Sustaining resilience in times of change: stories from Chinese teachers

Abstract

To teach, and to teach at one's best over time, has always required resilience and commitment. Drawing upon findings of a questionnaire survey of 568 primary and secondary school teachers in Beijing and in-depth semi-structured interviews with a sub-sample of six teachers with different years of experience, the paper provides empirical evidence about how teachers sustain their sense of resilience and commitment in the context of persistent top-down neoliberal reforms in China's educational system. It argues that being a resilient teacher means more than “bouncing back” from difficulties. Rather, it is influenced by the nature of the contexts in which teachers' work and lives are embedded and driven by their vocational commitment to serve the learning and achievement of the children on an everyday basis and also, over the course of their professional lives.

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