‘Merely decoration’: the role identity of expatriate teachers in Chinese internationalized schools

This qualitative, hermeneutical phenomenological study examined the role identity of expatriate teachers employed in Chinese internationalized schools. Understanding how these teachers experience their role is critical, as the international school industry is marked by high teacher turnover and significant adjustment challenges. A diverse sample of 16 expatriate teachers contributed insights through individual interviews, written protocols, and focus groups. Four themes captured participants' experiences: motivations to assume the role, understanding the role, navigating the role, and motivations to persevere in the role. The study adds to existing research by identifying specific ways expatriate teachers respond to role conflict: staying true to their beliefs and standards, showing initiative, constantly adjusting, and assuming the attitude of silent quitting. A theoretical contribution lies in extending two expatriate typologies to a novel context.