Teachers’ Resilience in Poland – the Role of Sociodemographic and Professional Factors

Introduction Teacher resilience is the dynamic interaction between personal, social and physical resources to counteract risk factors arising in the school context by maximising protective resources. Research Aim The aim of the present study is to verify whether sociodemographic and professional variables significantly differentiate teachers' levels of resilience. Method The study included 752 teachers of different stages of education. To measure resilience, the Teachers' Resilience Scale by M. Platsidou and A. Danilidou in the Polish adaptation by M. Boczkowska was used. Results The teachers studied recorded the highest mean scores on the Family cohesion factor, while the lowest on the Social competence and peer support factor. The analyses showed that sociodemographic variables (gender, age, place of residence and marital status) significantly differentiate the participants' level of resilience (total score and/or scores on individual subscales). Also, professional variables (place of work, length of service, level of professional promotion) are factors that significantly differentiate the resilience of the teachers studied. Conclusion The results add to the knowledge of the concept of resilience in a group of teachers and can be considered in the design of activities aimed at enhancing their ability to adapt positively in the face of experiencing difficult, stressful or traumatic events.