The role of resilience in sustaining teachers through educational change

Studies on teacher resilience are limited in the Irish context. Pursuing this mixed-methods research enabled the researcher to elicit the views of 137 primary school teachers and principals in terms of what sustains or hinders their resilience. Six participating schools in the Leinster region undertook to be involved in this case study research. A follow up national questionnaire ensured that a broader representation was included. Participants’ lived experience in relation to the educational changes which took place between 2016-2021 were examined and considered. Emerging findings determined teacher resilience was impacted by systemic changes, however, not all changes impacted equally on participants. This paper offers insights on several key findings from this doctoral study, concentrating on career wide resiliency and offering solutions to challenges identified as impacting on teacher resilience