Unpacking the cultural norms of ‘teaching research groups’ in China – a critical inquiry with early-career teachers

Professional Learning Communities (PLC) have established themselves as an effective pathway for teacher professional development gaining increasing recognition from both theoretical research and frontline teaching practice. Despite lacking thorough awareness of the concept of PLCs, Chinese teachers have long engaged in collective learning practices that date back decades. China’s localised teacher research organisations, known as Teaching Research Groups (TRG), share significant similarities with Professional Learning Communities but do not fully conform to some of the defining standards. Examining TRGs and activities through a socio-cultural lens helps us form a more nuanced understanding of their operation and sustained vitality. Using early-career teachers’ experiences as an analytical lens, this qualitative study examined TRG activities across schools to highlight three key cultural characteristics of TRGs: teacher discussion amid norms of harmony, teacher status within seniority ethics, and teacher evaluation under performativity regimes. The findings affirm TRGs as culturally adaptive teacher organisations that significantly contribute to the professional development of their members while also encouraging teachers and schools to reflect on the latent benefits and drawbacks of these cultural norms.