Exploring the Multilayered Nature of Teacher Isolation: An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis

• In Event: AERA Roundtable Session Saturday 11:45 am - Gold 2
  In Roundtable Session: Caring for Teachers: Stress, Isolation, and Collective Well-Being

Abstract

This study explores teachers’ experiences of professional isolation within the Turkish educational context using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Teacher isolation, manifesting across physical, emotional, and institutional dimensions, is described through themes of invisibility, devaluation, and exclusion. This research offers a nuanced analysis of how teachers encounter, interpret, and respond to isolation at the individual level while conceptualizing the phenomenon not merely as an emotional state but as a systemic issue shaped by structural, cultural, and organizational dynamics. The findings provide holistic recommendations for reconfiguring educational policies and transforming school climates to support teacher well-being.

Authors

• Selahattin Turan, Bursa Uludag University

• Firdevs Ozturk, Bursa Uludag University

• Gulsah Yavuz

• Damla Zumbul, Bursa Uludag University