3 Steps to Motivate Teachers in China

I chose Educational Leadership and Theory Program as my master major and decided to continue my study in Boston University rather than Early Child Education program in Melbourne University. Since I believe that Boston University can provide an innovative platform and healthy communication atmosphere. Besides, I am also determined to continue my doctorate degree after graduating from Boston University, and then go back to my country and be a teacher or a principle in primary school.

But when talking about the overall educational environment in China, changes need to be taken especially in educational system and policy. The biggest issue is that teacher treatment does not match expectation for teachers and this may dramatically decrease teacher motivation. Furthermore, according to the recent research, teacher motivation will have a significant positive effect on students’ academic performance and development of characteristics. Therefore, improving teacher motivation may be a good starting point for issues of unemployment and quality of education in management institutions in China.

1. Treatment

The average teacher salary in China is low when compared with the America and other foreign countries. Therefore, basic salary should be increased and teachers should be evaluated by school and government every academic year. Salary should be based on the teacher evaluation and experienced teachers should be awarded a larger bonus.

2. Schedule

School and community should make strict time table for each teacher and include the working time after school as part of the work week. Since teachers not only need to check students’ homework and communicate with students' parents after they finish their daily work, but also have the responsibility as a family member. Clear schedules can help teachers properly arrange their time and separate the work and life. This will help teachers both physically and emotionally.

3. Cooperation

Local authorities, government, schools and teachers should work together to create a healthy educational environment based on an open communication approach and decrease the barriers of communication between teachers and students. This means that to change the poor academic performances of students, the whole educational system needs to be changed rather than just relying on teachers. Teachers and local authorities are blamed for the poor performance in elementary education in China. But changing the poor academic performances of students, the whole educational system needs to be changed rather than just relying on teachers. This means that local authorities, government, school and teacher should work together to create a healthy educational environment.

References

Rai, A. K., & Srivastava, M. (2013). Exploring dependent relationship of teacher's motivation on quality of teaching. Drishtikon: A Management Journal, 4(2), 45-61.

Bentea, C.C., & Anghelache, V. (2011). Teachers’ motivation and satisfaction for professional activity. Procedia- Social and Behavioral Science 33, 563-567.

Ramachandran, V., Pal M., Jain S., Shekarl S., & Sharma J., (2006) Teacher Motivation in India, New Delhi: Educational Resource Unit.