The need for social recognition: the impact of teachers’ professional honor on their intention to move to urban schools in rural China

Abstract The migration of teachers from rural to urban areas is a global challenge, with significant implications for educational equity and quality. In China, teacher migration has exacerbated educational disparities between rural and urban regions. Whilst previous research has examined a range of factors influencing teacher turnover, this study focuses on the concept of professional honor as a fundamental motivator for teacher migration in China. We use Axel Honneth’s perspective on social recognition to expand on the meaning, draw connections with research from other countries and to articulate the underpinning structural conditions of the Chinese way of thinking about and enacting professional honor. Employing a conditional process model, we analyse survey data from 1,320 rural teachers across seven provinces to examine the complex interrelations between the Need for Social Recognition, perceptions of public and personal professional honor, and intentions to migrate to urban schools. Our findings demonstrate that while public professional honor is negatively associated with migration intentions, personal professional honor moderates this relationship, amplifying the impact of perceived recognition needs. By positioning professional honor at the center of theoretical explanations for teacher migration, this study offers new insights into the mechanisms underpinning teacher retention and provides a foundation for more culturally responsive policy interventions in China and beyond.