Ethical Dilemmas of Chinese Pre-service Teachers During Practicum: A Perspective of Legitimate Peripheral Participation

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Thursday 2:15 pm - Gold 1
  In Roundtable Session: Navigating Practicum in Preservice Education: Ethics, Partnerships, and Culturally Responsive Problem-Solving

Abstract

Grounded in Legitimate Peripheral Participation (LPP), this qualitative study analyzes interviews and documentary materials from 12 Chinese pre-service teachers. Findings reveal ethical dilemmas centering on enacting "management" responsibilities, manifested as: (1) legitimacy crises from suspended authority and questioned competence; (2) loyalty conflicts due to inconsistent ethical demands; and (3) boundary negotiation between professional duties and self-interest. Core challenges involve choices about "on what grounds/how/to what extent to manage". These predicaments are intensified by contextual factors including identity tension, cultural transition shocks, power imbalances, and alienated community participation. We propose: embodied ethics cultivation, collaborative mentorship, and theory-practice integrated moral communities for resolution.

Author

• MENGFEI WANG, Beijing Normal University