Surviving, being resilient and resisting: teachers’ experiences in adverse times

ABSTRACT

This paper reports on a three-year research project aimed at examining experiences of being a teacher in a context of school reform and adverse times. A mixed-method research design was devised, including a national survey, semi-structured interviews, focus groups and a professional development programme. Findings suggest that teachers face old and new demands in a context of school reform and adverse times along with the worsening of their working conditions, the deterioration of their socio-economic status and the lack of career prospects. Some of them try to survive; others resist feelings of giving up by becoming more resilient and resisting. Professional values, a sense of professionalism and identity, along with the relational and emotional dimensions of teaching, and, in some cases, school culture and leadership, explain the ways in which some teachers became more resilient and resistant than others.

KEYWORDS:

• Teachers’ lives
• teaching
• working conditions
• professionalism
• resilience

Highlights

• Teachers face a number of demands and challenges in a context of school reform and adverse times;

• Some teachers try to survive; others resist feelings of giving up by becoming more resilient and resisting;

• Strong professional values, a sense of professionalism and identity, and in some cases, school culture and leadership, explain the ways in which some teachers became more resilient and resistant than others.

Acknowledgments

The author would like to thank Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (National Foundation for Science and Technology) (PTDC/CPE-CED/112164/2009) for financial support.

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by the Fundação para a Ciência e a Tecnologia (National Foundation for Science and Technology) [PTDC/CPE-CED/112164/2009].