Research on the impact of embedded cultivation on the willingness of local normal university students to teach in rural schools

Embedded cultivation is a major measure for local universities to address the shortage of professional capital for normal students to teach in rural schools. Based on the survey data of 11,882 local college normal students in five provinces, the research investigated whether embedded cultivation enhances the willingness of local normal university students to teach in rural schools. The research has found that there is a moderate positive correlation between the form, content, and methods of embedded cultivation and the willingness of normal students to teach in rural schools. However, in contrast, bidirectional, transformative, and continuous embedding, acquiring the norms and values of rural teachers, and developing professional competencies in rural education are more important. With the increase in the intensity of embedded cultivation, it has enhanced the willingness of normal students to teach in rural schools, but not all embedded cultivation content has played a positive role. Only formal embedding, developing professional competencies in rural education, and bidirectional embedding can play a positive guiding role. To enhance the willingness of normal students to teach in rural schools, we should strengthen the bidirectional nature of embedded cultivation and enhance the professional matching between normal school students and rural schools; fully implement embedded content to enhance the intrinsic motivation of normal students to teach in rural schools; adopt a multi-dimensional intervention approach to guide normal students to have a correct understanding of teaching in rural schools.