Exploring the Negotiation of Teacher’s Professional Identity in Alternative Education in China

Abstract

Despite being a minority, alternative education exists in a relative position to mainstream education and consistently challenges its core assumption to teaching and learning. Within the exam-oriented Chinese education system, alternative approaches that advocate for freedom, student agency, and holistic development have gained increasing attention in recent years. However, choosing alternative education remains a difficult and unconventional path, marked by tension and ongoing negotiation. In particular, many alternative education institutions currently operate within an ambiguous legal status in the Chinese context. This study explores the lived experience of being a teacher in alternative education in China. Its aim is to examine the negotiation of teachers’ professional identities within this unique and complex educational landscape. Specifically, the research investigates how teachers perceive the influence of personal experience, professional context, and the political environment on their identity development, as well as how they make sense of their professional roles in the face of various tensions and challenges.

Using a qualitative research approach, the study draws on thematic analysis and narrative analysis of semi-structured interviews. The findings reveal that personal experience serves as a foundational motivation for choosing to work in alternative rather than mainstream schools. Additionally, the professional context plays a key role in enabling teachers to reshape their identities in their career. While the restrictive political environment constrains identity formation in some respects, it simultaneously deepens teachers’ commitment to alternative education. The narratives also underscore the overlapping and interdependent nature of these three dimensions, which co-construct teachers’ sense of self and professional values. Ultimately, the study finds that working in alternative education in China reflects a strong ethical commitment on the part of teachers. It concludes by recommending that policymakers consider developing more inclusive frameworks to support and legitimize the work of alternative educators.