Resilience in preschool and elementary school teachers in the Czech Republic

Abstract

This study explores the resilience of preschool and elementary school teachers (ISCED Level 1) in the Czech Republic. The data were gathered from a sample of 476 preschool teachers and 193 elementary school teachers using The Sense of Coherence Scale, a 29-item measure developed by Antonovsky. This scale consists of three dimensions, specifically comprehensibility, meaningfulness and manageability. The study related resilience with the school level (preschool or elementary school), education completed by teachers, duration of experience and age of teachers. As hypothesised, these teacher demographic variables are associated significantly with teacher resilience. Preschool teachers have significantly lower resilience than teachers from elementary schools. Teachers with higher education levels have higher resilience in the comprehensibility dimension. Finally, teachers with longer practice and with older age have significantly higher resilience than teachers with shorter practice and younger age. The findings are discussed within the Czech Republic educational and practice context.