Beyond stability: a narrative inquiry into beginning teacher attrition and identity transition in China

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Friday 1:45 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: From Crossing to Returning: Teacher Trajectories in Motion

Abstract

Beginning teacher attrition in China now affects both underdeveloped rural areas and urban regions with abundant educational resources. To our knowledge, little study has examined the characteristics of beginning urban bianzhi teachers who have resigned. Framing attrition as a dynamic identity‐construction process and grounded in Self‐Determination Theory, this qualitative narrative inquiry study conducted a semi-structured interview to trace how contextual and psychological factors shape an urban bianzhi teacher’s professional transition and identity construction. She made an initial career choice based on contextual factors and personal identity; three years later, her enduring professional identity, rooted in unmet needs to “help students” and other frustrated psychological needs, dominated her attrition in a misaligned professional context. The implications of teacher identity development are discussed.

Authors

• Yarui Chen, Florida State University

• Siyuan Chen, College of William & Mary