China's Educational Modernisation and the Sources of Rural Teachers

Book excerpt: Drawing on modernisation theory, this book charts the history and development of China’s rural education while examining the changes in rural teacher training and recruitment since the beginning of the twentieth century. Highlighting the changes in the composition of the body of rural teachers after modern schools were established in rural areas in China, the author outlines and discusses several historical phases that figure in the transformation of the teaching profession, including traditional private homeschooling teachers (sishu teachers), the earliest group of teachers of new-style schools, non-government teachers, teachers trained in normal schools and substitute teachers. Based on field studies in a county in northern China, the book analyses various contributing factors in rural teacher resourcing, ranging from China’s modernisation and urbanisation, the county’s social and economic development, management systems of rural schools and teachers, and teacher training and recruiting mechanisms. It also introduces the temporary solutions and long-term plans that have been adopted and implemented in different historical periods to regenerate the rural teaching force. The title will be a useful reference for scholars, students, and policymakers interested in modern and contemporary education in China, rural teachers, and rural education.