Exploring associations between teacher perceptions of working conditions and immediate professional plans at a Chinese internationalised school

Abstract

This longitudinal, quantitative study utilised 2019-2022 survey data from teachers at one Chinese internationalised high school in Jiangsu Province, China to examine teachers’ immediate professional plans through the lens of teacher working conditions (TWCs). The relationship between teacher perceptions of working conditions and their immediate professional plans was further explored in light of teachers’ status as international vs local, and the primary factor affecting teachers’ willingness to stay at the school. Results from the Ordinary Least Squares (OLS) regression analysis revealed that teachers planning to leave or move; international teachers; and teachers who indicated primary stay factors (the most important factors affecting teachers’ willingness to continue teaching at the school) of instructional practices and support, school leadership, or time during the work day (adequate time during the school day to plan and collaborate) were associated with lower scores on the overall teacher working conditions perceptions index. These findings add to a growing body of research examining TWCs in international school contexts, specifically within Chinese internationalised schools. Given the transformational shifts these schools have recently experienced due to educational policy changes and COVID-19-related restrictions, school leaders may want to re-examine the organisational characteristics and supports at their schools with an eye toward retaining members of their ethnically heterogeneous teaching faculties.