A Narrative Study On Occupational Well-being Of A Teacher In A Rural School

There is a big gap between rural education and urban education in China. Compared with the standard and quality of urban education,the rural education lags behind in school funding,teaching facilities,students' quality,and environment inside and outside school.Among all the above,the issues concerning teachers are the most urgent and fundamental,since teachers are the guides,leading students to the happiness of education.Attention to and promotion of teachers' occupational well-being contribute not only to the quality of teachers' occupational life but also to the quality of rural education,hence,in turn,accelerating the progress of our society.The present thesis,via narrative methodology,attempts to investigate the occupational well-being of rural teachers through a case study on a Chinese language teacher Mr.Zhao.Through observation and conversation,Mr.Zhao's present state was truthfully reflected in seven dimensions(extracted from four theories by Gary Johns, A.Maslow,Frederick Herzberg and Nel Noddings):income,working condition, working relationship,occupation proper,occupation management,self-fulfillment and private life.The analysis shows that the sources of rural teachers' occupational well-being are: the passion for rural education occupation,the love by rural students,the affirmation and appreciation from leaders,the respect and trust from students' parents,the enthusiasm for rural education.Meanwhile,the analysis also reveals the reasons for occupational well-being loss:far from good benefits,low social position,mechanical miscellaneous work,misunderstanding by students' parents,lack of occupational self-rights,shortage of humanistic concern,and teachers' insensitivity to occupational well-being.On the basis of the current study,the author proposes three resolutions: consolidating the "balancing" function of government and society;strengthening the "authority" function of the school;and promoting the initiatives of the teachers.The author also hopes,through the current study,to attract more attention to the living,the life and well-being of rural teachers.