Exploring Ethnic Minority Teachers’ Construction and Negotiation of Professional Identities in Shandong, China

Abstract

This study explores how ethnic minority teachers construct and negotiate their professional identities within Han-dominated school environments. The research was conducted by using qualitative exploratory case studies of three ethnic minority teachers working in three different secondary schools in Shandong Province, China. Semi-structured interviews were carried out with the participants and analyzed by using thematic analysis as well as data triangulation. The findings generated six major themes and twenty-two sub-themes include (i) Cultural-ethnic Self-positioning as a Teacher, (ii) Identity Negotiation within Han-dominated School Culture, (iii) Professional Role Construction and Meaning-Making, (iv) Identity Enactment through Pedagogical Practice, (v) Relational Identity through Teacher-student Interaction, and (vi) Support, Agency, and Identity Resilience. The findings show strong convergence despite the variance in the ethnic background of the teachers, their amount of teaching experience and the school they are teaching at. The core of the professional identity of ethnic minority teachers is their ethnic heritage. Rather than merely attempting to maintain cultural identity whilst teaching in predominantly Han contexts, teachers felt that their work was of a cultural, moral and social nature. Drawing on the resources of their own cultures, teachers could teach in relevant ways and develop good relations with their students. The institutional support, teacher collegiality, agency and resilience that they felt were integral to their roles, however, helped them to sustain a professional identity that was consistent with their commitment to teaching. The study concludes that professional identity is a dynamic process shaped by cultural heritage, professional experiences, social interactions, and institutional contexts. A particular strength of the ethnic minority teachers in this study is identified and ways are found to build on this in multicultural school communities. School, and educational authority, policies, school management and staff development should be culturally inclusive and value diversity. Future research on this topic could involve larger numbers of participants from different provinces and at different levels of education. A future area for research could also come from a comparative study of the professional identities of teachers from different backgrounds over time.