A social connectedness intervention as pathway to teacher resilience in primary schools in challenged spaces

Evidence from Africa and other challenged contexts is scant in the emerging teacher resilience knowledge base. This study aimed to investigate the utility of a school-level social connectedness intervention as a pathway to promote teacher resilience given structural disparity and chronic and multiple challenges. A concurrent mixed-methods intervention study design was employed to describe teacher resilience and social connectedness of conveniently sampled teachers (n=36) from six purposively selected peri-urban primary schools from lower socio-economic neighbourhoods in the Eastern Cape, South Africa before and after a social connectedness intervention. Following a year-long, Participatory Reflection and Action process, the Isithebe Social Connectedness Intervention was co-constructed with teacher participants, implemented over six months, and quantitative and qualitative teacher resilience and social connectedness data were collected at pre-, process and post-intervention timepoints. Whereas qualitative data (verbatim transcriptions and visual data) were thematically analysed, quantitative data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Irrespective of the social connectedness intervention, teacher resilience and social connectedness were high amongst teachers–despite the challenged context. The intentional gatherings between teachers led to a significant increase in trust. The teachers acted on a heightened awareness of social connectedness by leveraging school and school-community networks to bond across school spaces. The bonding signifies an enabling pathway to respond to needs using social networks and resources to provide and receive social support from peers, learners, parents, and caregivers. Following the social connectedness intervention, evident enablers of quality education included teacher professionalism (opportunities for professional development via social networks, peers and schools) and teaching and learning competencies (creativity, adaptability, compassion). Enablers of occupational well-being included social connection, acknowledgement of occupational inputs, and experiencing occupational purpose. This study contributes evidence of an accessible, school-level intervention that, when implemented with teachers working under extreme challenges and constrained structural support, forges trusting school communities. The socially connected spaces enable teachers to capitalise on bonded networks within and across schools and school communities. Plausibly, teacher well-being and quality education are enabled as teachers provide and receive compassionate implicit social support to acknowledge one another and a shared career purpose. Teachers also use pragmatic explicit social support to share teaching and learning competencies and opportunities for professional development.Thesis (PhD)--University of Pretoria, 2022.NRF UP POSTDOC BURSARYEducational PsychologyPhDUnrestricte

Time to flock : time together strengthens relationships and enhances trust to teach despite challenges

This study applies an Afrocentric theory (Relationship-Resourced Resilience [RRR]) to analyze teacher resilience in a less-researched context in the Global South. The Isithebe-intervention study in South African schools investigated how time together to strengthen relationships promotes teacher resilience despite structural disparities. Teachers were conveniently sampled, and South African schools were purposively sampled using concurrent mixed-methods triangulation. Based on Ubuntu social-connectedness principles, the intervention gave teachers monthly art-based time to communicate and build relationships. Pre- and post-intervention measurements included teacher-reported surveys (ENTREE and REPSSI SC subscales) and participatory reflection and action conversations (verbatim transcriptions and visual data). Inferential statistics were used to analyze quantitative data and showed that time together increases resilience, social connectedness, and trust. Qualitative results show time spent together promoted a sense of belonging, safety, and trust in supporting one another by sharing ideas for informal professional development or caring for children, families, and friends who depend on such help to withstand ongoing challenges. Few teacher resilience studies exist in Global South and South Africa. Structured time to build relationships capitalizes on dominant but marginalized Afrocentric belief systems favoring interdependent, collective resilience values, beliefs, and practices and encourages instructors to teach countering deficit notions of structurally disparate contexts.The Samuel Family Foundation and support from Kim Samuel and Synergos Institute.https://www.tandfonline.com/loi/ctat202024-05-29hj2023Educational PsychologyScience, Mathematics and Technology Educatio