Exploring teacher emotional labor and agency: A case study of rural novice teachers in China

• In Event: Teacher agency, autonomy, and leadership as essential ingredients for effective professional development

Proposal

Novice teachers in rural areas may experience increased emotional labor (EL) due to their limited experience and the high-demand environment. Several studies indicate that EL is associated with teachers’ burnout and high turnover intention (e.g., Yin et al., 2019; Acheson et al., 2016). Despite the high turnover rates among rural novice teachers being a shared challenge in China and certain regions globally (Du Plessis & Mestry, 2019; Liu et al., 2022; Nguyen, 2022), limited attention has been given to the EL of rural novice teachers.
To address gaps in the literature, the current study used a qualitative case study to investigate the EL and agency of rural novice teachers from poststructuralism views. This study is significant as it offers valuable insights for practitioners and researchers in understanding teacher EL and agency, as well as to enhance the well-being of rural novice teachers, both in China and similar international contexts. We explored the following research questions:
(1) How did teachers exercise agency in their EL?
(2) How teacher EL construct their agency?

Theoretical Framework
Poststructuralism challenges the dualism between the individual and society inherent in both sociological and psychological perspectives on emotional labor (e.g., Hochschild, 1983; Grandey, 2000). According to its views, teacher emotions are both social and personal, arising from discursive practices shaped by power relations, ideology, and culture (Foucault, 1977; Zembylas, 2005). Emotional rules emerge through dynamic negotiations between individuals and society, representing a complex interplay of individual, cultural, social, and institutional factors (Johannesson, 1998; Zembylas, 2002). That is, teacher EL is not inherently liberating or oppressive, attention should be given to the degree of agency exhibited through the negotiation of teachers with emotional rules (Benesch, 2018).
The poststructuralism approach has also been adopted to conceptualize teacher agency. Agency denotes“the capacity of people to act purposefully and reflectively on their world” (Rogers & Wetzel, 2013, p. 63), which is “mediated by the interaction between the individual and the tools and structures of a social setting” (p. 900). Although agency and emotion have been viewed as interrelated constructs (Miller & Gkonou, 2018; White, 2018), how agency and EL are interrelated has not been addressed yet.

Methodology
We used the qualitative case study method for this study. This method involves an in-depth analysis of a specific unit, such as an individual, group, organization, or event, allowing for a comprehensive understanding of contextual factors and a detailed examination of the case under investigation (Yin, 2009; Merriam, 2015, p.24).
Table 1 (not available at this stage) shows the teacher information and data collection. Four participants, Ting, Ming, Kelly, and Cor are from Cloud middle school (anonymized) in central China rural areas. Including a case of four participants who share many common characteristics could enhance the precision, validity, stability, and trustworthiness of the results (Miles et al., 2014, p.33).
All data were audiotaped, then transcribed and entered into Nvivo 12 software for coding, categorizing, and theorizing (Saldaña, 2016; Merriam, 2015). Following Saldaña’s (2016) guide, researchers conducted initial coding, process coding, and in-vivo coding in the first cycle coding, and then used axial coding to create iterative themes.

Findings
Five themes emerged from data regarding how rural novice teachers experience EL, including:
(1) Intentionally performing an authoritative image. Four teachers mentioned that they intentionally pretend to be serious in their class to maintain classroom order.
(2) From unconditional care to moderate care. Ming initially expressed unconditional care for students, such as purchasing drawing supplies at her own expense to support their art courses. However, she decided to withhold her love and care. She said:
That student let me hesitant to trust any student. Maybe moderate care and passion are more suitable for me. (Interview, Ming, July 12, 2020)
(3) Aspire to influence more children. Many veteran teachers advised Ting not to invest too much passion and love into teaching because of students’ poor achievement. However, Ting devoted a considerable amount of effort to teaching. She stated:
I will not give up on these children, just like I once hoped teachers would not give up on me. I aspire to change the destinies of some of these children, even though I know it is challenging. (Journal entries, Ting, September 5, 2021)
(4) “Zuo Yangzi” (put up a front). Participants noted that when faced with heavy tasks that they could not refuse, they would not publicly express their dissatisfaction, instead, they would Zuo Yangzi to minimize the investment of emotion and effort.
(5) Spontaneously create an emotional community. Three teachers co-created a shared space where they continuously narrate their emotional labor events to others, leading to introspection of themselves.
The findings demonstrate the mutual reshaping of EL and agency among rural novice teachers. The cultural background, ideology, school institution, and power relationships in Chinese rural schools create a unique emotional discourse. Although novice teachers are new to their profession, they do not passively accept external emotional rules without question. Instead, they exercise agency to some extent in responding to the needs of students, parents, or administrators, employing or resisting discourse in their EL (Boler, 1999; Zembylas, 2005). The experience of EL, in turn, enhance or inhibit teacher agency. Especially, some negative EL prompts teachers to engage in reflective practices actively.

Conclusion
This qualitative case study explores the interplay of rural novice teachers’ EL and agency from a post-structuralist perspective. Our findings reveal that teachers are not passive recipients of emotional rules, in contrast, they can actively exhibit agency in EL. The EL also serves as a significant avenue for teachers to construct their agency, which continuously becoming during the process. The inevitably entangled between teacher EL and agency may also influence their decisions on professional career. We sincerely hope that teacher educators and policymakers will acknowledge and support the EL and agency of rural novice teachers.

Authors

• Shuqin Li, Hunan Normal University

• Luqing Zang

• Xiangyan Liu, Hunan Normal University