Identity Of English Teachers From Rural Middle Schools In Western Ethnic Minority Areas Of China

Teacher identity is an essential part of teachers’ professional development,and rural teachers in the western region of China are the core force of rural education development.Thus,their identity deserves attention.In this context,this thesis has investigated junior middle school English teachers in HX Village,D County,Tongren City,Guizhou Province,to explore the identity of rural English teachers in western ethnic minority areas.This thesis was composed of two parts.The first part has adopted the in-depth interview to explore actual identities and designated identities.Eight teachers participated in it.The results were analyzed from the following aspects: knowledge transmitters,guides in students’ growth,cultural carriers,intellectuals,breadwinners,and ethnic minorities.It is found that: 1)The identity as guides in students’ growth was particularly prominent,which revealed that teachers were playing a crucial role in the growth of students in this region.2)The identity as knowledge transmitters was mainly reflected in English language teaching.The lack of concern for education among parents and society in the region has led rural teachers to bear most of the responsibility for children’s education.3)The identity as cultural carriers gave these English teachers an advantage in cross-cultural cognition.4)As a few university graduates in the village,the identity as intellectuals was very obvious,which brought them the worship from others and a difficulty in integrating into the local community,where farmers were the majority.5)Regarding the family support,the heavy workload made it difficult for them to achieve a balance between work and family.In addition,the incomes of rural teachers were just enough to meet their daily needs.Their economic situations were worthy of attention.6)The identity as ethnic minorities was not obvious,and ethnic minority teachers perceived no ethnic differences.The second part has used the life history approach to explore the development of teacher identity.Two teachers participated in it.One was male;he was both an experienced teacher and an administrative staff.The other was a female with shorter working years.The life stories of those two teachers were classified into three professional stages: the pre-service stage,the beginner stage and the present stage.The results demonstrated that: 1)At the pre-service stage,family influence had been the main cause in their career choices,and the good wish to make contributions to their hometowns had driven them to work in the countryside.2)At the stage of beginning teachers,they were enthusiastic and had a strong sense of dedication.They were too engaged in school work to strike a balance between the family and the work.3)At the present stage,teachers have become more experienced,and their affections have been deepened.Their identity as the guides in students’ growth has become more salient.In addition,teachers are more capable of keeping a work-life balance.Based on those findings,this study has some implications: First,it is necessary to increase publicity on the work of teachers in rural West China.Their work and lives ought to be understood by the society better.Second,more training opportunities should be provided,so that their professional skills can be promoted.Third,reasonable promotion space and to raise salaries are also crucial for them.