Developing professional capital through Master Teacher Studios: stories from Chinese teachers

Purpose To investigate the elements of professional capital within the context of Chinese teacher learning, reveal the facilitating role of master teachers on the professional capital of teachers, and develop a development model for professional capital. Design/methodology/approach A Master Teacher Studio in Beijing served as a case study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 teachers from the studio, supplemented by participatory observation. Categorization and contextualization methods were employed to construct a theoretical framework. Findings In the context of Chinese teacher learning, professional capital encompasses human capital, social capital, decisional capital, and opportunity capital. Master teachers employed three strategies to foster the professional capital development of member teachers: (1) building trust across districts, (2) connecting with professional institutions and (3) inheriting the teaching corps mission. By revealing elements, frameworks and strategies, we construct a development model for teacher professional capital across three dimensions: cognition – practice, individual – collective and internal – external. Originality/value This study validates the three-element framework of the classic professional capital theory and derives a new element of professional capital within the Chinese cultural context, namely opportunity capital. The study constructs a theoretical framework and model for the development of professional capital from two perspectives: members' perceptions of development and strategies employed by master teachers to foster this development. The framework, strategies, and model are original within the Chinese context and contribute new perspectives and analytical tools for subsequent research.