Who Teaches in Rural Schools in Underdeveloped Areas? An Investigation Based on a Survey of 5,554 Teachers from 117 Towns in H Province in Wuling Mountains Zone, China
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Abstract
Teacher shortage is a major hindrance to China’s rural education growth in underdeveloped areas, as well as one of the main causes of educational injustice. We conducted a survey of 5,554 teachers from 117 towns in H province in the Wuling Mountains Zone to investigate the issue of rural school teacher supply. From geographical, emotional, and institutional perspectives, we used a polynomial logit model to examine the validity of the “hometown effects” hypothesis. The findings showed that hometown effects exist in China in all three dimensions. The institutional hometown effects are the most pronounced; when compared to open recruitment, teachers sourced through teacher supply augmentation programs (such as the Secondary Normal Graduates Program, Special Position Program, and Targeted Position Program) are more likely to teach in rural schools, particularly more disadvantaged village primary schools or teaching sites. China’s policy of increasing teacher supply has had a considerable positive influence on rural school staffing. Students from rural areas make better teacher candidates; feelings for hometowns should be encouraged among normal school or university students in pre-service education; and the implementation of teacher support policies should be emphasized to retain rural teachers and improve their teaching quality.
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Rural Teachers, Hometown Effects, Teacher Supply Augmentation Policy, Teacher Shortage
This study is supported by 1) the project of Research on the Strategies for Improving Basic Education After-school Service Quality in the Context of Double Reduction Policy, sponsored by Party School of Shanghai Committee of C. P. C. (School of Administration) (2021SHB015); 2) the project of Research on the Strategies for Enhancing the IT-supported Instruction Skills of Local Public-funded Normal School Students in the Context of New Normal Education, sponsored by Hunan Provincial Department of Education (20C0411).
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