Negotiating Identity Tensions: Challenges of an Online Volunteer English Language Teacher in Rural China

Abstract

We examine the identity tensions of an online volunteer English teacher at a rural village school in southwestern China to uncover the structural inequalities embedded in her everyday teaching and identity work. Adopting narrative ethnographic methods, we conducted thematic analysis of data from interviews and classroom observations. Findings show that Jing's identity tensions derived from the challenges of transitioning to a new school context and a different mode of instruction, as well as navigating the conflicts between personal values, institutional demands, and structural constraints. The study suggests that online volunteer teachers attempting to address the needs of rural underserved students may experience multifaceted dimensions of identity tensions due to the lack of understanding of local pedagogies, and student backgrounds, as well as the social and policy constraints beyond classrooms.