Teachers’ Flexibility and Coping Mechanisms among Teachers Impacted by School Closures

Abstract

Background and Aim: School closures are disruptive phenomena that severely affect teachers' well-being and professional stability. There is a predominance of studies that talked about closures due to the pandemic in the Philippines, which ignored the context of structural closures like low enrolment. This research explored the experiences of the five (5) teachers who happened to be affected by the partial, low-enrolment-driven closure of the school in a private school within the province of Zamboanga Sibugay, Philippines. It examined how these affected teachers emotionally respond to the problem, how they adapt strategies, and how these teachers had developed resiliency after experiencing school closure.

Materials and Methods: Using in-depth interview data, qualitative narratives from five teacher-participants were analyzed through thematic analysis within a phenomenological framework. Lived experiences of school closure were thematically coded to identify emotional, challenge, coping, resilience, and support constructs. Analysis followed an iterative process of coding, theme development, and interpretation, anchored in Lazarus and Folkman’s transactional model of stress and coping. The credibility of the method used in the study was ensured through member checking and the reflexivity of the researcher. 

Results: The study revealed that there was a strong thematic pattern that strongly showed emotional, challenge, coping, resilience, and support dimensions. One of the main effects was the extreme emotional distress after closure, which was sadness, fear, and shock. The financial instability and displacement of professionals were the main challenges that teachers had to deal with. The coping strategies were more emotion-oriented, and spiritual surrender and cognitive reframing were major. Resilience was a socially mediated process, which was highly dependent on lateral peer support and internal family support, but institutional support was always reported to be missing or inadequate. 

Conclusion: The study concluded that teachers build resilience not alone, but through the support of colleagues and family, transforming a professional crisis into a chance for personal growth. It was found that the school's formal support was largely absent, leaving teachers to rely on each other and their personal networks to cope with financial instability and the loss of their professional community. Ultimately, the research shows that a teacher's recovery depends on finding new purpose and meaning in their work, even after their original role has been dismantled.