Journal of Research in Primary and Secondary Education

This study sampled 518 normal students majoring in primary education in a provincial university in Wuling Mountain area, analyzing the teaching willingness of Normal university students in rural areas and its influencing factors. Overall, 34.1% of the students plan to teach in rural areas, and 36.9% of the students are psychologically prepared to teach in rural areas for a long time. Personal factors and cognitive factors such as understanding the favorable national policies promoting teaching willingness in rural areas and "being impressed" by the policies significantly affect the students willingness to teach in rural areas. Salary did not affect the students intention to teach in rural areas, but significantly affected the students willingness to teach in rural areas for a long time. This study proposes that normal university students return to their hometown for practice and prepare "silver age" teachers to guide them to do practice, strengthening the local feelings of education and the sense of professional honor and mission of normal university students.

Wuling Mountain area; Primary education major; Rural teaching; Policy factors; Individual factors