Exploring the resilience development of secondary school English teacher-researchers: a Chinese case study

The study situates teaching as a demanding, emotionally taxing profession, especially amidst ongoing reforms and socio-political changes that heighten workloads, managerial pressures, performance-based evaluations, and limited training. Resilience—defined as the capacity to bounce back and maintain commitment and agency—supports teachers’ well-being, engagement, and positive influence on students, and can help sustain research engagement. While predictors and outcomes of teacher resilience have been widely examined in general education, little empirical work addresses the resilience of language teacher-researchers. This study addresses that gap by asking: (1) How do secondary school English teacher-researchers develop resilience over time? (2) What factors contribute to their resilience development?

Conceptualizations of teacher resilience emphasize dynamic adaptation through interactions between personal and contextual factors. Teacher resilience relates to teaching effectiveness, job satisfaction, well-being, and continued professional commitment. Prior work has identified multiple development patterns (e.g., low-to-high, U-trend, occasional waves, stable, high energy; V-shaped in early career), but the resilience of English teacher-researchers and its contributing factors remain underexplored. Reviews classify contributing factors into individual (personal attributes, self-efficacy, coping, teaching skills, reflection, growth) and environmental (support from leaders, mentors, colleagues, students, family/friends; pre-service preparation). Socio-ecological perspectives highlight the interplay of multilevel contexts. In the Chinese K–12 context, teachers increasingly adopt dual practitioner–researcher roles, publishing practice-oriented teaching cases and lesson studies. Classroom research benefits include enhanced reflection, identification of developmental challenges, and stronger engagement with reform; yet psychological dimensions such as resilience in teacher-researchers are scarcely examined.

A qualitative case study design was used, suitable for the context- and role-specific nature of teacher resilience. Setting: In China’s reform context, secondary teachers often hold dual teaching and research requirements; Jiangsu Province provides strong support and a research-rich environment. Participants: From six initially interviewed teacher-researchers (≥3 publications), two were purposively selected for salient resilience and accessibility: Ming (female, MA, junior high, 8 years teaching, 15 publications) and Wan (male, BA, senior high, 14 years, 31 publications). Data collection: (1) Semi-structured, face-to-face interviews (~90 min each; in Chinese) focused on resilience changes over time; (2) participant-drawn resilience timelines (years vs. level from low to high) marking key events; (3) stimulated recall interviews using the timelines; (4) case documents: timelines, published papers, and WeChat posts. Data analysis: Conducted iteratively in two phases per Polkinghorne (1995): narrative analysis (constructing participant resilience stories) and analysis of narratives (identifying themes/patterns). Stories were ordered chronologically, segmented, and coded inductively in NVivo 12 into individual and environmental protective factors; subcategories were derived via constant comparison. Translation discrepancies were resolved through discussion to enhance rigor.

Resilience development patterns: (1) Low-to-high (Ming): Early career (2014–2016) low resilience due to test-oriented pressure, time-management and work–life balance challenges, and peer pressure; gradual growth after 2017 with improved classroom management, family and principal support, and engagement in reading and academic writing; resilience peaked in 2020 following successful revision and acceptance of a core-journal article and remained high thereafter. (2) W-shaped recovery (Wan): Medium baseline in 2008 with gains linked to students’ improved exam results and early publications; dips associated with transfer to a disadvantaged school (student disengagement, heavy workload) and later workload pressures; recoveries tied to reframing expectations, supportive student relationships (e.g., Grade 7 cohort), research engagement, professional recognition (provincial award in 2015, leadership/promotion), and mentoring others; overall fluctuation between medium and high with upward trend and stabilization by 2022. Contributing factors: Individual protective factors—personal traits (tenacity, emotional intelligence, altruism), professional reflection and growth (extensive reading, note-taking, reflection on rejections, proactivity in mentoring), self-efficacy (reinforced by teaching and publishing successes), coping skills (time management, help-seeking from mentors/peers/editors, interpersonal skills), teaching skills (tailored instruction, test-taking strategy coaching, innovative practices like student-designed reading tasks). Environmental protective factors—support from mentors and colleagues (e.g., guidance, encouragement), school leadership (intellectual/emotional support, research culture), students (recognition, rapport), family and friends (practical/emotional support enabling work focus), and pre-service academic training (reading/writing and research collaboration experiences). Interactional dynamics: Individual and contextual factors jointly and reciprocally shaped resilience; participation in classroom research provided ongoing affordances for resilience maintenance and growth.

Findings underscore the dynamic, role- and context-specific nature of resilience among teacher-researchers. The low-to-high pattern (Ming) aligns with prior work but differs in initial causes (teaching pressure vs. passive career choice) and highlights moral purpose and research engagement. The W-shaped recovery (Wan) differs from previously noted occasional waves by linking fluctuations to identifiable events (disadvantaged school placement, workload). Results support the view that resilience ebbs and flows via interactions between individuals and their environments. Engagement in classroom research expands opportunities for resilience enactment through reflective practice, recognition, and community contributions, aligning with literature on research benefits. Coping skills not only buffer stress but help shape more supportive environments (e.g., improved student rapport). A socio-ecological lens clarifies how multi-level supports (family, school, broader policy environment) and teacher agency co-construct contexts that sustain resilience.

This study contributes evidence that secondary school English teacher-researchers’ resilience is dynamic, following low-to-high or W-shaped recovery trajectories shaped by interacting individual and environmental factors. Participation in classroom research offers multiple pathways to enact and sustain resilience. Implications: (1) Provide resilience-focused supports early in careers to mitigate pressures from performative cultures; (2) cultivate teacher-researchers by promoting extensive reading, academic writing training, research projects, expert lectures, and mentoring structures; (3) balance practice- and research-oriented components in pre-service programs and include academic writing development; (4) create school cultures and administrative policies that recognize and resource teacher research engagement for sustainable professional growth. Future research should adopt longitudinal, larger, and more diverse samples (e.g., pre-service, novice, rural teachers) and incorporate observational data to capture resilience processes in situ.

The study is limited by a small sample (two teacher-researchers) and reliance on retrospective self-reports, which constrains generalizability and temporal tracking of resilience development. Absence of observational data limits insight into in-situ enactments of resilience. Future work should involve larger, more diverse cohorts, longitudinal designs, and multiple data sources, including observations, to delineate patterns across teacher populations.