Beyond Vulnerability: Resilience of Novice Teachers in China’s Educational Reform—A Qualitative Study of an AWaRE Model Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Rooted and Resilient: Innovative Approaches to Teacher Recruitment, Preparation, and Mentoring

Abstract

This qualitative study challenges the prevailing view of novice teachers as vulnerable group in educational reform. Guided by the AWaRE model of teacher resilience, it examines how 18 novice teachers in Shanghai, China, actively overcome reform related challenges. Through qualitative inquiry, we found that despite threats to their well-being—increased workload, heightened intensity, and intensified conflicts—these teachers employed personal strategies (e.g., managing negative emotions, prioritizing health) and professional strategies (e.g., reframing challenges as growth opportunities, leveraging digital resources for learning) to overcome adversity. Their resilience was sustained by individual capacities (professional competence, reform commitment) and diverse communities. Findings recast novice teachers as agentic professionals who thrive amidst reform turbulence with resilience support, offering implications for global novice teacher support policies.

Author

• Wenxin Gao, East China Normal University