Primary School Teachers’ Resilience: Experiences and Perceptions - A Qualitative Study on Teacher Resilience

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa

Primary school teachers’ resilience is examined through teachers’ viewpoints, conceptualizations, and lived experiences. The qualitative study employs focus group discussion and individual interviews with primary school teachers working under multiple risk factors, including low socioeconomic context, disadvantaged students, challenging areas, and insufficient physical facilities. Data collection uses a semi-structured interview form and inductive content analysis. Findings show teachers define resilience as an individual, operational, and conceptual trait, report changes over time, and identify both risk and protective factors. Recommendations target educational systems, teachers, administrators, and parents, with implications for future practice and research discussed.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages18

Reading Time45 min

AccessFree to download

Introduction

Conceptual Framework

Resilience

Primary School Teachers’ Resilience: Experiences and Perceptions1 By Nurtac Ustundag∗ & Ruken Akar-Vural± The purpose of this study is to investigate teachers’ viewpoints and conceptualizations of resilience and to explore their experiences of resilience. This is a qualitative study that uses a focus group and individual interviews. Participants were teachers who work at a primary school that has multiple risk factors, such as being at a low socioeconomic status, being in a challenging area, having disadvantaged students, and having insufficient physical facilities. A semi-structured interview form was employed in the data collection process and inductive content analysis was used in the analysis of data. According to the findings, participants defined resilience as an individual, operational, and conceptual personality trait. They described themselves as resilient and stated their resilience levels have changed over time. It was also concluded that they encountered various risk factors and had some protective factors. Their suggestions were for the educational system, teachers, administrators, and parents to foster teacher resilience. Implications for future practice and research were discussed. Keywords: Primary school teachers, risk and protective factors, teacher experiences, teacher resilience Introduction Interest in a better understanding of emotional health and teachers’ resilience is increasingly important as it helps to improve the quality of education (Jones, Bouffard,& Weissbourd, 2013). Research examining teacher resilience has also springed up over the past 15 years (Mansfield, 2021), and the construct of resilience has been examined from multiple perspectives using a variety of methodologies (Beltman & Mansfield, 2018). Studies on teacher resilience emerge with a focus on the affective properties of teachers (Hargreaves, 1998; Zembylas, 2003) and the need for constant changes in teachers’ coping skills (Le Cornu, 2009). Considering the unfavorable incidents that teachers may face in schools, minimizing these negativities can make them feelgood and fulfill their professions better. To this end, it is necessary to focus on the affirmative aspects of their professional lives and define the components that increase their motivation, commitment, and effectiveness (Day, 2008). The principal provision for coping with problems and adapting to life more quickly is being resilient (Masten, 2001). Understanding resilience requires uncovering and defining the roles of all elements ofa good fit, even in adverse situations (Masten, 1994; 2021) . Therefore, examining personal, familial, and external protective factors in resilience research ∗Researcher, Adnan Menderes University, The Republic ofTürkiye. ±Professor, Aydin Adnan Menderes University Faculty of Education, Educational Sciences Department, The Republic ofTürkiye. 1This article is a part of the first author’s doctoral dissertation. may explain the reasons some people at risk are more successful in coping and accommodating than others (Gizir, 2007; Masten & Reed, 2002) . Teacher resilience as the qualification to stand against the stressors and setbacksin teaching is crucial in all educational arenas, in that it can generate favorable outcomes. Given that teaching does present challenges, this research points to resilience as a critical role for teachers who achieve promising results in education, and it is expected to produce in-depth descriptions of resilience from teachers’outlooks and experiences. Thus, the study may contribute to expand their awareness of resilience and their rapid recovery in the face of problems. Researchers have examined strategies for promoting resilience in teachers for many years and have made significant efforts with an international perspective; however, studies conducted in the United States of America, Australia, and in the United Kingdom have dominated the knowledge base (Beltman, Mansfield, & Price, 2011). This

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

To investigate teachers’ viewpoints and conceptualizations of resilience and to explore their experiences of resilience.

How was resilience data collected and analyzed?

A semi-structured interview form was used for data collection, and inductive content analysis was used to analyze the interviews.

How do participants define resilience?

Participants define resilience as an individual, operational, and conceptual personality trait, and they report that resilience levels change over time.

Oct 15, 2026

Uploaded by Elsa