Building Teacher Resilience in Singapore

• In Event: Teacher Attrition, Burnout, and Resilience

Abstract

Teacher resilience research has gained prominence in an increasingly uncertain world characterised by teacher stress, attrition, and burnout that the pandemic has only intensified. In Singapore and elsewhere, it is crucial that we develop resilient teachers who can not only cope with but thrive under the daily pressures of the profession. In this mixed-method study, close to 200 participants were surveyed, 50 written narratives analyzed, and 38 interviews conducted to identify the common stressors that Singapore teachers face and the coping strategies that they utilise. Our findings showed the prevalence of task-based stressors and three categories of coping. It demonstrated the effectiveness of examining resilience through a conceptual framework informed by activity theory, trauma psychology, positive psychology, and narrative inquiry.

Authors

• Yanping Fang, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University
  Presenting Author

• Ken Mizusawa, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chee Shyan Ng, National Institute of Education - Nanyang Technological University
  Non-Presenting Author

• Chen Chen, Teachers College, Columbia University
  Non-Presenting Author