Agency in Isolation: An Ethnographic Study of Rural Teachers’ Self-Directed Professional Development in China

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 7:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Professional Development and Praxis: Innovations within Asian Contexts

Abstract

This ethnographic study investigates how rural teachers in Yunnan Province, China, engage in self-directed professional development (SDPD) under systemic and contextual challenges. Drawing on Garrison’s self-directed learning (SDL) framework, the study explores teachers’ motivations, self-management strategies, and self-monitoring adaptations in response to limited formal PD, heavy workloads, and cultural-linguistic diversity. Data from interviews, observations, and documents reveal how rural teachers integrated reflection, peer learning, and technology to meet their professional goals. Findings suggest SDPD as an agency-driven process shaped by structural inequities and localized needs, offering insights into teacher learning beyond top-down models.

Authors

• Meina Zhu, Wayne State University

• Zixi Li, Indiana University