Reproducing the urban or reappraising the local? Extracurricular activities developed by fellows in an alternative teacher preparation programme in China

ABSTRACT

This paper analyses the forms of, and the reasons for developing extracurricular activities by fellow participants in an alternative teacher preparation programme in China. We frame the paper through Bourdieu’s sociology. Our interviews with 16 fellows reveal that fellows manoeuvre their capital portfolio to develop both academic and non-academic forms of extracurricular activities. Reasons for developing extracurricular activities include using available resources through capital conversion, expanding students’ horizon through contemptuous habitus; and taking into account the local needs. Despite fellows’ good intention to compensate local students, we call for reflexivity to transform their contemptuous habitus into one that realises local values.

KEYWORDS:

• Alternative teacher preparation programme
• localised globalism
• contemptuous habitus
• habitus transformation
• Bourdieu

Disclosure statement

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

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Australian Research Council [DE180100107]; Jiangsu Education Science Plan [C-b/2020/01/14]; Fundamental Research Funds for the Central Universities—Jiangnan University [JUSRP11990].