What does it mean to be vocational teachers in China – Results from a survey among Chinese vocational teachers

Abstract

Teachers’ performance has a significant impact on the quality of education. Until now little empirical researches have been done concerning the vocational identity and professional development of vocational school teachers in China. Through an online survey of and in-depth interviews with vocational school teachers, this paper endeavours to offer a basic overview of what do Chinese vocational teachers think of their profession and what factors may influence their professional development. It finds out that the majority of Chinese vocational teachers do not choose their profession because of their intrinsic interests in teaching but for the sake of stability and long holidays; their career chances are to a certain degree constrained by institutional factors such as the professional title system which is regarded by many teachers to be outdated and unfair; they face various challenges and difficulties in their daily work found their income not proportional to their work loads.