Journal of Education and Human Development

Chinese Teachers Build Growth Mindset to Foster Student Achievement in the Disadvantaged Private Secondary High Schools
Wei Zhang, Tetyana Koshmanova

Abstract
This qualitative case study explores the teachers’ experiences of their professional performance from novice to expert for student achievementin in the exam-oriented disadvantaged school context in China. Using semi-structural interview protocol collected the primary data from teachers (N=12) to understand how they become an expert teacher from novice in the disadvantaged school contexts. Specifically, this study aims to answer the three questions: (1) What are the challenges for teachers becoming from novice to expert in the disadvantaged private secondary school? (2) What are the strategies for teachers to develop their skills from novice to expert in the disadvantaged private secondary school? (3) How do the teachers improve their capacity from novice to expert teachers or leaders in the disadvantaged private secondary school? Findings show that teachers face three major challenges: self-awareness in need but less supported; self-learning with self-control, but limited resources; and social interaction in challenges, but less engagement between members in school. This study also found three major strategies for teachers: communication with efficacy; discipline for performance; and self-improvement with positive attitude. Findings show that teachers become an expert from novice through three major ways: attending an academic and professional conference; self-engagement; and self-learning with a goal setting. Therefore, the future study would explore the teachers’ experiences in building a mindfulness framework for secondary high school sustainable growth and student achievement using a comparative mixed research design in the United States and China.

Full Text: PDF     DOI: 10.15640/jehd.v10n3a2