"I like a bit of craic, it makes everything more worthwhile" : an exploration of relational resilience amongst school staff

Abstract

Research suggests that working in schools can be psychologically demanding. Links have been made between the resilience of school staff and positive outcomes for children and young people. Existing literature focuses predominantly on understanding the role of resilience in overcoming stress and burnout among teachers. Chapter 1. This chapter describes a systematic literature review (SLR). This used metaethnography to explore teachers’ lived experiences of resilience. Four main conclusions were drawn from this work. First, teachers perceive resilience to be both a personal outcome and a process of developing resources that enable challenges to be overcome. Second, a sense of purpose, self-efficacy and hope are perceived by teachers to be important resources to develop as part of the resilience process. Third, teachers who consider themselves to be resilient feel that they are aware of the challenges and resources available to them in their work and believe themselves to be agentic in using and further developing resources. Last, resources for resilience are often considered to be developed through relational connection. These conclusions, in particular the perceived importance of relational connection in the resilience process, informed the empirical study. Chapter 2. This chapter provides rationale for methodological and ethical decisions made throughout the research process and relating particularly to the empirical project, as described in Chapter 3. The context for the chosen topic area is discussed, with links to the SLR outlined in Chapter 1. The philosophical underpinning and rationale for the chosen methodology, methods and analysis are discussed. Finally, ethical considerations throughout the research are explored. Chapter 3. This chapter describes an empirical study focused on three research aims that were investigated using a qualitative methodology. The first aim was to gain a richer understanding of lived experiences of resilience amongst all school staff, including teachers and support staff. Second, to gain further understanding of how school staff make connections and support each other to develop resilience and enable them to thrive within their professional roles. Third, to develop insight into the role of the Educational Psychologist in supporting and developing relational resilience amongst school staff. Two themes were developed through an Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of seven, appreciatively framed, semi-structured interviews that offered insights into this staff group’s experiences of the phenomena under investigation. First, participants’ experiences of resilience as a process of moving from surviving to thriving. Second, the perceived importance of the specific setting and professional relationships both within and beyond the school for staff’s experiences of resilience. These specific relationships enabled a sense of belonging, development of shared values, and opportunities to learn and develop among the participants. Themes were discussed through the lens of relational cultural theory, considering Buzzanell’s theory of communicative resilience to better understand how relational connections for resilience are formed. Implications for the role of Educational Psychologists are also discussed. Chapter 4. The final chapter takes the form of a reflective synthesis of professional and academic learning acquired throughout the research process including discussion of implications of the research. Parallels are drawn between academic research and educational psychology practice, focusing specifically on the need for reflexivity in both roles. The importance of relationships in developing reflexive practice is discussed, with examples drawn from both professional and research practice. It is concluded that the skills developed throughout the research process have influenced my insight and practice as an Educational Psychologist.