with the city.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Jian Li

Jian Li, Assistant professor, China Institute of Education Policy, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China (Corresponding email: [email protected]).

Eryong Xue

Eryong Xue, Professor, China Institute of Education Policy, Faculty of Education, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, China.