{"title":"The social reality of working overseas in the ‘Chinese Internationalised School’: Exploring cliques as a precarity and insecurity coping strategy","authors":"T. Bunnell, Adam Poole","doi":"10.1177/14752409241242092","DOIUrl":null,"url":null,"abstract":"The number of international schools hit the 6,000-mark in 2012, and the 13,000-mark in 2022. In spite of continuous growth and diversity of provision, paradoxically some literature continues to paint a largely negative sociological imagination, associating the arena with micro-politics, high turnover, and increasing precarity. At the same time, the social reality of working in the arena remains under-reported and under-theorised. The largest number of international schools are now in China, where two-thirds are of the ‘non-traditional’ type. Our paper focuses on the experiences of two expatriate teachers in that relatively new field. In order to address the questions of ‘how do teachers cope?’, and ‘what strategies do they adopt?’, our paper delves into the under-reported social reality of ‘cliques’. By adopting a ‘positive sociology’ lens of inquiry, we begin to address the role that cliques-formation might have in dealing with precarity and insecurity, especially that of ‘friendship precarity’ caused by constant transitions and short-term contracts. It can be seen that cliques offer a natural, quick, and practical solution to addressing precarity, helping over time to create resilience, and should not be viewed solely within a negative sociological imagination.","PeriodicalId":45854,"journal":{"name":"Journal of Research in International Education","volume":"25 6","pages":""},"PeriodicalIF":1.4000,"publicationDate":"2024-03-30","publicationTypes":"Journal Article","fieldsOfStudy":null,"isOpenAccess":false,"openAccessPdf":"","citationCount":"0","resultStr":null,"platform":"Semanticscholar","paperid":null,"PeriodicalName":"Journal of Research in International Education","FirstCategoryId":"1085","ListUrlMain":"https://doi.org/10.1177/14752409241242092","RegionNum":0,"RegionCategory":null,"ArticlePicture":[],"TitleCN":null,"AbstractTextCN":null,"PMCID":null,"EPubDate":"","PubModel":"","JCR":"Q2","JCRName":"EDUCATION & EDUCATIONAL RESEARCH","Score":null,"Total":0}
引用次数: 0
Abstract
The number of international schools hit the 6,000-mark in 2012, and the 13,000-mark in 2022. In spite of continuous growth and diversity of provision, paradoxically some literature continues to paint a largely negative sociological imagination, associating the arena with micro-politics, high turnover, and increasing precarity. At the same time, the social reality of working in the arena remains under-reported and under-theorised. The largest number of international schools are now in China, where two-thirds are of the ‘non-traditional’ type. Our paper focuses on the experiences of two expatriate teachers in that relatively new field. In order to address the questions of ‘how do teachers cope?’, and ‘what strategies do they adopt?’, our paper delves into the under-reported social reality of ‘cliques’. By adopting a ‘positive sociology’ lens of inquiry, we begin to address the role that cliques-formation might have in dealing with precarity and insecurity, especially that of ‘friendship precarity’ caused by constant transitions and short-term contracts. It can be seen that cliques offer a natural, quick, and practical solution to addressing precarity, helping over time to create resilience, and should not be viewed solely within a negative sociological imagination.
期刊介绍:
The Journal of Research in International Education is an international, peer-reviewed journal in international education for schools, examiners and higher education institutions throughout the world. The Journal of Research in International Education seeks to advance the understanding and significance of international education. It sets out to undertake a rigorous consideration of the educational implications of the fundamental relationship between human unity and human diversity that ''education for international understanding'' requires. The JRIE encourages an approach to research in international education that will close the gap between the well established emergent theory and diverse practice throughout the world. In this context, international education is concerned with the promotion of education for international understanding and human rights, and may include peace education, global education and intercultural education. Authors may address, for example, the curriculum, institutional concerns, the history of education, policy and pedagogy at all levels.