Professional Crisis or Temporary Burnout? Teacher's Experiences towards the End of the COVID-19 Pandemic

Canadian Center of Science and Education. 1595 Sixteenth Ave Suite 301, Richmond Hill, Ontario, L4B 3N9 Canada. Tel: 416-642-2606 Ext 206; Fax: 416-642-2608; e-mail: [email protected]; Web site: http://www.ccsenet.org/journal/index.php/ies

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13

Teacher Burnout; COVID-19; Pandemics; Distance Education; School Closing; In Person Learning; Blended Learning; Elementary School Teachers; Teacher Attitudes; Self Efficacy; Student Behavior; Teacher Competencies; Foreign Countries; Well Being; Mental Health; Teacher Persistence

1913-9020
1913-9039

Various studies were conducted during the Covid-19 pandemic on teachers' experiences and feelings during the abrupt shift to remote learning; however, the prolonged effects of the pandemic on teachers in Israel have not been examined. The present study was conducted towards the end of the pandemic, during the last (and, so far, final) wave of the Covid-19 pandemic in Israel. This wave was characterized by the resumption of in-person classroom teaching or hybrid teaching and refraining from imposing lockdowns. For this study, interviews were conducted with 58 elementary school teachers. Analysis of the interviews reveals a profound rupture in the teachers' sense of efficacy, stemming from numerous changes, an upsurge in emotional and social problems among children, and teachers' skills being only partially suited to the situation. As stated by the teachers, it seems that role frustration and a rising tendency to leave the education system express the need for long-term change in the teaching profession. An analysis of findings is provided from the perspective of theories of organizational engagement and employee competence. Recommendations are proposed concerning teachers' future professional development processes.

As Provided

2023

EJ1390830