Internal Persistence and External Support—What Makes Chinese Teachers of the Mathematically Gifted Stick to Their Post?

Abstract

Mathematically gifted students are precious human resources, educators of which make a great difference in helping them realize their potential. The retention of qualified teachers of mathematically gifted students is an issue worthy of in-depth exploration. In China, mathematics competitions are an important part of mathematics gifted education, and the teaching of the Mathematical Olympiad is a challenging profession with a high attrition rate. This qualitative study takes four seasoned and outstanding Chinese teachers as cases, collects data through individual semi-structured interviews, and uses the thematic analysis method based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory to analyze why they can persist in the field of Mathematical Olympiad teaching for more than 20 years. The results show that the motivation factors affecting retention are recognition, achievement, possibility of growth, work itself, and responsibility, and the hygiene factors are policy and interpersonal relationships. Motivation factors are the main reason for their long-term persistence, while hygiene factors are conducive to their persistence as a whole. Finally, enlightenment to educational policy and school management and suggestions for retention and development of teachers of the mathematically gifted are provided.

Stress in Chinese teachers who teach the mathematically gifted: a qualitative perspective

“… Hoth et al (2016) found that teachers who had difficulty with logical reasoning and understanding mathematical structures also had difficulty identifying mathematically gifted students. Sunzhong et al (2022) takes four seasoned and outstanding Chinese teachers as cases, and uses the thematic analysis method based on Herzberg’s two-factor theory to analyze why they can persist in the field of Mathematical Olympiad teaching for more than 20 years. Baker et al (2022) find that teachers view their students’ participation in mathematics competitions as being important, with the biggest barrier to participation being that there are not enough competitions at appropriate levels available in Africa.…”

“…For the teachers in this study, their interactions with family members and the teaching tasks were included in this system. Long working hours and complex mathematical problems both affect the lives and work of teachers of the mathematically gifted ( Sunzhong et al, 2022 ). The mesosystem involves the relationships and processes that occur between two or more changing, developing settings or people ( Bronfenbrenner, 2005 ).…”

“…The exosystem for the teachers in this study was primarily comprised of students’ parents and organizations which include other high schools and tutoring institutions. The attitudes of students’ parents towards mathematics competitions, inter-school competition, and the interventions of training institutions on in-school teaching work all affect the work of teachers of the mathematically gifted ( Sunzhong et al, 2022 ). The macrosystem is defined as a pattern of ideology and a social institution that can illustrate a particular culture or subculture ( Bronfenbrenner, 2005 ); it represents the societal environment in which teachers work in accordance with particular norms, values, regulations, and policies ( Cross and Hong, 2012 ).…”

“…They are required to provide additional tutoring for students or to take students to summer camps, winter camps or other Mathematical Olympiad activities. Therefore, owing to the more complicated nature of work and the heavier tasks, teachers of mathematically gifted students consume more time and efforts in work than regular teachers, but their income from work is not high ( Sunzhong et al, 2022 ). Due to its particularities, teachers of mathematically gifted students shoulder a lot of work-related pressure and psychological burden.…”