A Systematic Critical Literature Review About Teachers

Recruitment And Retention in Chinese Rural Area

By

Yiling Huang
College of Education
Wenzhou-Kean University

Supervisor: Professor Midya Yousefi, Ph.D.

November, 2024
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As the core force of school education, teachers' professionalism and

teaching ability directly determine the quality of school teaching. They are

not only carriers of knowledge, but also key figures in shaping students'

character and stimulating their potential. Therefore, the quality of

teachers largely determines the overall education level and future

development of a school. How to recruit good teachers and provide them

with an environment conducive to professional growth and development

so that they are willing to stay for a long period of time is an important

topic that every educational leader needs to think deeply about and put

into practice.

This article is a systematic critical literature review focusing on the

issue of teacher recruitment and retention in Chinese rural area. The

article selects seven relevant studies published in authoritative journals

since 2014. Through a systematic review of the literature, this article not

only summarizes the findings, but also presents the corresponding critical

comments.

1. Literature Search and Selection Method

To ensure the comprehensiveness and relevance of this critical review,

we used a systematic approach to identify and select literature. First, we

defined keywords and concepts related to the research topic, including

teachers, recruitment, retention, and China. Second, we conducted an

extensive literature search in relevant databases using these keywords.

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The main databases used in this study was ProQuest Central, as they

cover a wide range of academic and professional publications. Third, we

initially screened 1259 studies related to teacher recruitment and

retention based on the keywords in the literature. Fourth, to ensure the

currency and completeness of the literature, we limited our search to

studies published within the last ten years (2014-2024) retrieving 195

relevant articles. Fifth, we further reviewed the titles as well as the

abstracts of these literatures to confirm that they met the research scope

and confirmed that we had access to the full text of the literature. Finally,

we selected 7 literatures and critically analyzed the selected literatures to

assess their research methodology, data sources, validity of results, and

contribution to the existing body of knowledge. Through this series of

steps, we ensured that the studies covered in this review were both

comprehensive and highly relevant. The following diagram is the PRISMA

of this literature review.

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2. Objective

This study aims to understand the current situation and influencing

factors of school teachers' recruitment and retention in rural areas in

China through systematic literature review. By analyzing relevant

literature, this study aims to reveal the challenges and research

boundaries of rural teachers' recruitment and retention in China, and to

explore possible solutions in the future. Through these analyses, the

research hopes to provide empirical data for policy makers, so as to

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improve the rural educational environment and promote educational

equity.

3. Literature Review

In this literature review, we will use research methodology as the main

classification criterion to sort out and summarize the seven literatures we

have collected in detail. First, we will analyze the research methodology of

each literature in depth to ensure that we can accurately understand its

research design and implementation process. Next, we will briefly

describe the main content of each piece of literature so that readers can

quickly grasp its core ideas and research findings. Through a systematic

review of these literatures, we hope to reveal the current state of the

research field and provide valuable references for future research

directions. The basic information of the seven literatures has been

detailed in Table 1.

Table1
Basic Information
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In recent years, teacher shortages have become a widespread concern

in education systems in rural areas around the world. Literature 1 studies

on teacher recruitment and retention in rural areas of western China,

which adopted a mixed-methods research design, combining quantitative

and qualitative research methods. Jiang and Yip's (2024)study focuses on

the impact of a living allowance policy for rural teachers in western China

on the attractiveness and retention of teachers, with data derived from a

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questionnaire survey of 2,585 teachers and interviews with 27 rural school

teachers.

Jiang and Yip's (2024) study focused on analyzing the impact of the

Rural Teacher Living Subsidy Policy (RTLSP) implemented by the Chinese

government on the attractiveness and retention of teachers. The study

found that the RTLSP had a positive impact on the attractiveness of

teachers, but not a significant impact on retention. Through regression

modeling, the study showed that student teachers who were aware of the

living allowance policy had 1.33 times higher odds of being willing to

teach in rural schools. However, the impact of this policy was less for

teachers who were willing to teach in rural schools for more than three

years. In addition, the study found that both tuition and loan repayment

subsidies had a positive impact on teachers' attractiveness and

willingness to stay.

Literature 2 and 3 used a qualitative research approach to provide

insights into teacher retention and recruitment practices in China and

other countries. Liu et al.' s (2022) research mainly adopts qualitative

research methods, through field research and living with rural primary

school teachers. Through a year of field research, they collected the first-

hand materials of 102 rural teachers, and used Nvivo software to process

and analyze the interview results. Guiaké & Tian also adopted qualitative

methods, and compared the teacher recruitment and retention practices

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of Cameroonian and China public middle schools through document

analysis and semi-structured in-depth interviews. The research sample

includes 58 respondents, covering policy documents, administrative

documents and credible reports, as well as interview data of policy

makers, school administrators and teachers from Cameroon and China

(Guiaké & Tian, 2021).

Modern rural primary school teachers have hidden role conflicts in

their professional roles. Role conflict experience occurs when the school

can't meet the needs of two or more roles. This kind of role conflict leads

to the contradiction and difficulty between teachers' professional and non-

professional role transformation. More than 90% of rural young teachers

have two or more non-professional roles, which is an important reason

why they choose to change jobs or resign (Liu, 2022). Guiaké & Tian's

research points out that the China government has positive significance to

the recruitment and retention of teachers in rural areas through

decentralization of teacher recruitment, special policies for

underdeveloped areas, improvement of teachers' living conditions and

cooperation among educational stakeholders (Guiaké & Tian, 2021). The

research shows that China's efforts in education policy reform, human

capital investment and infrastructure construction have contributed to its

becoming the second largest economy in the world, and provided

experience for other developing countries.

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Literature 4-7 uses quantitative research methods to analyze the

recruitment and retention of rural school teachers in the eastern, central,

western and northern provinces of China. Sargent and Hannum collected

data on teachers' job satisfaction through a survey of rural primary school

teachers, principals and village cadres in Gansu Province, China (one of

the poorest areas in western China) to test their influence on teachers'

willingness to stay. The study used three indicators of job satisfaction:

whether teachers think teaching is their ideal career, whether they want

to change their careers and whether they are satisfied with the local

education bureau (Sargent & Hannum, 2015). Sun and Zhou(2021)

investigated 27 small-scale rural schools in 9 counties in 6 regions of

Zhejiang Province (one of the richest areas in China), collected 1,277 valid

questionnaires by means of questionnaire survey and interview, and

studied the current situation of teachers' professional development in

small-scale rural schools. Yu et al. (2022) studied the willingness of rural

teachers in Enshi Tujia and Miao Autonomous Prefecture, Hubei Province,

China to stay in rural areas after the expiration of the compulsory service

contract by collecting the data of 1193 rural teachers from selected

villages in Enshi Prefecture. The research team of Dong(2023) distributed

5,000 questionnaires in 10 regions of Heilongjiang Province, and collected

4,746 valid questionnaires, aiming at studying the influence of

environmental factors on the retention of rural teachers, and put forward

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corresponding improvement measures.

It is found that teachers' job satisfaction is significantly related to

teachers' intention to stay. Teachers' job satisfaction is influenced by

community factors (such as social resources), school environment factors

(such as economic resources, workload and career development

opportunities) and teachers' personal characteristics (such as age, gender

and education level) (Sargent & Hannum, 2015). The study found that

88% of teachers thought teaching was their ideal career, while only 18%

of teachers said they wanted to change their careers. These data support

the core view of the study, that is, in rural areas, despite the challenges,

many teachers are still satisfied with their careers. However, this study

relies on teachers' self-report and may be influenced by social expectation

deviation.

Sun and Zhou(2021) pointed out that although the structure of

teachers in rural small-scale schools in Zhejiang Province is good as a

whole, there are still problems such as unbalanced supply and unstable

development. Teachers have a strong desire for professional development,

but fewer learning opportunities. Salary has been generally recognized by

teachers, but family factors are an important factor affecting the stay of

rural teachers. Family factors have an important influence on teachers'

willingness to stay in rural schools for a long time by affecting their

personal life, family responsibilities, children's education and convenience

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of life. Teachers need to make a balance between job satisfaction and

family needs when making a decision on whether to stay. Most teachers

are willing to teach in small-scale schools in rural areas, but they are

unwilling to stay in office for a long time. The research data show that

52.8% of teachers are willing to teach in small-scale schools in rural areas,

but 35.32% of teachers are unwilling to stay for a long time, which further

supports the core view of the research.

Yu(2022) pointed out that the factors affecting teachers' intention to

stay include local cultural environment, local attachment, school working

environment, salary income, professional identity, career development

and school working conditions. Among them, the key factors (such as local

cultural environment, local attachment, local infrastructure and school

working atmosphere) directly affect teachers' intention to stay, while the

maintenance factors (such as salary, professional identity, career

development and school working conditions) have a positive impact on

teachers' stay, although they are not significant.

The research team of Dong(2023) and others found that environmental

factors (matching of working environment and living environment) have

independent and significant influence on the retention of rural teachers.

Low environmental matching has a greater impact on the retention of

rural teachers. And the mediating effects of organizational commitment

(emotional commitment, normative commitment and ideal commitment)

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are significant under different environmental matching degrees.

Environmental factors significantly improve the retention rate of rural

teachers through the intermediary effect of organizational commitment.

Supporting conditions (educational and teaching working conditions,

administrative supporting conditions, living and living environment

conditions) make a significant positive moderator effect in environmental

matching and organizational commitment level, environmental matching

and rural teachers' retention, and better supporting conditions have a

more significant moderator effect.

4. Critical Evaluation

After systematically combing and summarizing the literature on

teacher recruitment and retention in China, we can draw the following

opinions:

4.1 Research Focus and Geographical Differences

In China, research on teacher recruitment and retention has focused

mainly on poor provinces and rural areas. Of the seven selected

literatures, only one focused on urban schools. This phenomenon reflects

the fact that teacher recruitment and retention issues are not significant

in developed provinces and urban areas. This may be related to better

economic conditions, educational resources, and social support in urban

areas, while in poor and rural areas, teachers face more challenges and

difficulties, such as inadequate infrastructure, lack of educational

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resources, and difficult living conditions, all of which may affect teacher

recruitment and retention.

4.2 The Critical Role of Job Satisfaction

Job satisfaction is a key factor influencing teacher recruitment and

retention. There are numerous variables that affect job satisfaction, and in

poorer areas, factors such as salary and welfare conditions are important

factors affecting teachers' job satisfaction. Whereas, in rich areas, family

factors such as personal life, family responsibilities, children's education,

and ease of living are the main reasons for job satisfaction. This suggests

that there are differences in the factors affecting teachers' job satisfaction

in different regions and in different economic conditions, which need to be

analyzed and addressed in a targeted manner.

4.3 Strategies to Improve Recruitment Quality and Retention

Rates

Improving the quality of teacher recruitment and retention of good

teachers should start with improving teacher job satisfaction. Government

and school leaders should demonstrate leadership in improving teacher

job satisfaction through effective leadership. The following three criteria

should be met to improve job satisfaction:

First, economic security. Teachers need to be assured of an income

that enables them to maintain a decent standard of living in where they

work. This includes reasonable pay packages and welfare conditions to

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ensure that teachers' basic needs are met.

Second, policy support. There is a need to promote the introduction

and implementation of relevant policies to resolve conflicts between work

and family for good teachers. This may involve the provision of flexible

working hours, family-friendly policies and career development support.

Third, social status enhancement. It is important to enhance the

social status of teachers by continuously strengthening guidance and

positive publicity about the teaching profession in society. This includes

raising public awareness of and respect for the teaching profession, as

well as demonstrating the value and importance of the teaching

profession through the media and public activities.

5. Conclusion

In summary, for research and practice on teacher recruitment and

retention in China, we must pay particular attention to the special

circumstances of those in poor and rural areas. The educational

environment and conditions in these areas are often more difficult, and

teachers face more challenges and difficulties. Therefore, researchers and

policy makers need to have an in-depth understanding of the specific

needs of these regions and develop practical solutions. At the same time,

we should also fully recognize the central role that job satisfaction plays in

the recruitment and retention of teachers. Teachers' job satisfaction is not

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only related to their professional well-being, but also has a direct impact

on their performance and willingness to stay in the profession.

In order to effectively enhance teachers' job satisfaction, and thus

improve the quality of recruitment and retention of teachers, we can start

from the following aspects. First, economic security is the foundation.

Second, policy support is the key. Finally, the improvement of social status

should not be ignored. In conclusion, solving the problem of teacher

recruitment and retention in China requires the joint efforts and support of

the government, schools and all stakeholders of society. Only through the

cooperation and coordination of many parties can we create a favorable

working environment for teachers, attract more excellent talents to

devote themselves to education, and ensure that they can engage in

education in a long-term and stable manner, thus promoting the

sustainable development of education.

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Factors Influencing Teachers’ Willingness to Remain in Rural Areas

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44–58. https://doi.org/10.12775/QS.2023.09.02.006
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Guiaké, M., & Tian, X. (2021). Comparison of Teacher Recruitment and

Retention Practices in Cameroonian and Chinese Secondary School:

China’s Lesson. Anatolian Journal of Education, 6(2), 75–88.

https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ1316110

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