Research on Implementation of the Rotation Policy of Compulsory Education Teachers Based on the Improvement of Weak Schools in Western China

• In Event: Teachers’ sustainable professional development

Proposal

Abstract: At present, education equity has become a hot spot of social concern. How to solve the imbalance of teachers between schools and ensure the balanced development of compulsory education is of great importance. There is short of high-quality teacher resources in weak schools, economically backward areas and rural areas, especially in western China. This problem seriously restricts the balanced development of compulsory education in China and impacts educational equity. The teacher rotation policy came into being in this context. The policy aims to promote the balanced development of teacher resources between schools, counties, and urban and rural areas in the compulsory education stage by adjusting the quantity and quality of teacher resource allocation, and to promote the improvement and promotion of the quality of weak schools. Although teacher rotation policy of compulsory education has achieved great achievements, there are still many problems in the implementation of the policy due to the lack of relevant supporting policies and specific implementation rules. In this study, three representative provinces in western China were selected to carry out research methods such as questionnaire survey and interview method to investigate the implementation status of the teacher rotation policy to improve weak schools. Based on the actual problems of primary and secondary school teachers, a questionnaire is prepared, and the collected questionnaires are statistically analyzed to obtain teachers' understanding, attitude and willingness to the rotation policy, implementation at the micro level, factors affecting teachers' enthusiasm, implementation effects and from the perspective of rotating teachers, review the information on the play of their own role and other aspects. At the same time, the interview method was carried out to deeply explore the main problems existing in the implementation process of the policy.
Key Words:compulsory education, weak school improvement, teachers' job rotation policy
Objective
Since the official implementation of the teacher rotation policy of compulsory education in 2010, the policy has achieved remarkable achievements in balancing the allocation of teachers and improving the teaching quality of weak schools. However, due to the deviation between the policy design and the needs of teachers' schools, we encountered resistance from teachers and schools during the implementation process. The result of this policy implementation deviates from the policy’s preceding goals and hinders policy design goals—promoting the improvement of weak schools, and the realization of the impartial development of compulsory education (Xue & Li, 2021). Due to the problems existing in teachers, schools and the policy itself during the implementation of the compulsory education teacher rotation policy, the improvement of weak schools has not been fully improved the quality of compulsory education. This research studies the implementation of the compulsory education teacher rotation policy, conducts field research through questionnaires and interviews to improve the role of the teacher rotation policy on the improvement of weak schools, and finds the core problems in the implementation of the policy.
Theoretical framework
This study uses educational equity theory and talent mobility theory as the analytical framework for the research.
Method
This research uses the questionnaires, participatory observation and semi-structured interviews. Participation offers the potential to engage people in all aspects of the research process (Clark, Katz & Peace, 2009). Also, participatory research is viewed as a way of achieving a more “relevant”, morally aware and non-hierarchical research practice that can also be emancipatory (Kesby, 2000; Pain, 2004). Semi-structured interviews allow all participants to be asked the same questions within a flexible framework. Participants were encouraged to talk about their experience through open-ended questions, and the ordering of further questions was determined by their responses (Dearnley, 2005).
In order to investigate the implementation of teacher rotation policy in western China under the background of education equity This study will select three representative provinces in western China.
This study will focus on the following issues:
(1) What is the current situation of the implementation of teacher rotation policy in the weak schools of western China?
(2) What are the problems and influencing factors in the implementation of teacher rotation policy in the weak schools of western China?
(3) How to improve the problems in the implementation of teacher rotation policy in the weak schools of western China?
Data collection and analysis
Based on the questionnaires and semi-structured interview, the study will conducted more than 40 hours of in-depth communication with 40 teachers to fully understand the teacher's evaluation and attitude towards the teacher rotation policy, the effect of teacher rotation policy implementation and the policy executor, and record the teacher's feedback and suggestions on ways and means to improve the effect of teacher rotation policy implementation. For example, teacher A expressed that with the deepening of the teacher rotation reform, it is suggested that the teacher rotation should highlight the core quality of the rotation, clarify the corresponding standards and requirements, make teacher rotation policies more actionable, and strengthen the operability.
Results
This research is in progressing. This research attempts to find out the dilemma of teacher rotation policy when they achieve certain results through a questionnaire survey. At the same time, combined with interviews with teachers and relevant school management personnel, we can deeply understand the implementation of teacher rotation exchange policy. In the end, the researchers put forward some improvement suggestions to promote the teacher rotation in weak schools based on the conclusions drawn from quantitative and qualitative analysis.
Scholarly significance
This study will provide suggestions for the effective implementation of the teacher rotation policy, and also has great impact on the educational administrative departments and schools to formulate relevant supporting policies and specific implementation rules. The implementation of the teacher rotation policy in the compulsory education stage is not a passive choice for completing administrative tasks or evaluating professional titles, but to improve the teaching level, scientific research level, and management concept of weak schools, to promote the improvement of weak schools, narrow the gap between weak schools and high-quality schools, and achieve complementary and coordinated development.

Authors

• Huanchun Chen, East China Normal University

• Shijie Ling, Department of Education，East China Normal University