ABSTRACT

Background: The retention of rural small-scale schoolteachers (RSSTs) plays a pivotal role in advancing educational development in China’s rural areas. Gaining insights into how RSSTs’ subjective perceptions of their social standing affect their intentions to remain in post is critical for informing educational policy and practice in these regions. Objectives: This research investigates the extent to which RSSTs’ subjective social status influences their intention to continue teaching. The study further explores the mediating role of professional identity and the moderating role of educational beliefs within this relationship. Methods: Employing a generalised structural equation modelling (GSEM) approach, data were collected from RSSTs across five provinces located in central and western China. The analytical model integrated professional identity as a mediating variable and educational beliefs as a moderator within a regression framework. Results: The analysis indicates a significant positive association between RSSTs’ subjective social status and their retention intentions. Professional identity was found to partially mediate this relationship, suggesting that individuals who perceive themselves to have higher social standing tend to develop a stronger sense of professional identity, thereby increasing their likelihood of remaining in their roles. Additionally, educational beliefs were shown to positively moderate the relationship between subjective social status and retention intention. However, their moderating influence on the link between professional identity and retention intention did not reach statistical significance. Conclusion: To improve retention rates among teachers in small rural schools, it is advisable to introduce initiatives that elevate teachers perceived social status, strengthen the interplay between professional identity and the intention to stay, and foster robust educational beliefs within the teaching community.