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ERIC Number: EJ1100753
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2016
Pages: 18
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0158-7919
EISSN: N/A
Who Am I as a Distance Tutor? An Investigation of Distance Tutors' Professional Identity in China
Xiao, Junhong
Distance Education, v37 n1 p4-21 2016
Much research has been conducted in the area of teacher professional identity in the past decades. Nonetheless, very little attention has been paid to the professional identity of tutors in distance education. Using interviews, this study set out to investigate distance tutors' claimed and assigned professional identities, their actual, ought and ideal responsibilities, as well as job satisfaction and expected institutional support. The study involved 155 tutors from Chinese open universities. As indicated by the findings, Chinese distance tutors claimed to be inferior to their counterparts at conventional universities in research facilities and resources, social status, professional development, teaching facilities and resources, and income. Their assigned identity further confirms their professional vulnerability as a disadvantaged cohort of higher education academics. Discrepancies also exist between their actual, ought and ideal roles and much needs to be done to enhance their professional identity. Implications are discussed at the sociocultural, institutional, and personal levels.
Routledge. Available from: Taylor & Francis, Ltd. 325 Chestnut Street Suite 800, Philadelphia, PA 19106. Tel: 800-354-1420; Fax: 215-625-2940; Web site: http://www.tandf.co.uk/journals
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Higher Education; Postsecondary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: China
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A