English Teachers' Emotion and Teacher Identities in a Rural School in China: A Preliminary Study

• In Event: Narrative Research SIG Virtual Roundtable Two

Abstract

Being an English teacher in a rural primary school in China is difficult and complex. Rural English teachers are immersed in the complexities of the primary institutions, as evidenced by poor and marginalized children and under-resourced teaching conditions. Also, there are widespread negative views of rural life, rural people, and rural education. The teaching profession sees rural teachers as lower status, particularly in a competitive individualist-driven profession. These conditions are exacerbated by a desire for English as an international language, which promises a globalized and modern life. However, rural households have little if any chance of realizing it. Navigating these views in society and the profession, English teachers in rural Chinese schools thus experience many emotions in their professional lives.

Authors

• Zhuoxi Cao, The University of Hong Kong
  Presenting Author

• Margaret M. Lo, University of Hong Kong
  Presenting Author