This study examines sustainable professional development for teachers in small-scale rural schools, where challenges include geographic isolation, heavy workloads, high turnover, inadequate mentoring, and limited advancement. Using a qualitative approach grounded in relational ontology, semi-structured and focus group interviews with 62 principals, teaching-research directors, and teachers from Jiangsu Province were analysed through classical grounded theory. Three pathways emerged: (1) teachers restoring the essence of education by reconnecting with teaching's intrinsic value; (2) school leaders and policymakers instilling hope through supportive conditions, recognition, and positive cultures; and (3) teachers transforming irrational beliefs, such as the irrelevance of professional development to rural contexts. Addressing these three dimensions is essential for sustainable professional development in these settings.
Han et al. (Wed,) studied this question.