Language Teacher Resilience: Antecedents and Experiences

Abstract

The aim of this study was to re-analyze data derived from the lead author’s recent implementation of the approach, active learning in an English-language course in Japan through the lens of language teacher resilience. To do this, the study drew on the complexity-informed model of teacher resilience proposed by Kostoulas and Lämmerer (2018) and sought to investigate the antecedents to changes in teacher resilience that emerged during the implementation and their impact on the teacher’s resilience system that comprised part of the model. A number of antecedents were found. These were stressors (related to e.g., the context, the implementation of the approach), positive appraisal of events, stressors and then appropriate action in response (e.g., accessing the literature, drawing on an existing skill), having a belief based on prior experience in the context, not being sufficiently informed about learners’ language-learning goals and needs, and moderate interpersonal skills. Overall, the antecedents appear to have contributed to a re-configuring of the teacher’s resilience system further in the direction of adaptive adjustment. Implications are discussed and suggestions for future research are made.