The Resilience of Four Secondary School Teachers: A Narrative Inquiry

The aim of this study on teacher resilience has been to explore why some secondary school teachers in England choose to remain in teaching when a significant number decide to leave (Burghes et al., 2009). A similar attrition rate for both the USA (Yost, 2006) and other OECD countries has been evidenced (DfE, 2015; OECD, 2005b; 2011; 2016). There is considerable research on why some teachers may leave the teaching profession, but there is much less literature on why other teachers choose to remain, especially from teachers with long service. My research aims to explore, through the personal narratives of four resilient long service teachers why this might be, and it has implications for school leaders, pupil attainment, policy makers, and of course, both pre-service and in-service teachers. The study goes on to critically analyse four themes which overlap with the author’s own experience as a former teacher, as well as with literature. The final chapter makes a number of recommendations which may benefit a range of stakeholders, not the least of which are teachers themselves. Throughout this study the concept of teacher professional identity emerges as a framework which offers considerable promise to those investigating the resilience of teachers, and it is suggested that the manifestation of a professional identity which enables teachers to construct, reconstruct and manage multiple identities over time will be crucial to their ongoing resilience if they are to continue to function effectively in the future.<p></p>