Analysis of the Rural Professional Context: Research Report

This report provides an analysis of the rural professional context, drawing on multiple research articles to explore the challenges and complexities faced by rural communities. The report examines the historical perspective of rural education research, highlighting demographic, economic, and social changes impacting rural America over the past century. It delves into the impact of hydraulic fracturing on rural communities, particularly in Pennsylvania, and the dilemmas faced by educational leadership in boomtowns. Additionally, the report investigates the quality of work life, well-being, and risks of teacher resignation in rural Bhutan, offering insights into the factors influencing teacher attrition and potential policy suggestions. The analysis covers themes such as teacher recruitment, retention, economic shifts, community impacts, and the importance of adapting educational strategies to the unique needs of rural environments.

Running head: UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
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1UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
International Rural Context
The article “Constructing and Reconstructing the “Rural School Problem”: A Century of
Rural Education Research” discusses that research of rural education’s 100 years with respect to
demographics, social and economic changes which have affected the rural America within last
century. The authors conducted literature’s systematic review on recruitment, training as well as
retention of rural teacher as case study for examining change as well as consistency in
construction of problems of rural school, concept that is drawn from the early work of the urban
education reformers (Biddle & Azano, 2016).
Policies of neoliberal economy and rural economies’ precariousness received quite
interest in adaptability and resilience of the rural America, leading to renaissance in research of
rural education. Farming communities saw family farms’ increasing consolidation on models of
industrial agriculture (Biddle & Azano, 2016). For exploring issue of how rural school issue is
constructed by the educationalists in past century is demonstrated. In examining the literature on
the rural teacher training, retention and recruitment as the case study in changing definition of
problem of rural school for century, it is observed in three separate periods (Biddle & Azano,
2016). Economic communities based in the resource extraction economic busts and booms as
energy, the manufacturing companies and logging pursue the opportunities for the cheaper
production as well as labor abroad (Biddle & Azano, 2016). New development in technologies,
especially in energy changes intensity of the industries as they leave upon rural landscapes. Rural
teacher training, retention and recruitment is case study which is topic of the review.
The article “School and Community Impacts of Hydraulic Fracturing Within
Pennsylvania’s Marcellus Shale Region, and the Dilemmas of Educational Leadership in

2UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
Gasfield Boomtowns” discusses that innovations that are associated with technology of gas as
well as oil drilling, which include new techniques of hydraulic as well as horizontal drilling led
to the dramatic development of boomtown in several rural rears which endured economic
decline’s extended periods (Schafft & Biddle, 2014). Despite Pittsburgh’s metropolitan hubs
along with Philadelphia long with location of Pennsylvania along mid Atlantic densely populated
seaboard, Pennsylvania’s vast areas are quite rural with overall amount of the rural residents in
state exceeded by Texas and North Carolina (Schafft & Biddle, 2014). Unconventional gases are
trapped in geologic formations, like layers or sandstone, coal stems or shale. Unconventional
extraction of gas, successfully developed first for the commercial use within formation of Barnett
Shale in Texas, which involves combination of technologies that are previously developed,
which include hydraulic fracturing as well as horizontal drilling (Schafft & Biddle, 2014).
Several rural Pennsylvania includes small towns as well as scattered communities which
over decades maintained the local economies. By limited opportunities of employment, such
communities experienced the trends of long term for net outmigration, declines of school
enrollment and aging populations (Schafft & Biddle, 2014). In unconventional extraction of gas,
there is drill of well bores vertically mile into shale layer. Drill bit then is horizontally turned
with well bore which extend mile along gas bearing shale’s layer. Development of such
technology resulted as Marcellus Shale layer’s transformation of Pennsylvania.
The article “School Teachers in Rural Bhutan: Quality of Work Life, Well-Being and the
Risks of Resignation” discusses that the teachers have the vibrant place within intellectual
development of capacity of students that affects ultimately development of nation. In Bhutan,
new “Teacher Human Resource Policy” was released having aim for creating conductive
environments for working, professional development’s opportunities, incentives and allowance,

3UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
which includes recognition systems for attracting as well as retaining best teachers (Dorji,
Sirasoonthorn & Anusaksathien, 2019). Despite such intervention, there are resignations of more
teachers per year, putting education’s policy in jeopardy as well as leaving Education Ministry
challenged for replacing the teachers (Dorji, Sirasoonthorn & Anusaksathien, 2019). This paper
focuses to study several factors that affect well-being and quality of the work life of students,
seeking for ascertaining what might be perceived to be problematic aspects for the QWL by
teachers themselves (Dorji, Sirasoonthorn & Anusaksathien, 2019). Other aim was providing
policy suggestions for addressing growing phenomenon of resignations of school teachers in
Bhutan. Many functions are there for teachers in the society in Bhutan, especially as the
educators as well as guardians of the students within schools, playing often role of mentors,
surrogate parent, role models and counsellors (Dorji, Sirasoonthorn & Anusaksathien, 2019).
The paper explores first QWL concepts as well as implications of it on well-being and
happiness in general as well as with respect to the Bhutanese values (Dorji, Sirasoonthorn &
Anusaksathien, 2019). Field study was conducted in the rural, difficult and remote schools. This
turns then to study’s methodology, summarizes the major findings as well as proceeds for
analyzing them in depth for understanding better why these teachers of Bhutan might leave the
profession (Dorji, Sirasoonthorn & Anusaksathien, 2019). For grounding theoretically this study,
QWL theory focused on increasing well-being of employees in organization.

4UNDERSTANDING THE RURAL PROFESSIONAL CONTEXT
References
Biddle, C., & Azano, A. P. (2016). Constructing and reconstructing the “rural school problem” a
century of rural education research. Review of Research in Education, 40(1), 298-325.
Dorji, S., Sirasoonthorn, P., & Anusaksathien, K. (2019). School Teachers in Rural Bhutan:
Quality of Work Life, Well-Being and the Risks of Resignation. South Asia
Research, 39(3), 270-284.
Schafft, K. A., & Biddle, C. (2014). School and community impacts of hydraulic fracturing
within Pennsylvania's Marcellus Shale Region, and the dilemmas of educational
leadership in Gasfield Boomtowns. Peabody Journal of Education, 89(5), 670-682.