Teachers' Busyness: Sense-Making in the Institutional Lives of Chinese Primary School Teachers (Poster 26)

• In Event: AERA Poster Session Thursday 9:50 a.m.
  In Poster Session: Teachers' Busyness: Sense-Making in the Institutional Lives of Chinese Primary School Teachers

Abstract

This study uses a qualitative approach and a sense-making perspective to examine how Chinese Primary School Teachers (CPSTs) manage their time within institutional frameworks. It identifies three components of CPSTs' institutional time: "Extended-Internalized" Subject Teaching Time, "Segmented-Embedded" Specific Role Time, and "Compressed-Synchronized" Administrative Instruction Time. CPSTs show patterns of gradual adaptation, boundary permeability, and selective alienation as they navigate their professional responsibilities and seek autonomy. The study observes three practical patterns: Adding "Busy" to "Busyness," Finding "Order" in "Busyness," and Seeking "Leisure" in "Busyness." It recommends creating a more supportive and autonomous work environment to enhance teachers' personal value and educational quality.

Author

• Ruixin HUANG, East China Normal University