Can curriculum reform shape novice teachers' agency and efficacy in China?: Opportunities and challenges

Higher expectations have been posed for teachers since the launch of the new curriculum reform in China, which makes novice teachers face more challenges in developing their careers and professionalism. As teacher identity can be shaped in a professional context (Beauchamp & Thomas, 2009), this study attempted to reveal whether curriculum reform can shape novice teachers’ agency and efficacy by exploring their development of job-motivation, challenges, professional development, and role perspective. A qualitative research methodology was adopted to interview twelve novice primary school teachers from six provinces of China. The results showed that they held a strong value towards teacher identity, exerting a positive influence on their task perception and agency. Among the opportunities brought by the reform, mentoring and self-reflection contributed most to efficacy and reducing burnout generated from challenges. The study also indicates more development opportunities for rural teachers should be provided to narrow their gap with the urban counterparts. Copyright © 2017 ICSEI.