Being a Chinese Teacher in a Rural Primary School in Tibet

Abstract

China is a multi-ethnic country with one majority ethnic group (i.e. the Hans) and fifty-five minority groups. Nowadays Mandarin is a required course in Tibetan schools, and there are many Han Chinese recruited to teach Mandarin in Tibet. This article explores the identity development of a Han Chinese teacher as he works in a rural primary school in Tibet where the local language and culture is different from his own. From a social-cultural perspective and using narrative inquiry, this article views identity formation as an ongoing process involving interpretation and reinterpretation of one's living experiences as well as acknowledges the social and contextual constructions of one's life stories. The findings uncover the teacher's identity struggles as he tries to adapt to local traditions of teaching. The narratives generate important implications for policy makers and language teacher training programs.