Retirement without rest: A qualitative study of retired teachers' motivation from prestigious universities to support less prestigious universities in China

Population aging, re-employment post-retirement, and the allocation of higher education resources constitute increasingly salient domains. Existing research has focused on examining career motivations of pre-service teachers and the determinants of re-employment among older adults outside of education. However, the motivational drivers underlying the mobility of retired teachers to support from prestigious to less prestigious universities remain systematically reported. This phenomenon, situated within the distinctive context of China, presents a valuable empirical case for addressing this research gap. We developed an integrated motivational framework encompassing cultural memes, policy environments, educational emotions, and self-realization. Guided by a qualitative research paradigm, semi-structured interviews were conducted to ensure methodological coherence with the exploratory nature of the research questions. Twelve retired teachers from eight prestigious universities in China were recruited as interviewees. The analysis revealed that post-employment in traditional cultural, institutionalized national policies, educators' pedagogical commitment, and the self-realization collectively elucidated the underlying motivations. Overall, this study proposes a contextualized motivational model that integrates 'culture, policy, occupation, and life' in the Chinese context. The findings offer practical insights for facilitating post-retirement knowledge transfer and optimizing the spatial distribution of academic talent within higher education systems. Furthermore, practical and policy insights for facilitating re-employment knowledge transfer and optimizing the spatial distribution of academic talent within higher education systems.