Rural Teachers Research Articles

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

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.

Disparities in allergy and asthma prevalence among schoolteachers

BackgroundEvidence suggests that school factors influence the prevalence of allergic diseases in students. However, very little is known about how such factors affect the health of teachers. ObjectiveWe sought to compare the prevalence of allergic and respiratory conditions among teachers from urban, suburban, and rural schools. MethodsElectronic survey data were collected from a random sample of Pre-Kindergarten through Grade 12 teachers in Massachusetts. Comparisons were made between teacher demographics and allergic respiratory symptoms. ResultsOf the 398 respondents, median age was 45 years (SD 12.32). 71.8% of teachers taught in suburban schools, 76.6% were female, and 87.1% were White, similar to teacher demographics collected by the Massachusetts Department of Higher Education. Although there were more female teachers, males more frequently reported adverse breathing symptoms, such as wheezing (P=0.007). Over half of rural teachers (54.54%) experienced respiratory symptoms such as disrupted sleep due to coughing compared to 34.61% of suburban schoolteachers (P=0.03). Almost half (48.26%) of public schoolteachers experienced exercise-induced chest pain compared to 37.03% of private schoolteachers (p=0.05). A higher proportion of urban school teachers with asthma commonly missed school due to food allergy compared to suburban and rural schoolteachers with asthma (P=0.02). In teachers undiagnosed with asthma, associations existed between school absences and nighttime awakening due to trouble breathing (P < 0.0001), persistent cough (P = 0.002), and sore throat (P<0.0001) ConclusionsRural and public teachers reported proportionately more respiratory symptoms compared to suburban and private teachers, suggesting disparities. Future studies towards evidence-based solutions are needed.

Exploring interactive behaviours of urban and rural teachers in blended synchronous classrooms: Insights from a proposed interaction analysis framework

Blended synchronous classrooms (BSCs) play a critical role in narrowing the educational gap between urban and rural areas in China, promoting educational equity. In BSCs, the quantity and quality of interactive teaching behaviours of urban and rural teachers may significantly influence the learning experiences of students in both urban and rural settings, and they are supposed to be different from interactive teaching behaviours that happen in traditional classrooms. However, there is limited research on the characteristics of such interactive teaching behaviours in BSCs. To address the gap, this study first proposed an interaction analysis framework for BSCs (IAF4BSCs) and then examined the interactive teaching behaviours of urban and rural teachers in BSCs using this framework, along with various learning analytics methods including lag sequential analysis, frequent sequence mining and thematic analysis. The data analysis yielded the following results: (1) Urban teachers exhibited more speech behaviours such as lecturing and providing immediate feedback, whereas rural teachers engaged more in non-speech behaviours like classroom patrols. (2) Despite the expectation for urban teachers to interact equally with urban and rural students in BSCs, they predominantly focused on urban students. (3) Urban teachers demonstrated diverse interaction sequences with both urban and rural students, whereas rural teachers primarily interacted with rural students. (4) Interviews with teachers and students revealed both positive and negative aspects of interactive teaching behaviours in BSCs. Based on these findings, the study proposed three pedagogical recommendations to enhance interactive teaching behaviours in BSCs: increasing interactive participation, integrating technology more effectively and emphasizing post-class assessment.

Motivation Model for Rural Teachers in China to Continuously Embrace Digital Teaching Models

Rural teachers are responsible for effectively implementing and continuously developing digital teaching models in rural areas in the rapidly digitizing society. This study investigated the motivational factors influencing rural teachers' adoption of digital teaching models. The study collected survey data from 384 rural teachers in western Guangdong, China, and used path analysis to determine the strength of influence of each factor in the motivation model. The results indicated motivation for adopting digital teaching models was a mediating factor. Teachers' attitudes and beliefs, teacher-student interactions, school environment, teacher-technology interactions, and workload significantly influenced rural teachers' adoption of digital teaching models. These findings reveal the key factors influencing rural teachers' adoption of digital teaching models and provide a valuable reference for promoting the sustainable use of digital teaching models in rural areas.

Electronic Newsletters as a Professional Development Tool for Rural Educators

Rural educators need access to evidence-based instructional practices and technologies that meet the needs of our communities. Difficulty accessing quality professional development due to geographic isolation, limited access to specialists, cost constraints, staffing shortages, lack of access to resources and technology, and less time to participate in meaningful professional development are common barriers facing rural teachers. One way to disseminate evidence-based practices is through an electronic newsletter. This article shares how a behavior analyst developed an online newsletter to build relationships, offer resources, highlight staff achievement, provide instruction, and model evidence-based behavior interventions for school staff.

Rebusque and minimal computing in rural Colombia: LibreEscuela, an OER co-creation project

ABSTRACT The use of technologies is seen as a solution to provide high-quality education to the disadvantaged population in the Global South, based on the narrative of ‘disruption and revolution designed to supplant ‘broken’ educational practices at the local level’ (Gallagher 2019). Rural schools in Colombia are the most vulnerable to a highly unequal education system. In this context the ‘Fundación para la Equidad Educativa’ (FEE) has been carrying out the project ‘LibreEscuela’ in 9 rural schools in Colombia. The project involved the delivery of Raspberry Pi with pre-loaded Open Educational Resources (OER) through Kolibri and OER co-creation workshops. Revisiting the project retrospectively using minimal computing and ‘rebusque’ is an attempt to explore how rural teachers and FEE members negotiate and design digital educational projects in highly constrained contexts.

Unveiling the TPACK pathways: Technology integration and pedagogical evolution in rural South African schools

The rural schooling environment in the Global South, such as South Africa, faces unique challenges due to low socio-economic status, lack of resources and poor funding. The frequent integration of technologies favoured by these rural teachers suggests, consciously or unconsciously, the development of technological pedagogical content knowledge (TPACK). However, the process of construction and development of this specialized knowledge remains largely unknown. It is also unclear how TPACK evolves in teachers in rural schools in the Global South, particularly those who did not receive formal or informal technology instruction during their initial teacher training or through professional teacher development training. This study adopted Vygotsky's socio-cultural theory and Koehler and Mishra's TPACK framework and collected data through questionnaires, semi-structured interviews and sharing circles. Findings revealed that while teachers show varying levels of TPACK, the context-specific, dynamic nature of TPACK was evident, as teachers often developed this knowledge incrementally and informally. The chapter indicates that despite the absence of structured training, teachers have begun to integrate technology into their pedagogy and content knowledge. However, their development of TPACK is uneven and emerging and often driven by personal initiative. The study concludes that for effective technology integration, teacher training programs should encompass TPACK's nuanced, contextual, and evolving aspects. Implications suggest that mentoring and continuous professional development are essential to enhance teachers’ technological integration skills, thereby improving teaching and learning in rural settings. Implications underscore the importance of continuous professional development and the establishment of supportive school cultures to nurture technology integration, thereby contributing to the pedagogical evolution in rural South African schools.