Emotional labour of rural teachers : practices and challenges in resource-constrained environments

Abstract

Rural teachers in resource-constrained environments engage in complex and sustained emotional labour as they navigate intersecting professional, cultural, and institutional expectations with limited systemic support. This study investigates how rural teachers in northeastern China perform emotional labour across classroom, school, and community contexts, with particular attention to the strategies they adopt and the structural forces that shape their affective experiences. Drawing on a qualitative case study design with data collected from semi-structured interviews across three rural school sites, the research reveals a dynamic interplay of surface acting, deep acting, and genuine emotional expression. These strategies are shaped by institutional demands, gendered norms, and community surveillance, and are further mediated by teachers’ gender, professional experience, and subject specialization. The findings underscore how emotional labour in rural teaching is not simply a personal coping mechanism, but a socially regulated process embedded in broader systems of affective discipline. The study calls for context-sensitive interventions—including emotional resilience training, gender-responsive support policies, and localized mental health resources—to mitigate emotional burnout and enhance teacher well-being.