Preparing High-Quality Teachers for Hard-to-Staff Schools in China: Does Government-Funded Teacher Education Make a Difference?

• In Event: Transforming and Investigating Teacher Education Policy in Diverse Contexts

Abstract

Effective teacher education policies and programs underlie education quality and social equity. This study aims to examine the impact of China’s government-funded teacher education (GFTE) policy on the professional competence of teachers for hard-to-staff schools, in which professional identity and learning engagement mediated the impact sequentially, and whether GFTE program satisfaction moderates such impact. Based on a cross-sectional survey research design, questionnaires were administered to 465 preservice teachers and analyzed using structural equation modeling (SEM). Results showed that supportive policy satisfaction positively predicted professional competence; the positive indirect effects masked the negative influence of restrictive policy satisfaction; the moderation effects were significant. This study provides empirically-grounded evidence of GFTE’s effectiveness and has implications for teacher education policy and curriculum design.

Authors

• Yiwen Lin, Beijing Normal University
  Presenting Author

• Wei Liu, Guizhou Normal University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Qiong Li, Beijing Normal University
  Non-Presenting Author