Abstract
Class teachers in China have to take care of many student issues, such as academic achievement, morality cultivation, and class management. Drawing upon Margaret Archer’s social morphogenesis approach, this study scrutinizes the dimensions of class teacher’s professionalism and the general trajectories of class teacher’s professional growth. The findings reveal that subject teaching skills work as the foundational competence for credibility, whereas communication and class management are higher-level competences. Empathy and guidance are the necessary abilities at the highest level. Self-reflexivity and the ability to seek institutional support, are crucial drivers for class teacher’s growth across levels.
This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.
Similar content being viewed by others
References
Archer, M. S. (1995). Realist social theory: The morphogenetic approach. Cambridge University Press.
Archer, M. S. (2013). Social morphogenesis. Springer.
Ben-Peretz, M., Eilam, B., & Landler-Pardo, G. (2011). Teacher education for classroom management in Israel: Structures and orientations. Teaching Education, 22(2), 133–150.
Case, J. M. (2013). Researching student learning in higher education: A social realist approach. Routledge.
Geng, S., Wei, Q., & Jiang, T. (2020). The professional quality of class teachers: System construction based upon empirical research. Chinese Journal of Education, 12, 94–98.
Glaser, B. G., & Strauss, A. L. (2017). Discovery of grounded theory: Strategies for qualitative research. Routledge.
Ito, A. (2011). Enhancing school connectedness in Japan: The role of homeroom teachers in establishing a positive classroom climate. Asian Journal of Counselling, 18(1), 41–62.
Jiang, T. (2018). Construction of core literacy and professional standard system of class teacher—based on delphi method. Educational Science Research, 12, 78–87.
Lojdová, K. (2020). Role comparison of a student teacher and cooperating teacher in classroom management: On the scene and behind the scenes. Sodobna Pedagogika, 71(1), 174–191.
MOE. (2009). Stipulations on the work of class teachers in primary and secondary schools. Ministry of Education. http://www.moe.gov.cn/srcsite/A06/s3325/200908/t20090812_81878.html
Oliver, R. M., & Reschly, D. J. (2010). Special education teacher preparation in classroom management: Implications for students with emotional and behavioral disorders. Behavioral Disorders, 35(3), 188–199.
Patton, M. Q. (2015). Qualitative research & evaluation methods: Integrating theory and practice. SAGE.
Popper-Giveon, A., & Shayshon, B. (2017). Educator versus subject matter teacher: The conflict between two sub-identities in becoming a teacher. Teachers and Teaching, 23(5), 532–548.
Rapp, S. (2010). Headteacher as a pedagogical leader: A comparative study of headteachers in Sweden and England. British Journal of Educational Studies, 58(3), 331–349. https://doi.org/10.1080/00071001003752229
Rizvi, M., & Elliott, B. (2007). Enhancing and sustaining teacher professionalism in Pakistan. Teachers and Teaching, 13(1), 5–19. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540600601106021
Rødnes, K. A., Rasmussen, I., Omland, M., & Cook, V. (2021). Who has power? An investigation of how one teacher led her class towards understanding an academic concept through talking and microblogging. Teaching and Teacher Education, 98, 103229. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2020.103229
Sachs, J. (2016). Teacher professionalism: Why are we still talking about it? Teachers and Teaching, 22(4), 413–425.
Shank, M. K., & Santiague, L. (2022). Classroom management needs of novice teachers. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 95(1), 26–34.
Shimoni, S., Segal, S., & Sharoni, V. (1996). Classroom discipline: Psychological and educational aspects.
Simons, H. (2009). Case study research in practice. SAGE publications.
Tai, M. K., & Abdull Kareem, O. (2020). Headteacher change leadership competency: A study in Malaysian primary schools. Professional Development in Education, 46(2), 292–305. https://doi.org/10.1080/19415257.2018.1561494
Timor, T. (2017). Do teachers need to be leaders? Perceptions of educational leadership and management in the Israeli secondary educational system. School Leadership & Management, 37(1–2), 94–119.
Ye, W., Zhu, L., & Ye, W. (2021). Motivation and morality to manage a class: Perceptions of homeroom teachers in China’s Tianjin city. Educational Studies, 10, 1–19.
Zheng, X., Yin, H., & Wang, M. (2018). Leading with teachers’ emotional labour: Relationships between leadership practices, emotional labour strategies and efficacy in China. Teachers and Teaching, 24(8), 965–979. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1508432
Funding
Funding was provided by National Youth Project, National Office for Education Science Planning (Grant No. CEA220275).
Author information
Authors and Affiliations
Corresponding author
Ethics declarations
Conflict of interest
Hongbiao Yin is one of the Editorial Board Members of the journal. The authors have no competing interest.
Additional information
Publisher's Note
Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.
Rights and permissions
Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.
About this article
Cite this article
Kong, X., Yin, H. & Zhuang, T. Understanding Levels of Professional Growth for Chinese Class Teachers in Schools: A Social Morphogenesis Approach. Asia-Pacific Edu Res 33, 509–518 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00747-9
Accepted:
Published:
Issue Date:
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00747-9