“A roller coaster, both emotionally and work-wise…”: teachers in Swedish certified sport-oriented upper secondary schools experiences of the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

This study aimed to explore how teachers at certified sports-oriented upper secondary schools (CSUSS) in Sweden experienced how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their everyday practice and well-being. Individual in-depth interviews were conducted with 13 teachers (mean age: 44 years) from three CSUSS in southern Sweden. The interviews were analysed using abductive qualitative content analysis. The analysis resulted in one overreaching theme, ‘Making sense of changes in everyday practice and dealing with a changing world’, illuminating how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted teachers. The teachers described the first lockdown as an initial shock that brought about changes in their workload and daily routines. The second lockdown was generally easier to handle, but they spent more time on planning and preparations, and had a greater focus on conveying theoretical knowledge and physical training. Throughout the pandemic, they experienced a lack of social interactions; nonetheless, supportive colleagues and schools provided some relief. The teachers also experienced uncertainty regarding constantly changing restrictions; they learned, however, the importance of being flexible and creative in coping with these changes. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic significantly impacted their everyday practice and well-being.

Keywords:

• Distance learning
• high school
• remote teaching
• SARS-CoV-2-pandemic
• sense of coherence

Introduction

In the spring of 2020, the World Health Organisation (WHO) declared the novel SARS-Coronavirus-2 (Covid-19) a pandemic, which has dramatically impacted the world as we know it and everyday life. For instance, a growing body of evidence suggests that the COVID-19 pandemic has negatively influenced the mental health (e.g. increased levels of anxiety, depression, and stress and decreased psychological well-being) of the general population (Wu et al., 2021), youths (Panchal et al., 2021), and youth athletes (McGuine et al., 2021; Watson et al., 2023). One group of young people who have been particularly vulnerable during the COVID-19 pandemic are sports students at the upper secondary school level who have dual careers as student athletes (Grubic et al., 2021). For these youths, there were significant restrictions in school (e.g. transition to remote teaching) and sports (e.g. cancelled competitions and matches) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In a Swedish study utilising focus group interviews with student athletes in upper secondary school during the COVID-19 pandemic, the students expressed, for instance, challenges with maintaining their motivation both concerning studies and sports, uncertainty about the pandemic and its restrictions and the blurring of borders, palpable loneliness due to remote teaching, and the importance of social contacts (Hertting et al., 2023; Johnson et al., 2022).

Teachers at sports-oriented upper secondary schools have been of great importance to student athletes during the COVID-19 pandemic (Johnson et al., 2022), and from a holistic perspective (Wylleman, 2019), it is also essential to understand how the teachers at sports-oriented upper secondary schools have been affected by the pandemic. Internationally, a limited number of studies have examined how teachers have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic (see, e.g. Kim et al., 2022; Kim & Asbury, 2020; VanLeeuwen et al., 2021). These studies have, however, mainly focused on teachers in elementary schools (e.g. Folkman et al., 2023; Kim et al., 2022; Kim & Asbury, 2020) and colleges and universities (e.g. VanLeeuwen et al., 2021), or they have been published in questionable journals (e.g. Fauzi & Sastra Khusuma, 2020). Klapproth et al. (2020) surveyed teachers in elementary and secondary schools, regarding their stress levels during the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany, their strategies to cope with it, and barriers to remote teaching. Overall, the teachers reported medium to high levels of stress and most experienced technical barriers to remote teaching. They were, however, able to cope with these technical barriers. Based on the study results, Klapproth et al. (2020) suggest that teachers need to develop their digital skills in relation to remote teaching and that schools need to be equipped with proper equipment to implement remote teaching.

In a Swedish context, there are a few studies that have examined how teachers in general (e.g. Bergdahl & Nouri, 2021) and physical education (PE) teachers in elementary schools (Kamoga & Varea, 2022) and upper secondary schools (Andersson & Liljeström, 2022) have been affected by the COVID-19 pandemic and the transition to remote teaching. More specifically, Kamoga and Varea (2022), for example, investigated how teachers in elementary school PE perceived that the subject PE was affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. The results showed that it was challenging for the teachers to teach PE during the ongoing pandemic, which significantly changed the content and context. Some activities had to be postponed (e.g. swimming), students were not allowed to use the changing rooms to change or shower, and teachers were expected to be responsible for cleaning sports equipment and ensuring that students kept a safe distance from each other (Kamoga & Varea, 2022).

Theoretical perspective: sense of coherence

For this study, Antonovsky’s central concept of sense of coherence (SOC)¹ in the salutogenic model was employed (Antonovsky, 1979; Mittelmark & Bauer, 2022). SOC has been defined as ‘a global orientation that expresses the extent to which one has a pervasive, enduring, though dynamic, feeling of confidence that one’s internal and external environments are predictable and that there is a high probability that things will work out as well as can reasonably be expected’ (Antonovsky, 1979, p. 123). The concept of SOC allows for the understanding and explanation of teachers’ capacity to perceive and control life’s stressors. It is also a pertinent factor that has the potential to foster and sustain positive health and well-being (e.g. Eriksson & Lindström, 2006, 2007). The COVID-19 pandemic has been a significant source of stress for many individuals. Individuals with a strong SOC are more likely to perceive their everyday practices during the pandemic as manageable challenges rather than threats to their well-being, and vice versa. Further, SOC refers to a comprehensive outlook that regards life as comprehensible, manageable, and meaningful (Antonovsky, 1996; Lindström & Eriksson, 2006). Antonovsky (1979, 1987, 1996) argued that the three components, comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness, work together to create SOC that helps people make sense of their experiences, reduce stress, and maintain good health and well-being. Comprehensibility refers to how a person perceives their environment as structured, predictable, and understandable. Put differently, comprehensibility is the cognitive belief that challenges are understood and that teachers can understand events in their lives. Manageability refers to the extent to which a person feels they have the resources to meet the demands of their environment and cope with stressors. In other words, manageability is the behavioural belief that the teachers have the resources to act and that things are manageable and within their control. Meaningfulness refers to the extent to which a person perceives their experiences as relevant, important, and worthy of investment. Stated differently, meaningfulness is the motivational belief that teachers find things in life interesting, motivating, and a source of satisfaction (Antonovsky, 1979, 1987, 1996). It may also be appropriate to mention that various criticisms have been raised against the concept of SOC over the years since it was first introduced. It is beyond the scope of this paper, however, to review this criticism, and readers are referred to other sources (see Hockwälder, 2022, for example, for an overview of some of this criticism). Nevertheless, some of this critique relates to the fact that Antonovsky (1979, 1987) proposed that a person’s SOC becomes a stable disposition after 30 years of age and that it is difficult to permanently change an adult’s SOC. Studies have shown, however, that a person’s SOC is not as stable as initially assumed, that people’s SOC increases with age, and that it is possible to improve people’s SOC through various interventions (Hockwälder, 2022).

There are some examples of studies that have embraced SOC when examining how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced people’s health and well-being. In essence, these studies have shown that low levels of SOC during (Danioni et al., 2021) or prior to the pandemic (Schäfer et al., 2020) were associated with lower well-being (Danioni et al., 2021) and increased psychopathological symptoms (Schäfer et al., 2020) during the COVID-19 pandemic. On the other hand, higher levels of SOC were associated with better well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic (Danioni et al., 2021; Zewude et al., 2023). Moreover, salutogenesis as an overreaching theory and the concept of sense of coherence have been widely used in educational settings, primarily in relation to facilitating the health and well-being of pupils through health-promoting schools (see Jensen et al., 2022 for an overview). Other examples in educational settings include the ‘team ombuds model’, an effort to utilise salutogenesis didactically in education to facilitate pupils and teachers SOC and transcultural competences (Mayers & Boness, 2011). Similarly, in relation to sports, studies have shown that health programs that include sports have the potential to improve women’s SOC (Ley & Barrio, 2013), and after-school programs that include play can facilitate children’s SOC (Løndal, 2010).

The aim of the study

Overall, internationally, and in a Swedish context specifically, there is a gap in the literature in our understanding of how the COVID-19 pandemic has influenced teachers at certified sports-oriented upper secondary schools (CSUSS). Our study intends to contribute to increased knowledge about how teachers at CSUSS in Sweden experience how the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted them through the lens of SOC. Given the lack of literature, such knowledge has the potential to facilitate action strategies at CSUSS to deal with future, global, and negative events, such as new pandemics. Thus, we specifically aim to explore how teachers at CSUSS in Sweden experienced how the COVID-19 pandemic impacted their everyday practice and well-being. In this way, our study adds to the field of health promotion at CSUSS.

Methodology

This study is based upon an interpretive approach that entails that there exist multiple socially constructed realities that are complex, contextual, and ultimately subjective (Thorne, 2008). Thus, the interviewer and interviewee interact to influence one another. Moreover, no predetermined theory can explain the multiple socially constructed realities expected to be encountered during interviews (Thorne, 2008). To capture the teachers’ multiple socially constructed realities, this study relied on individual in-depth interviews to produce data, as this allowed them to express themselves freely and make their voices heard (Guion et al., 2011).

Setting the scene

The context of the current study is upper secondary schools enrolled in the nationally certified sports-oriented upper secondary schools’ (i.e. CSUSS) system. There are two types of nationally certified sports upper secondary schools: RIG (i.e. in Swedish: Riksidrottsgymnasium) with national recruitment of students and NIU (i.e. in Swedish: nationellt godkända idrottsutbildningar) with local/regional admission. Both of which are nationally certified sports education (NCSE). The system is a collaboration between the Swedish National Agency for Education, which offers Special sports as a school subject, the Swedish Sports Confederation, and its member organisations (e.g. Ferry & Andersson, 2021). In the school subject of Special sports, the student athletes are offered courses in, among other things, physiology, and leadership, but above all, specialised training in their respective sport, in addition to what is practiced in their sports clubs (Svensson, 2021). The CSUSS system has its roots in the beginning of the 1970s and aims to balance efforts in elite sports and academic achievement (Svensson, 2021). More specifically, the purpose of CSUSS system is to offer support to talents with the best conditions to reach the national or international elite as seniors and for them to create good opportunities to combine elite sports and education through individually adapted, flexible, and competent support in a quality-assured study and elite sports environment characterised by joy, development, and results (The Swedish Sports Confederation, 2012). In 2020, the system offered approximately 15,200 positions for student athletes (Ferry & Andersson, 2021).

COVID-19 related restrictions in general (European Centre for Disease Prevention & Control, 2022) and about education (OECD, 2020) and sports (International Sport & Culture Association, 2020) have significantly varied across time, countries, and regions. In Sweden, the first lockdown period for upper secondary schools began in March 2020 and lasted until August 2020, during which the upper secondary schools transitioned to remote teaching (see Figure 1 for a simplified description of the restrictions; note that local deviations occurred in Sweden regarding the restrictions). Similarly, the Public Health Agency of Sweden recommended that from April 1^st, 2020, matches, competitions, and tournaments should be postponed preventing any further spread of infection (The Swedish Sports Confederation, 2021). During this period, the Public Health Agency of Sweden also suggested that close contact between athletes should be avoided, that training should be done outdoors to limit the number of spectators and avoid unnecessary travel in relation to sport participation. Between August and October 2020, however, most public sports arenas were open again for training and competitions. The second lockdown period for upper secondary schools began in December 2020 and lasted until April 2021. During this time period, upper secondary schools offered hybrid learning, a combination of remote teaching and ordinary teaching, from January to April 2021. Similar restrictions were applicable for indoor training facilities and sports (e.g. handball, ice hockey) between December 2020 and April 2021, and most competitive sporting activities (e.g. matches, competitions, tournaments, and championships) were cancelled or postponed.

Figure 1. Timeline of Covid-19 related events and restrictions that was used during the interviews.

Recruitment and participants

In recruiting participants for the study, a purposive sampling procedure was utilised (Palinkas et al., 2015). More specifically, the sampling procedure aimed at recruiting teachers that represented individual (e.g. athletics) and team sports (e.g. football), indoor (e.g. handball), and outdoor sports (e.g. golf), as well as contact (e.g. ice hockey) and non-contact sports (e.g. table tennis). This sampling procedure was done to ensure credibility and transferability of our study findings (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004), as the COVID-19-related restrictions could be assumed to have influenced the teachers of these sports differently. At the initial stage, principals at nine CSUSS in southern Sweden were contacted, asking about their interest in participating in the study. Principals from three CSOHS consented to their teachers participating in the study. School A is a municipal CSOHS with roughly 1050 students that caters both to ordinary students and student athletes, and they offer NCSE in football, handball, swimming, athletics, badminton, and table tennis. School B is a privately owned CSOHS that only caters to student athletes, with approximately 300 students, and they offer NCSE in golf and handball. School C is a municipal CSOHS with around 1300 students that caters both to ordinary students and student athletes and offers NCSE in football and ice hockey. In total, 13 male teachers, representing different sports agreed to participate in the study: eight from school A, three from school B, and two from school C (see Table 1). Thus, we recruited teachers who represented six out of the ten most common youth sports in Sweden. Unfortunately, we were unable to recruit teachers from floorball, equestrian sports, gymnastics, tennis, and basketball, which are also among the top ten most common youth sports in Sweden (The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science, 2023). It was our intention to get a greater spread of participants from different schools; unfortunately, we experienced difficulties with the recruitment of participants.

Table 1. Background information of the participating teachers.

Participant	Age	Education	Role	Years of experience	Years at the school
1	36 years old	Teacher degree (university education) and coach education in soccer	Teacher in SS (soccer) and coordinator for the NCSE at the school	14 years as a teacher in SS (soccer)	14 years at school B
2	44 years old	Teacher degree (university education) and coach education in soccer	Teacher in SS (soccer) and coordinator for the NCSE at the school	16 years as a teacher in SS (soccer)	16 years at school A
3	48 years old	Sport pedagogy (university education) and Coach education in swimming	Teacher in SS (swimming)	5 years as a teacher in SS (swimming)	5 years at school A
4	57 years old	Recreation instructor (university education) and coach education in handball	Teacher in SS (handball)	10 years as teacher in SS (handball)	10 years at school A
5	47 years old	Compulsory school (grade 1-9) and coach education in table tennis	Teacher in SS (table tennis)	3 years as a teacher in SS (table tennis)	3 years at school A
6	34 years old	Behavioural science (university education) and coach education in badminton	Teacher in SS (badminton)	2 years as a teacher in SS (badminton)	2 years at school A
7	40 years old	Sport science and teacher degree (university education) and coach education in athletics	Teacher in SS (athletics) and PE	17 years as a teacher in SS (athletics)	3 years at school A
8	32 years old	Biomedicine (university education) and coach education in golf	Teacher in SS (golf)	9 years as a teacher in SS (golf)	9 years at school B
9	48 years old	Teacher degree (university education) and coach education in handball	Teacher in SS (handball)	20 years as a teacher in SS (handball)	7 years at school B
10	51 years old	Upper secondary education, coach education in handball, and personal trainer education	Teacher in SS (handball)	8 years as a teacher in SS (handball)	8 years at school A
11	43 years old	Teacher degree (university education) and coach education in soccer	Teacher in SS (soccer) and PE	14 years as a teacher in SS (soccer) and PE	5 years at school A
12	54 years old	Teacher degree (university education)	Teacher in SS (ice hockey) and PE	26 years as a teacher in SS (ice hockey) and PE	16 years at school C
13	32 years old	Upper secondary education and coach education in ice hockey	Teacher in SS (ice hockey)	5 years as teacher in SS (ice hockey)	5 years at school C

Note: Nationally certified sports education (NCSE); Physical education (PE); and Special sports (SS).

Consequently, it might be considered a limitation that we only included male teachers in this study. Nonetheless, this also reflects reality, as there were no female teachers representing these sports at the three schools. Unfortunately, as mentioned previously, we were unable to recruit teachers that represented equestrian sports and gymnastics, which generally have more female teachers. The participants were between 32 and 57 years old (mean age: 44 years old), had between 5 and 30 years of experience in their profession, and had been working at their school for 2 to 16 years. Before the interviews, the participants received written information about the purpose of the study, that participation was voluntary, that they could cancel their participation at any time, and that any produced data would be treated confidentially. The same information was repeated verbally at the time of the interview, and on that occasion, written informed consent was also obtained from all the participants. The study was approved by the National Ethical Review Authority (No. 2022-01486-01).

Procedures and data production

Individual in-depth interviews were used to capture the teachers’ multiple socially constructed realities, as this allowed them to express themselves freely and make their voices heard (Guion et al., 2011). Thus, the choice of method can be considered appropriate given the purpose of the study. A semi-structured interview guide (see Appendix 1) for individual in-depth interviews was developed by the research group based on experiences from conducting focus group interviews with students at two CSOHS (schools A and B; see Hertting et al., 2023; Johnson et al., 2022) as well as inspiration from the literature (e.g. Guion et al., 2011). More specifically, the interview guide included open-ended questions, which gave the participants the freedom to answer the questions in their own words. The semi-structured format allowed the interviewer to ask appropriate follow-up questions. Lastly, the interviewer used active listening, aiming to seek understanding and interpretation (Guion et al., 2011). The interview guide centred around how the teachers experienced being affected by the COVID-19 pandemic in terms of their everyday practice, well-being, and key lessons learned from the COVID-19 pandemic. Additionally, the research group developed a timeline (see Figure 1) to facilitate the participants recall of the COVID-19 pandemic and its associated restrictions. Initially, two pilot interviews were conducted with one participant from school A and one from school B to test the interview guide and timeline. The pilot interviews confirmed the utility of the interview guide and the timeline and did not lead to any major changes in either the guide or the timeline. Therefore, the pilot interviews were also considered part of the data production and included in the data analysis. All 13 interviews (including the pilot interviews) were carried out between May and June 2022. Consequently, the participants reflected retrospectively from January 2020 (the first news about COVID-19 from China) to February 2022 (when most restrictions were lifted in Sweden). Consequently, it might be considered a limitation that we did not conduct any interviews during the ongoing pandemic since the participants had to retrospectively reflect on their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic, which may have inhibited their recall. All interviews were performed by the first author, who has previous experience with both focus group interviews (e.g. Jonsson et al., 2017) and individual interviews (e.g. Staveborg Kerkelä et al., 2015). The interviewer (i.e. the first author) has a PhD in sport science and currently works as a senior lecturer in psychology, where he mainly teaches in sport and exercise psychology. His main research interest revolves around the promotion of youth physical activity and sports participation. Certainly, the interviewers’ pre-understandings affected the interview process and the type of follow-up questions that were asked. It is beyond the scope of this paper, however, to analyse how the interviewer impacted the data generation. Through the use of a semi-structured interview guide and the timeline, however, we were able to ensure that the same general questions were asked during each of the interviews. Otherwise, it was the teachers’ statements that governed which follow-up questions were asked. The interviewer is also trained in and has experience conducting motivational interviewing, and thus has experience conversing with people. The interviews lasted from 43 to 95 minutes (an average of 68 minutes).

Data analysis

The analysis of the individual in-depth interviews was done through an abductive qualitative content analysis (Graneheim et al., 2017; Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). The following four steps were performed during the analysis process:

(1) Initially, the interviews were transcribed verbatim. Subsequently, the first author read all the transcriptions several times to ‘obtain a sense of the whole’ (Graneheim & Lundman, 2004, p. 108) and to gain an overall sense of the teachers’ experiences. (2) Afterwards, a back-and-forth process between decontextualization and contextualisation followed to identify similarities and differences in transcriptions. Then, the transcribed text was divided into meaning units, and the meaning units were abstracted and coded. To ensure the credibility of our study findings, we aimed at selecting meaning units that were neither too broad nor too narrow (see examples in Table 2) and to ensure that no relevant data were excluded, or irrelevant data included (Graneheim et al., 2017; Graneheim & Lundman, 2004). Similarities and differences between the codes were arranged and compared to each other, and then they were arranged into tentative categories. These tentative categories were reviewed, discussed, and revised several times within the research group until they were encoded into four final categories. These four categories were ‘Transitioning to remote teaching’, ‘Conducting remote teaching’, ‘The importance of social meetings and support’, and ‘Dealing with changing restrictions and the disease’ (see Table 3). This was also done to ensure the credibility of our findings, as recommended by Graneheim and Lundman (2004). At this stage, the analysis focused on the visible and obvious components of the empirical data (i.e. inductive analysis). (3) In the next step, the authors moved between the analysed data and the literature to identify adequate theories that would facilitate a deeper understanding of and help with the interpretation of the teachers’ perspectives. During this process, the authors realised that the teachers spoke of their experiences indirectly in relation to Antonovsky’s central concept of SOC and the three components: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness (Antonovsky, 1979, 1987, 1996). Consequently, the data analysis turned to also exploring the teachers’ statements relating to comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness. We used an abductive data-analysis approach for this analytical procedure, which enabled us to think about the data and make theoretical deductions in a dialectic fashion. Abduction is recognising that theoretical interpretation can support empirically based conclusions while also avoiding theoretical imposition (Dubois & Gadde, 2002). As the co-authors of this paper are familiar with Antonovsky’s SOC, we responded to the need for theory by adopting Antonovsky’s SOC and its three components: comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness (Antonovsky, 1979, 1987, 1996). Accordingly, SOC was not contemplated and used at the outset of the analysis process, instead it was adopted as the data indicated that the teachers’ stories could be interpreted through the lens of Antonovsky’s SOC. Hence, the study was explorative (Dubois & Gadde, 2002) and interpretive in nature (Thorne, 2008). (4) Finally, the empirical findings and associated categories were compared and contrasted with the three components of SOC (i.e. comprehensibility, manageability, and meaningfulness; deductive analysis). The four categories were also arranged into one final and overreaching theme in this step, that is ‘Making sense of changes in everyday practice and dealing with a changing world’ (see Table 3).

Table 2. Examples of meaning units, codes, and categories from the data analysis.

Meaning unit	Code	Subcategory	Category
So, I could have time for other things, or I took time for other things, everything from fixing the house to working out, to catch up with that.	More time for other things	Changes in daily routines	Transitioning to remote teaching
And we learned that it would be both classroom teaching and remote teaching at the same time. It became very, it’s a stressful aspect for many who are not used to it. It’s double work because you have those at home who must get theirs and those at school that have to get theirs	Duplication of work	Dealing with the second lockdown	Conducting remote teaching
And the rest of life was the same too, you didn’t have the social exchange anywhere at all	Lack of social contacts	A lack of social interactions	The importance of social meetings and support
No, I think you had to be a little more flexible, that is, able to find quick and good solutions. Which I might feel that I’m quite good at in normal cases too, because it’s like they say, if you have 16-17 students, it doesn’t always go as you’d planned, but then you must be able to be quick and come up with other things pretty quickly as well.	More flexible	Being flexible and creative	Dealing with changing restrictions and the disease

Table 3. Subcategories, categories, and overreaching theme.

Subcategory	Category	Theme
An initial shock	Transitioning to remote teaching	Making sense of changes in everyday practice and dealing with a changing world
Changes in the workload
Changes in daily routines
Dealing with the second lockdown	Conducting remote teaching
More time on planning and preparations
Greater focus on theoretical knowledge and physical training
Challenges with assessment and grading
A lack of social interactions	The importance of social meetings and support
Supportive colleagues and schools
Uncertainty regarding the restrictions	Dealing with changing restrictions and the disease
Being flexible and creative
To deal with the disease

The analysis was carried out by the first author; however, all the steps were regularly discussed within the research group. When ambiguities arose, these were discussed until the research group could reach consensus. Finally, the analysis process described above appears rather linear; in reality, however, the research group worked back and forth with the codes, categories, and theme. Since the analysis is affected by the pre-understandings of those involved in the analysis process, giving a short account of the research group’s experiences may also be beneficial. Taken together, the research group has extensive experience in the fields of sport and exercise psychology, sport science, sports pedagogy, and health promotion. Lastly, in assisting our readers in evaluating the transferability of the study findings, we have attempted to present a clear and distinct description of the context and participants, as well as the data collection and analytic procedures.

Results and discussion

The analysis resulted in one overreaching theme, ‘Making sense of changes in everyday practice and dealing with a changing world’, and four categories, ‘Transitioning to remote teaching’, ‘Conducting remote teaching’, ‘The importance of social meetings and support’, and ‘Dealing with changing restrictions and the disease’ with associated subcategories (see Table 3), that illuminate how the teachers have been impacted by the COVID-19 pandemic. The categories are described and illustrated below by quotes that are characteristic of each category.

Transitioning to remote teaching

The teachers described the first lockdown as a shock that they were not prepared for, which brought with it an increased workload and stress when they had to switch to remote teaching and training overnight, as exemplified by one of the teachers:

“So, at first it was a bit of a shock; I thought, “What is happening?” You didn’t really understand the magnitude of it, that there were such consequences from it; you didn’t think that from the beginning. So, I was quite calm at the beginning, and then when you noticed that “Shit, this is for real…”” (I11)

Based on the above, it is reasonable to assume that this initial shock challenged the teachers’ manageability in the sense that they experienced difficulties coping with the situation (Antonovsky, 1979) and had a negative impact on their well-being. Similarly, Klapproth et al. (2020) found that elementary and secondary school teachers reported relatively high levels of stress during the COVID-19 lockdown in Germany. The teachers in this study stated that there were extensive adjustments initially, that there were many ambiguities, and that they tried to deal with the situation day by day, which was also the case for Swedish PE teachers (Kamoga & Varea, 2022) and Norwegian teachers (Folkman et al., 2023). This was also illustrated by one of the teachers as follows:

“There have been a few different phases… but when it all started, in the beginning, it became very drastic, so… so, it suddenly became a lot of work trying to adjust everything”. (I3)

Yet, some teachers expressed that the workload decreased during the transition to remote teaching because some tasks disappeared, such as collaboration tasks with the municipality and sport clubs, and time spent on travel in relation to competitions disappeared. One of the teachers also mentioned that he was furloughed from parts of his service, mainly because all competition activities were put on hold. Thus, on the one hand, for some teachers, it is possible that their manageability (Antonovsky, 1987) increased due to a lower workload. Some teachers stated that the boundaries between work and leisure time were blurred, and feelings of constantly having work present led to frustration. Consequently, on the other hand, for some of the teachers, their manageability and well-being (Antonovsky, 1996) decreased due to the feeling of constantly having to work and blurred borders. Norwegian teachers described similar experiences in that they were available around-the-clock during remote teaching (Folkman et al., 2023). Further, the teachers in this study said that several colleagues initially lacked technological knowledge (TK; i.e. knowledge about, for example, learning platforms, Zoom, and Teams) and technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK; i.e. knowledge about how to conduct remote teaching via, for example, learning platforms; see Mishra & Koehler, 2006). The lack of TK and TPK made the transition to remote teaching difficult, and the teachers expressed a wish for support at the beginning of the pandemic with TK and TPK. Consequently, it becomes apparent that the teachers experienced a lack of manageability (Antonovsky, 1996) in the transition to remote teaching. In relation to this, the teachers mentioned the importance of ensuring TK and TPK amongst the teachers so that they are confident in transitioning to remote teaching and training. By transitioning to remote teaching and working remotely, the teachers revealed that they had more time for other things, such as spending time with their families, doing household chores, and personal training, as exemplified by one of the teachers:

“So I could have time for other things, or I took time for other things, everything from fixing the house to exercising to catch up with that part… And my wife told me, “It was almost better when it was the pandemic, because then you were more available.”” (I1)

Some of them also thought working from home made their everyday lives less stressful. Accordingly, it can be interpreted as the transition to remote teaching contributing positively to some of the teachers’ well-being, as they had more time for leisure activities and household chores, which lowered their stress. However, the teachers mentioned that they became more sedentary and that their everyday physical activity decreased since they did not have to transport themselves to work, and their everyday physical activity with the students disappeared (e.g. training in the gymnasium). This is in line with a growing body of research that has shown that physical activity decreased and sedentary behaviours increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (e.g. Stockwell et al., 2021). Moreover, the teachers stated that a key lesson learned by working remotely was to create structure and routines for themselves, such as fixed times for food and sleep, and to make time for daily physical activity to ensure work-life balance. Some also mentioned that they experienced a poorer working environment by working from home and often ended up working from the couch, which may have contributed negatively to their well-being. The teachers also said that it was nice to work from home in the beginning, but over time it became troublesome and boring, as one of the teachers showed:

“So, it has been difficult… And some days you were just like “Now I will throw the computer through the wall”, roughly, but you accepted those days as well.” (I7)

One teacher also talked about teaching from home, even though he was sick or when he was caring for his sick children, which he never did prior to the pandemic.

Conducting remote teaching

The teachers described that the second lockdown did not require such a big adjustment since they already knew how to handle it and how to prepare and implement their teaching and training. On the one hand, it can be interpreted as meaning they learned a lot from the first lockdown, which increased their sense of manageability (Antonovsky, 1979). This was also expressed by the teachers in that there was a sense of security in knowing that it was possible to conduct teaching and training remotely. The teachers mentioned the importance of being prepared for the possibility of having to conduct remote teaching and training, which includes tasks, assignments, exercises, and a set-up for training that can be implemented remotely (i.e. TPK; see Mishra & Koehler, 2006). They also mentioned that schools should have emergency plans or action plans for remote teaching that entail how remote teaching can be implemented (e.g. suggestions on approaches, lesson plans, and examples of assignments) and rules of conduct (for teachers and students). For example, there are rules that the students are expected to follow, such as that the camera should be turned on and the students should be visible and seated (e.g. not lying in bed) during remote teaching. According to the teachers, such emergency and action plans should also include strategies for ensuring TK and TPK (see Mishra & Koehler, 2006) amongst the staff (e.g. education and in-service training in digital tools and learning platforms).

However, some of the teachers expressed that the second lockdown was more difficult to handle, and one of the teachers mentioned that he was considering quitting his job. Thus, on the other hand, it is possible that meaningfulness (Antonovsky, 1996) decreased for some of the teachers during the second lockdown. It is also possible that teachers who initially had a high SOC were better prepared for dealing with changes in their everyday practice and its challenges compared to teachers with a low SOC. Moreover, during the second lockdown, there was also a period of hybrid teaching where the teachers were expected to teach both online and on-site, which led to an increased workload and stress, as illustrated by one of the teachers:

“It was a higher workload when it was a bit unclear how it should be, this hybrid thing, and I think that was crap. I think it was better when it was only remote than when it was a little bit like this and a little bit like that. And if someone felt like they were sick, they should stay at home and then you would still let them participate remotely even though you had class as usual. It was the hardest part; I mean either you have remote teaching, or you don’t. This in-between thing (hybrid teaching) was the toughest. You had to have two different plans, one for those in class and one for those at home.” (I12)

Thus, it can be interpreted as hybrid teaching, with both online and on-site teaching contributing to a lower sense of manageability (Antonovsky, 1979), as they had to prepare for both remote and on-site teaching, which also appears to have had a negative impact on their well-being. The teachers explained that they spent a lot more time on planning and preparation when conducting remote teaching and training. Partly, it was about adjusting the teaching and training to remote and having a plan a and b since they never knew how or if the restrictions would change. Similar experiences were described by Swedish PE teachers in the study by Kamoga and Varea (2022). The planning also included scheduling to adhere to the current restrictions, as demonstrated by one of the teachers:

“It must be this scheduling that I used to do once a month, and now I do it once a day. To constantly ensure that everything is in line (with the restrictions), in the gym, and in the locker rooms. It was pretty much every day, to ensure that people don’t pass each other… and keep all the groups apart.” (I13)

The teachers also described a clear shift in their teaching and training in that they focused a lot more on conveying theoretical knowledge than prior to the pandemic. The teachers stated that they went from being out in the field together with their students to creating sport-specific theory tasks instead, as exemplified by one of the teachers in handball:

“Yes, but it became more theoretical during this period. We weren’t on the floor (in the gymnasium) doing exercises and giving direct feedback. And then, how can we teach handball anyway? And then we looked at the world’s top players (and analyzed their games).” (I4)

The teachers also mentioned that it became time-consuming to give feedback on an increased number of student assignments, which were usually done during class but now had to be done after online class. In relation to this, the teachers also revealed they learned the importance of understanding theoretical knowledge (e.g. in physiology and anatomy) and that they developed theoretical tasks that were useful even after the restrictions were lifted. Consequently, it is possible to argue that their sense of comprehensibility increased (Antonovsky, 1996). Another obvious shift was that the focus changed from sport-specific training (e.g. handball, ice hockey) to physical training (i.e. strength and cardio training), as illustrated by one of the teachers:

“We reoriented the entire education towards more physical training, with build-up training and more technical training… We’re not physical trainers, but we put 80 percent of our focus on physical training”. (I13)

The teachers stated that they themselves learned a lot about the importance of strength training and injury prevention training during this period. Further, the teachers described how they developed skills and tools for conducting teaching and physical training remotely. Consequently, it is possible to argue that the teachers’ TK and TPK (see Mishra & Koehler, 2006) developed over time, which also increased their manageability (Antonovsky, 1996), as their remote teaching knowledge and skills improved. Nevertheless, the teachers also said that it was quite boring to implement remote teaching and training and that they spent a lot of time in front of their computers, which led to fatigue and headaches. Moreover, it was also challenging with assessment and grading during remote teaching, as shown by one of the teachers:

“I guess that’s been the tough part, it’s that you had to sit in front of the computer instead of meeting your students. Because it’s… this gut feeling that you talk about in sports anyway, when it comes to grades and assessment, it’s impossible during remote teaching. You don’t get to see… the reactions; you don’t get to see the intensity that you need to see and the commitment that you need to see.” (I7)

Consequently, some teachers mentioned that they postponed grading until the restrictions were lifted and they could go back to ordinary teaching. Similar issues with grading, in relation to swimming, were identified by Swedish PE teachers (Kamoga & Varea, 2022). Additionally, the teachers stated the importance of daring to develop the teaching and training, not to do as you have always done, even if it is not a pandemic, and to stop and think about how the teaching and training can be developed for the better. They also highlighted the need to put the student in the centre, let them be involved in the planning and execution of learning and training, and have a dialogue with the students and try to find individual solutions in relation to schoolwork, training, and their health and well-being.

The importance of social meetings and support

The teachers described that their social contacts decreased during the pandemic, both in relation to work and private life. As one of the teachers put it:

“You lived in a bubble a little bit; you didn’t hang out with people that much, you didn’t meet that many people.” (I12)

They said that they missed the physical encounter with the students as well as spontaneous meetings with colleagues in the corridors, as exemplified by another teacher:

“No, but I’m passionate about my job; I love the role I have. I eh. not being able to come to work and bicker with the students about a game that was on last night… You talk to the youths; I really enjoy that, getting down on their level. I really missed that a lot because it’s not the same on the computer screen”. (I1)

The reduced social contacts with students and colleagues during remote teaching and having to work in front of the computer instead can be interpreted as the teachers experiencing a lack of meaningfulness (Antonovsky, 1996). The teachers mentioned feelings of frustration and a depressed mood due to social isolation, which is in line with previous research that has shown that symptoms of depression, anxiety, and distress increased during the COVID-19 pandemic (Wu et al., 2021). In a similar vein, Xiong et al. (2020) showed that loneliness was associated with poorer mental health, while social support was a protective factor against symptoms of mental disorders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Further, previous systematic reviews have shown that social support is positively associated with well-being and mental health (Harandi et al., 2017) and that social support is associated with protection from depression (Gariépy et al., 2016). Some of the teachers stated, however, that they managed to avoid social isolation by coaching youths in sports clubs after school hours during the pandemic, which served as their salvation. This was illustrated by one of the teachers as follows:

“During sports, you get to meet people. I’m a coach for my son’s team, and I got to meet people there because training was allowed for children up to a certain age. And we talked about that; we coaches, it was probably our social rescue. You actually got to meet people in some way; no parents were allowed there, but as coaches, we were allowed to. So… that was probably my energy boost because you got to be out on the field.” (I2)

The teachers also mentioned that they could still live a social life during the pandemic thanks to their families. Thus, coaching in youth sports clubs after school hours and having a family to socialise with can be assumed to have contributed to their meaningfulness (Antonovsky, 1979) and well-being. The teachers also revealed that it was difficult to find their way back into social life after the restrictions had been lifted. Overall, the teachers stated that they were satisfied with the support they got from their employer as well as colleagues, and they used existing contacts to brainstorm ideas regarding teaching and training, as shown by one of the teachers in golf:

“Yes, but you have been able to discuss a lot with other coaches, who also have a lot of contacts in their networks… So you have contacted more people than you usually do to get their points of view… So yeah, then you have received good support or new ideas if you have been stuck. Yes, but discussed with other golf upper secondary schools sometime where you know the coaches, “Yes, but how, how are you doing that now? We do this and you do that; how can we learn from each other?” So this network of contacts you have… turned out to be more important than ever”. (I8)

Talking to colleagues and exchanging experiences can be assumed to have contributed to an increased sense of manageability (Antonovsky, 1996) for the teachers. Likewise, the importance of communicating with colleagues and exchanging ideas was also highlighted by Folkman et al. (2023). Nevertheless, the teachers in this study expressed a desire for debriefing after difficult conversations with their students. The teachers also said meetings generally became more efficient when they were done digitally. A key lesson mentioned by teachers was the importance of creating an open-minded atmosphere between colleagues and within the sports club, where it is okay to express that something “sucks” or is very difficult. Another central lesson stated by the teachers was the realisation of how important it is to socialise with other people and to try to maintain personal encounters. Lastly, teachers said that another pivotal lesson was to collaborate with others (e.g. colleagues, other teachers, and sport clubs) to exchange ideas on how they have dealt with and designed their teaching and training during current restrictions.

Dealing with changing restrictions and the disease

The teachers described uncertainty in relation to constantly changing restrictions, which made it difficult for them to plan and execute their teaching and training. This uncertainty regarding the restrictions leads to increased stress, frustration, anxiety, and poorer sleep, according to some of the teachers. Similar experiences have also been highlighted by Swedish student athletes at CSOHS (Hertting et al., 2023; Johnson et al., 2022) and teachers in England (Kim & Asbury, 2020). The teachers explained that they put a lot of effort into adapting their daily operations to adhere to the current restrictions, and it was tiresome for them with late notices of change from the weekly press conferences held by the Public Health Agency of Sweden, as illustrated by one of the teachers:

“There was a lot of uncertainty, and there were a lot of late decisions. And then you got that message that Friday, “Yes, okay.” Then it was just a matter of sitting down and getting your act together and making a plan for the upcoming week, trying to make it as good as possible for the students. Then you started to work based on those prerequisites. Then, next Thursday, “Yes, then we will close even further.” And so on.” (I10)

By having to deal with constantly changing restrictions and late notices of change, it becomes clear that the teachers experienced a lack of comprehensibility (Antonovsky, 1979), since the conditions were constantly changing, which clearly also had a negative impact on their well-being. The teachers also mentioned that there were times when they were allowed to practice sport with their students during school hours but not in the afternoons in the sport clubs, and times when they were not allowed to practice sport with their students during school hours but instead only during the afternoons in the sport clubs due to changing restrictions, as exemplified by one of the teachers:

“Erm… yes, but sometimes, it was difficult to sort of explain. Yes, but like this with clarity: what rules apply? And in Sweden, we always do everything just about right all the time. My students could be very frustrated: “Why can’t we practice handball (in school) when we can do it in the evenings?”” (I9)

Through the stories of the teachers, it also became apparent that restrictions have been interpreted differently within and between schools as well as in sports. For example, a teacher in badminton at one of the schools explained that they could train, more or less, as usual since they turned to a badminton hall that was privately owned. A teacher of handball from the same school explained that they were not allowed to train indoors since they used a gymnasium owned by the municipality. By having to deal with changing restrictions, the teachers declared that they developed the ability to be more flexible, to make quick decisions, to find solutions, and to “think outside the box” more, as demonstrated by one of the teachers in badminton:

“Yes, but also be more flexible, there are solutions for a lot. But it’s also the thing that you shouldn’t get stuck on, not create problems; it’s possible to solve most things… Ehh… Yes, we’ve been more flexible with how we’re setting up the training sessions. We haven’t followed the same plan the whole time, but we can change it a bit. Since they have done more strength training, you notice that you can’t train as hard on the court either, so you tried to find a balance there.” (I6)

In a similar vein, the importance of being flexible was also highlighted by Folkman et al. (2023) in their study of Norwegian teachers. Nevertheless, the teachers in this study gave several examples of support that they felt was lacking for them to carry out their daily practices efficiently. More specifically, they expressed a desire for clearer communication, clearer interpretations of the restrictions, and better foresight from the schools, sports clubs, and municipality. Additionally, the teachers stated a few key lessons learned from having to deal with the changing restrictions, such as the importance of being flexible, finding creative solutions, thinking outside the box, and planning for different possible scenarios.

The teachers mentioned that they became more careful with hygiene and that they took precautions in cases of common colds, as exemplified by one of the teachers in table tennis:

“No, but it’s more, above all, that we have been more careful with everything. So partly with hygiene… and partly with if you feel something like a cold, because you can take that with you even now actually. And you shouldn’t really train if you have a cold [laughing], as you may have done before, it’s not good for the body.” (I5)

In line with this, Xiong et al. (2020) showed that the adoption of proactive measures to reduce the risk of infection, such as frequent hand washing, mask wear, and reduced social interaction, was associated with a decrease in psychological distress during the pandemic in the general population. Lastly, some of the teachers mentioned that they experienced a fear of being infected by COVID-19 during the pandemic. Alike, in the study by Kamoga and Varea (2022), Swedish PE teachers reported precautions in their teaching (e.g. reduced physical contact) due to fear of contradicting and spreading the virus.

Conclusion

It has become clear that the COVID-19 pandemic and the invoked transition to remote teaching significantly impacted the teachers’ everyday practice and well-being at three Swedish CSOHS. Through the teachers’ stories, it becomes apparent that their SOC fluctuated over time. This is illustrated below through changes in their manageability, comprehensibility, and meaningfulness. The transition to remote teaching was initially overwhelming, causing increased workload and stress, reduced manageability, and consequently a decrease in the teachers’ well-being (see also Folkman et al., 2023 and Kamoga & Varea, 2022). However, some teachers found that their workload decreased due to the elimination of certain tasks. Teachers’ common challenges were blurred boundaries between work and leisure time and decreased physical activity. In relation to this, a key lesson learned by the teachers was the importance of creating and maintaining routines for themselves (e.g. food, sleep, physical activity) to sustain work-life balance (cf. Panchal et al., 2021). The second lockdown and the following hybrid teaching posed additional difficulties, although some teachers adapted better as they learned a lot from the first lockdown, which increased their manageability. By dealing with constantly changing restrictions and late notices of change in their everyday practice, it becomes evident that the teachers experienced a lack of comprehensibility, which also had a negative impact on their well-being. They emphasised the importance of planning, ensuring TK and TPK amongst the teachers to be prepared for possible transitions to remote teaching, student involvement, and putting the student athletes at the centre of attention during remote teaching. Social isolation and reduced social interactions were felt strongly, contributing to decreased meaningfulness, but support from employers and colleagues provided some relief. The significance of maintaining social connections (cf. Panchal et al., 2021) and exchanging ideas on how to conduct remote teaching and collaborating with others emerged as essential lessons, which contributed to their meaningfulness and manageability. As the teachers’ experiences differed, on the one hand, it is possible that those teachers who had a higher SOC from the beginning coped with the challenges during the pandemic better and had a sense of well-being despite the pandemic. On the other hand, it is plausible that those teachers who had a lower SOC from the outset of the pandemic experienced more difficulties coping with the pandemic, became more stressed, and experienced a lower degree of well-being (cf. Eriksson & Lindström, 2006, 2007). Our findings highlight the need for preparedness, flexibility, finding creative solutions, and support in navigating the changes brought about by the COVID-19 pandemic (see also Folkman et al., 2023). By understanding the multifaceted impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and by utilising the teachers’ lessons learned, policymakers, educational institutions, and support networks can better equip teachers at CSUSS to navigate future challenges, such as new pandemics, and strengthen their SOC.

Acknowledgements

The authors are grateful for the teachers who participated in this study.

Disclosure statement

The authors report there are no competing interests to declare.

Additional information

Funding

This work was supported by The Swedish Research Council for Sport Science and The School of Health and Welfare, Halmstad University.

Notes

1 Note that SOC was not employed as a theoretical lens from the outset of this study but adopted later in the analysis process (see Data analysis).

Appendix 1

Interview guide

• Can you tell me a little bit about yourself? For how long have you worked as a teacher? In what sport do you teach? What is your educational background?

• How do you perceive that you have been affected by the pandemic?

• How have your work duties been affected by the pandemic?

• How do you feel that your own development has been affected by the pandemic?

• How do you feel that your own health and well-being have been affected by the pandemic?

• What support do you feel was lacking to deal with the challenges brought about by the pandemic?

• What are your key lessons learned from the pandemic?

• What lessons do you think your upper secondary school should take advantage of given what you and your colleagues have learned from the pandemic?

• Imagine that there will be another pandemic in a few years. What tips and advice would you give to other teachers?