Rural Teachers Research Articles

Mapping TPACK Competency among Life Sciences Teachers in Rural and Marginalised Secondary Schools: A Descriptive Analysis

This descriptive study assessed technological, pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) competency among life sciences teachers in rural and marginalized schools. The study was guided by Koehler and Mishra’s (2006) TPACK framework as its theoretical lens. Data gathered through questionnaires from 235 teachers in the Eastern Cape province, South Africa, was analysed using descriptive statistical analysis. The results unveiled a prevalent low level of TPACK competency among respondents. Moreover, an examination of individual TPACK domains, a significant mastery in non-technology-related areas such as content knowledge (CK), pedagogical knowledge (PK), and pedagogical content knowledge (PCK) surfaces, underscoring the pivotal role of teaching experience in fostering foundational knowledge. Despite competency in these traditional domains, a distinct gap emerges in technology-related TPACK domains, including technological knowledge (TK), technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK), and overall TPACK competency. This research addresses a critical gap in educational literature by spotlighting the often-overlooked population of rural school teachers. It recommends tailored professional development initiatives to enhance teachers’ overall TPACK competency and enable them to effectively utilise technology in their teaching, thereby facilitating enhanced learning experiences.

Research on the factors affecting rural teachers’ retention and countermeasures: strategies based on the perspective of Herzberg’s two-factor theory

ABSTRACT Rural education is an important component of K–12 education. However, influenced by multiple factors, the situation of rural teachers is far from stable. Therefore, how to retain teachers is the global issue faced by rural education. Based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory, a survey of Herzberg’s two-factor influence was carried out among 323 rural teachers, uncovering the internal factors affecting the stability of teaching staff, to understand the measures needed to improve rural teachers’ retention rates. The study shows that there exists a severe imbalance in the gender ratio of rural teachers, and teachers are highly satisfied with educational policies in spite of their low incomes. With regards to interpersonal relationships, school administrators fail to emphasize a “human-centered” management philosophy. Improvement measures are proposed including expanding the channel of teacher professional development, satisfying the demand for teacher professional development, improving welfare and creating a pleasant work environment.

Adapting the English Language Teaching Curriculum to Overcome Resource Limitations in Rural Areas

This research explores the adaptation of the English Language Teaching (ELT) curriculum to address the significant resource limitations faced in rural areas, specifically in Sorong, West Papua, Indonesia. The study aims to investigate how teachers creatively modify lesson plans, instructional methods, and assessment strategies in environments lacking essential resources, such as teaching materials, technological tools, and professional development opportunities and the impact on the students’ outcomes. Using a qualitative multi-case study approach, data were gathered through semi-structured interviews, classroom observations, and document analysis over a two-month period. The findings reveal that teachers employed various strategies to cope with resource constraints, such as simplifying lesson content, utilizing locally available materials, and incorporating peer collaboration in the classroom. These adaptations resulted in enhanced student participation and improvements in oral communication skills. However, significant challenges were observed in fostering literacy, particularly reading and writing skills, due to the scarcity of instructional resources and limited teacher training. Moreover, while short-term engagement and speaking proficiency increased, the long-term impacts on overall English proficiency remained limited. The study underscores the need for comprehensive professional development for rural teachers and better access to teaching materials to fully bridge the educational gap between urban and rural students. Ultimately, these findings offer valuable insights for future curriculum development aimed at improving language education in resource-limited settings.

The Endogenous Motivation and Cultivation Strategies for Rural Teachers' Professional Development from the Perspective of Social Support Theory

Based on social support theory, this paper aims to explore the sources of endogenous motivation for rural teachers' professional development and the cultivation strategies. Due to the influence of factors such as the urban-rural dual structure and the specific geographical environment of rural areas, rural teachers often face the challenges of lack of resources and isolation. Social support can provide emotional support, information help and resource support, thereby enhancing the endogenous motivation for professional development. On this basis, this paper proposes a series of cultivation strategies for rural teachers, including providing institutional guarantees for the professional development of rural teachers, establishing a platform for rural teachers' cooperation and co-construction, providing continuous professional development training, and establishing a supportive education community network, so as to improve the endogenous motivation of rural teachers.

The Professional Development of Primary School Teachers in Rural China

The professional development of rural teachers is not only related to their personal growth, but also directly affects the improvement of rural education quality and the future development of rural students. Although the professional development of rural teachers is highly valued in today's society, there is still an issue of unequal education resources and investment between urban and rural areas in China. This study aims to determine the professional development of primary school teachers in rural China. This study used a questionnaire survey method to determine the career development in rural China. 600 teachers will be randomly assigned to 50 rural primary schools in Sichuan Province. After collecting data, this study will use SPSS for analysis to measure the professional development of participants. This has potential impacts on both policy and practice. In addition, this study provides a solid evidence foundation for policy-making on training opportunities.

The Impact of a Dialogic Intervention on a Chinese Rural Teacher and Students' Stances Towards Texts

ABSTRACTIn language arts classrooms, dialogic teaching encourages diverse text interpretations, fostering discussions that enhance students' literacy skills like reasoning. However, adopting a dialogic stance poses challenges for both teachers and students. The study investigated the impact of a tailor‐made dialogic intervention on a Chinese rural teacher and students' stances towards texts. Chinese rural students shifted from efferent and instrumental stances to a more critical‐analytical stance, indicating a profound change in how rural students interacted with texts through exploratory talk, highlighting the potential of dialogic teaching practices to foster deep engagement with reading materials. However, after the intervention ended, the teacher reverted to a monologic approach due to limited dialogic texts and time constraints. The findings underscore the potential of dialogic teaching for engaging rural students, yet highlight the need for sustained teacher training and suitable texts. Future research should focus on cultivating and maintaining students' growth mindset effectively in rural settings.

Rural teachers’ appropriation of national bilingual policies: voices from the Colombian periphery

ABSTRACT This qualitative case study explores how rural teachers in the Colombian periphery perceive and appropriate national bilingual policies. I drew theoretically on coloniality/decoloniality, bilingualism, and teacher agency and collected data through questionnaires and in-depth interviews from four self-contained rural elementary school teachers. Data were analysed through thematic analysis and thematic coding and yielded three research categories: (a) bilingual policies and teaching realities gap, (b) policies’ discourses and teacher identity interconnectedness, and (c) eclectic and collaborative teachers. The main findings suggest that teachers perceive bilingual education merely as English language teaching and that bilingual policies’ powerful discourses have influenced their identity negatively. Likewise, they acknowledge that the educational authorities’ expectations are distant from the rural realities, so theyrecur to various pedagogical strategies and collaborative work to teach English and address bilingual policies’ methodological shortcomings. However, these efforts suggest racialised/colonised perceptions and teaching practices that enforce global agendas and neglect local necessities. Hence, it is paramount that educational actors decolonise/deracialise bilingual policies by localising pedagogies and humanising bilingual education.

A slightly digital learning environment in the hands of a rural teacher: modern-day teaching and its impact on student engagement and subject learning outcomes

A slightly digital learning environment in the hands of a rural teacher: modern-day teaching and its impact on student engagement and subject learning outcomes

Yakov Denisovich Petrov: Smolensk Teacher at the Head of the Regional Pedagogical University during the Great Patriotic War

In this publication, the authors continued their work on the study of the personality of the director of the Sverdlovsk State Pedagogical Institute, Yakov Denisovich Petrov, who held this post more than anyone else who headed this university, and his role in the development of the system of higher pedagogical education in the Sverdlovsk region. Based on the materials identified by the authors and previously unknown materials deposited in archival institutions of the Sverdlovsk and Smolensk regions, the authors analyzed in detail the features of the early biography of the director of the institute. This allowed us to fully answer questions related to Petrov's social background, which in the 1920s and 1930s was one of the main criteria for evaluating the political and business qualities of a communist and an employee for party and Soviet officials. And his gradual advancement up the career ladder: from a rural teacher to an experienced manager. At the same time, the authors abandoned the historical-party approach in consecrating the work of the Sverdlovsk Pedagogical Institute in the early years of Ya.D. Petrov's official activity, which is characteristic of Soviet historians. The personal participation of the director in solving the personnel and material problems of the university is specially investigated. The authors draw readers' attention to the fact that Petrov's solution of state tasks for the development of higher pedagogical education in the Sverdlovsk region and improving its quality in the most difficult conditions of the war years were quite successful. In many ways, this was the result of the rich work experience that Yakov Denisovich had accumulated during his years working in the public education system of the Smolensk region and in the People's Commissariat of Education of the RSFSR.

The Relationship between Occupational Stress and Mental Health of Rural Teachers: the Role of Psychological Resilience and Social Support

The Relationship between Occupational Stress and Mental Health of Rural Teachers: the Role of Psychological Resilience and Social Support

Variations in online self-regulated learning abilities among Chinese K-12 teachers across different regions and levels.

Online self-regulated learning (OSRL) is crucial for online learners' success and lifelong learning. This study investigated the OSRL characteristics of K-12 teachers in China, who embody the dual roles of learners and educators. It also analyzed the differences in OSRL abilities across different genders, education stages, and school locations, and examined the correlation between education qualifications, years of service, and OSRL abilities. A self-report measure was used to assess K-12 teachers' OSRL, with data collected from 1,443 K-12 teachers (394 males and 1,049 females) in northeastern China. Descriptive statistical analysis was utilized to explore the characteristics of their OSRL. Independent t-tests and ANOVA were employed to investigate differences in OSRL among different genders, regions, and educational stages. Correlation analysis was conducted to examine the relationships between education qualifications, years of service, and OSRL among K-12 teachers. The data analysis revealed that K-12 teachers scored the lowest in Online Learning Self-Efficacy (OLSE), followed by Online Learning Management Strategies (OLMS), and then Online Learning Resource Management (OLRM). Notably, urban K-12 teachers exhibited higher OLSE abilities than their rural counterparts, while high school teachers scored higher in OLSE and OLMS compared to primary school teachers. Furthermore, a positive correlation was observed between education qualifications and K-12 teachers' OLSE, whereas a negative correlation was identified between years of service and K-12 teachers' OLSE. The findings reveal an uneven development across various dimensions of online self-regulated learning among K-12 teachers, necessitating support for the advancement of OLSE, OLMS, and OLRM. Particular attention should be given to the OLSE of teachers with longer teaching years and rural teachers. Encouraging K-12 teachers with lower education qualifications to pursue further education is also recommended. This study provides evidence and a novel perspective for teacher educators to develop online professional development programs, which is significant for optimizing online learning experiences and enhancing educational outcomes.

The impact of organizational commitment on rural teachers’ retention: a moderated mediation study

The study aims to reveal the mechanisms by which organizational commitment influences the retention of rural teachers and how environmental fit and condition support modulate this relationship. It specifically examined the mediating role of environmental fit and the moderating role of supportive conditions in their relationship. A survey was conducted among 4,746 rural teachers across ten regions in Heilongjiang Province. The findings indicate: (1) There is a significant positive correlation between organizational commitment and the willingness of rural teachers to stay; (2) Environmental fit acts as a mediator in the relationship between organizational commitment and the retention intention of rural teachers; (3) Supportive conditions not only moderate the direct prediction of organizational commitment on the retention of rural teachers but also the predictive effect of organizational commitment on environmental fit. Therefore, to more effectively retain rural teachers, the following effective measures can be taken: optimize the rural educational environment to enhance teachers’ organizational commitment; refine recruitment and training systems to improve the fit of rural teachers with the rural environment; establish a monitoring system for the retention of rural teachers to enhance local educational supervision and accountability mechanisms.

"Endogenous forces" and "exogenous forces": a study on the development of the rural teaching workforce in the context of rural revitalization

In the context of rural revitalization, the development of the rural teaching workforce relies on the synergistic promotion of endogenous forces and exogenous forces. endogenous forces mean internal driving forces that emphasize proactive and innovative personal motivation, while exogenous forces refer to external supports that focus on resource investment and policy guidance. However, an increasing emphasis on exogenous forces while neglecting endogenous forces has limited the sustainable development of China’s current rural teaching workforce. We believe that activating endogenous forces is a key and weak link in promoting the synergistic development of rural revitalization and the rural teaching workforce. Only when endogenous forces are activated by exogenous forces and achieve a "feedback" effect on exogenous forces can a positive cycle in the development of rural teachers be established. In summary, the collaborative development and mutual reinforcement of endogenous and exogenous forces will enhance the professional development of the rural teaching workforce.

How Do Rural Teachers in China Explain Their Students’ Underachievement? An Attribution Theory and Agency Perspective

How Do Rural Teachers in China Explain Their Students’ Underachievement? An Attribution Theory and Agency Perspective

Developing an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda in Intercultural Competence for Rural Teacher Training

Developing an Interdisciplinary Research Agenda in Intercultural Competence for Rural Teacher Training

Current trends in the transformation of the social status of rural teachers (using the example of Krasnoyarsk Krai)

Current trends in the transformation of the social status of rural teachers (using the example of Krasnoyarsk Krai)

The Influencing Factors of High School English Teachers Choosing Different Teaching Media

The issue of high school English teachers' selection of teaching media has garnered widespread attention. However, there remain significant gaps in understanding the influencing factors. This paper analyzes the determinants behind teachers' choices using grounded theory and three-level coding, incorporating interviews with educators from both first-tier cities and county towns in China. The findings reveal substantial disparities in resource availability, technological proficiency, and institutional support between urban and rural schools. Urban teachers benefit from abundant resources and robust technical support, which facilitate higher technological proficiency and more effective media integration with curriculum goals. Conversely, rural teachers face challenges with basic access to technology and limited professional development opportunities. Based on these findings, this paper proposes several recommendations to optimize the use of teaching media: enhancing resource availability through increased funding and community support, improving technological proficiency via targeted professional development, strengthening school support with dedicated IT staff and flexible funding policies, and aligning media with curriculum needs to enhance student engagement.

Teacher Development Dilemma and Solution Ideas in Contemporary Chinese Rural Small-Scale Schools

Small rural schools are an important part of compulsory education and an inevitable form of rural education development. As urbanization accelerates, the movement of rural students to urban schools has led to a drastic reduction in the number and size of rural schools and a serious loss of quality teachers. Currently, rural teachers in China are facing problems such as disconnected interpersonal networks, weakened discourse power, and limited professional development. In order to promote the development of rural education, it is necessary to prioritize the professional development of teachers in small-scale rural schools, innovate the rural teacher training model, focus on the training of native and generalist teachers, and establish inter-school teaching and research teams to achieve the sharing of educational resources. Simultaneously, it is crucial to pay attention to the spiritual needs of rural teachers, enhance the professional identity of young teachers in small-scale rural schools, raise their comprehensive treatment level and reduce the burden of non-teaching tasks, so as to promote the professional development of teachers in small-scale rural schools.

Teaching the Teachers: Technological Proficiency and Professional Growth in Rural Education

Preparing teachers in small rural schools to effectively integrate technology into their teaching practices is vital for fostering 21st-century skills in students, despite the unique challenges these settings present. To explore the specific challenges and opportunities related to the professional development of teachers in small rural schools, in the context of increasing digitalisation of education. This study employs a systematic review as its research method, aiming to identify, critically evaluate, and synthesize relevant studies that shed light on this context. Teacher education programmes that adeptly incorporate technology, such as mobile devices, into their curricula offer a critical support system not just for urban educators, but importantly for rural teacher candidates who may have limited access to higher education resources. Smartphones and tablets, for instance, can serve as valuable tools for these teachers, allowing them constant and remote access to professional development materials and effective learning resources. The technology also presents an opportunity for iterative learning, where immediate feedback can guide improvements in teaching strategies. Examples include the use of virtual avatars as teaching aids instead of in-person instruction. As the push for digitalisation continues, it is incumbent upon educational institutions to articulate the benefits and returns of such investments, especially in the context of small rural schools where resources may be limited and the challenges distinct. This articulation must be framed in terms that resonate with educators, students, communities, and potential educational funders in these rural contexts.

Teaching in China's Heartland: A qualitative exploration of rural teacher job satisfaction

Enhancing rural teacher job satisfaction, which is a pivotal aspect in elevating the overall quality of rural education, serves as a crucial means to promote balanced educational development and to foster societal equity and cohesion. The objective of the study was to explore the factors that influence job satisfaction of rural teachers teaching in China's Heartland. 15 rural primary school teachers were meticulously chosen for in-depth interviews, utilizing a qualitative research paradigm and purposive sampling technique, spanning from March 2021 to July 2021. With reference to Hoppock's view of job satisfaction, this study designed an interview outline based on specificities of rural workplaces. Through in-depth interviews, a wealth of first-hand text materials was collected about rural teacher job satisfaction. Then these textual materials were processed with a rigorous tertiary coding based on grounded theory. This study found that rural teacher job satisfaction was influenced by various factors, encompassing both external and internal factors. External factors included national policies, campus culture, and rural environment. Internal factors included growth experience and self-cognition. Further, strong external support was strongly associated with improvement of rural teacher job satisfaction. Intra-individual characteristics of rural teachers were the most implicit influencing factors.