The moon and sixpence: a qualitative study of the professional identity development of highly-educated female teachers at primary/secondary schools in Beijing

Lian, F. (2024) The moon and sixpence: a qualitative study of the professional identity development of highly-educated female teachers at primary/secondary schools in Beijing. PhD thesis, University of Reading. doi: 10.48683/1926.00119647

Abstract/Summary

This thesis focuses on how highly-educated female teachers (graduates with a Master or doctoral degree) identify with their job at primary/secondary schools in Beijing China as a product of Chinese involution (fierce competition by credentialism and perceived currently by youngsters regarding themselves as Chinese ‘involuted’ generation) and further impacted by related educational policy like ‘Double reduction’ and Covid-19 pandemic. This research applies a Bourdieu’s theory of field and its post-structural feminist extension to explore how factors, such as economic, social, institutional and gender possibly influence identity formation, their own perception of their current roles at school and their attitude towards teacher training and future career plans. The research is embedded in the paradigm of constructivist in terms of ontology as well as epistemology using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) on the basis. Thus, a small sampled sized group of female teachers who graduate with a Master or PhD degree and work more than 6 years at primary/secondary schools were selected and received three semi-structure interviews during data collection. The data are analysed from lens of institutional, interpersonal and personal level to see how policies, welfare, working hours, gender issues and teacher training and development impact teachers’ identity. Findings reveal that all participants show a decreasing passion towards work and hold relatively negative perception towards their professional identity and future development. Inadequate economic income, long working hours, gender/age bias and decreasing social status embedded in educational policies negatively shape teacher identity. Teacher identity in turn re-shape these teachers’ perception towards the above influential factors. The study also finds out that teacher identity is dependent not only on external factors but also greatly on personal characters and experience in perceiving their professional identity. This research aims to extend understanding of highly educated teachers’ working experience and bridge the gap of insufficient qualitative empirical studies on highly-educated female teachers. It also aims to make a significant contribution to knowledge by offering insights of these female teachers’ identity trajectories and possible suggestions to local schools as well as administration of Education on professional training and teachers' welfare.

Item Type	Thesis (PhD)
URI	https://reading-clone.eprints-hosting.org/id/eprint/119647
Identification Number/DOI	10.48683/1926.00119647
Divisions	Arts, Humanities and Social Science > Institute of Education
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