A Study on the Influencing Factors and Logical Path of County High School Teacher Workload
Journal: Region - Educational Research and Reviews DOI: 10.32629/rerr.v7i4.3851
Abstract
This study focuses on the workload problem of teachers in county high schools in China. Research shows that
teachers in county high schools not only have to deal with objective conditions such as uneven student quality and
relatively scarce teaching resources, but also have to undertake excessive teaching tasks and complex daily management
work, forming a phenomenon of teacher professional load with Chinese characteristics. It is found that the occupational
load of teachers in county areas presents three-dimensional structural characteristics: Firstly, it stems from the external
environmental pressure under the urban-rural dual structure; secondly, it is rooted in the structural contradiction caused by
the imbalance of teacher allocation; thirdly, it arises from multiple challenges in teaching practice. This research indicates
that this compound load is influenced by a four-dimensional mechanism of action, specifically manifested as the spatial
imbalance in the allocation of educational resources, the administrative pressure brought about by hierarchical
management, the growth predicament formed by the obstruction of professional development channels, and the realistic
conflict between the demand for teaching innovation and the limitations of objective conditions.
Keywords
county high school teacher, teacher workload, China
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deskilling ‘core’ work? Analysis of a policy response to teacher workload demands. Discourse: Studies in the Cultural
Politics of Education. 2024; 45(2), 187–199.
[2] Zhao, Y., Sang, B., Ding, C., Li, T., Wu, J., & Xia, Y. Moderating effect of work stress on the relationship between workload and professional identity among in-service teachers. Current Psychology. 2023; 42(29), 25822-25831.
[3] Carter, B., Stevenson, H. Teachers, workforce remodelling and the challenge to labour process analysis. Work, employment and society. 2012; 26(3), 481-496.
[4] Cayupe J.C., Bernedo-Moreira D.H., Morales-García W.C., Alcaraz F.L., Peña K.B.C., Saintila J ... Self-efficacy, organizational commitment, workload as predictors of life satisfaction in elementary school teachers: the mediating role of
job satisfaction. Frontiers in Psychology. 2023; 14:1066321.
[5] Kingsford-Smith, A. A., Collie, R. J., Loughland, T., & Nguyen, H. T. M. Teacher wellbeing in rural, regional, and metropolitan schools: Examining resources and demands across locations. Teaching and Teacher Education. 2023; 132, 104229.
[6] Hojo, M. Association between student-teacher ratio and teachers’ working hours and workload stress: evidence from a nationwide survey in Japan. BMC public health. 2021; 21, 1-8.
[7] Ainley, J., Carstens, R. Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 Conceptual Framework. Paris:
OECD Publishing; 2018.
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