From Formative Experience to Teaching Practice: Chinese Elementary Teachers’ Career Choice and Student Relationship Building

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 9:45 am - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Teaching Lives in China: Pathways, Responsibilities, and Renewal

Abstract

This study explores how formative experiences and relationships shape Chinese elementary teachers’ decision to pursue teaching and their ways of connecting with students. Using narrative identity theory as a guiding framework, we analyze interviews from ten Mandarin-speaking teachers working in urban public schools. Our thematic analysis identified five key themes, including (1) formative influences from past relationships, (2) meaningful motivations for entering teaching, (3) balancing warmth and authority, (4) attuning to individual student needs, and (5) promoting student voice and participation. These themes reveal how early relational experiences continue to shape teachers’ values and classroom practices. By centering teachers’ personal narratives, this study offers new insight into the emotional, cultural, and intergenerational dimensions of teacher identity in the Chinese context.

Authors

• Yijing Zhang, University of Maryland

• Chunru Dong, University of Maryland