Effective Teachers in China: Making a Difference with Ethnic Minority Students

Abstract

This special issue focuses on the beliefs, practices, and impact of effective teachers in China, with a particular emphasis on teachers of ethnic minority students. Studies have shown that access to quality teaching and learning is inequitable across groups (Luschei and Jeong 2018; Wei and Zhou 2019). This special issue addresses an array of topics related to access to quality teachers and successful school experiences for Chinese ethnic minority students. Specifically, Chinese ethnic minority and migrant students face numerous academic and social challenges (Gao 2014; Yang et al. 2015), including separ-ation from their parents due to migration for work (left behind children) and exposure to learning environments and conditions that are substandard. These factors, among others, impact the potential for attending tertiary education and/or access to vocational educational training which provides opportunities for autonomy and empowerment. 55 ethnic minorities in China make up approximately 114 million people, or of China ’ s total population, with main in region Further, population of Focusing on Zhou This special issue addresses educational disparity by highlighting a prominent factor that has the largest potential in enhancing the educational outcomes of ethnic minority students — the teacher. In addition to some guiding issues around teacher quality, this issue also addresses student voice with an examination of the experiences of migrant girls in technical vocational education training.