Teaching is a demanding profession, with teachers facing numerous challenges including long hours, inadequate compensation, and societal pressures. Teacher resilience, the ability to bounce back from adversity, is crucial for well-being and professional success. While research exists on teacher resilience in general education, the resilience of language teacher-researchers remains underexplored. This study uses a qualitative approach to investigate the resilience development of two Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers and identify contributing factors. The research questions are: 1) How do secondary school English teacher-researchers develop resilience over time? and 2) What factors contribute to the development of resilience among secondary school English teacher-researchers?

The literature review defines teacher resilience as the capacity to recover quickly from adversity and maintain commitment. Existing studies highlight the importance of resilience for teaching effectiveness and career persistence. Research on the development of teacher resilience has identified various patterns, including low-to-high and U-shaped trends. However, research on the resilience of English teacher-researchers and the contributing factors is limited. The review categorizes contributing factors as individual (personal attributes, self-efficacy, coping skills, etc.) and environmental (school support, peer support, etc.) protective factors.

This qualitative case study employed semi-structured interviews and case documents (timeline graphs, published papers, WeChat moments) to collect data from two Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers (Ming and Wan). The interviews, lasting approximately 90 minutes each, explored longitudinal changes in resilience using a timeline graph prompting participants to mark significant events. A follow-up stimulated recall interview was conducted to clarify events and factors influencing resilience. Data analysis involved narrative analysis and analysis of narratives, using NVivo 12 for coding and thematic analysis. Individual and environmental protective factors were identified and categorized.

The study identified two patterns of resilience development: **Low-to-high:** Ming's resilience was initially low due to test-oriented evaluation pressures. However, it steadily increased after 2017, fueled by successful article publications and support from her school principal, mentor, and family. Academic training and overcoming challenges enhanced her self-efficacy and resilience. **W-shaped recovery:** Wan's resilience fluctuated between medium and high levels. Initial high resilience was followed by periods of decreased resilience due to a heavy workload at a disadvantaged school and a lack of student rapport. However, his resilience rebounded through continued efforts, support from colleagues, and a renewed sense of purpose in mentoring younger teachers. His resilience was also boosted by the successful publications of his research articles. Contributing factors included: **Individual Protective Factors:** Tenacity, emotional intelligence, altruism, professional reflection and growth (learning, reflection, proactivity), self-efficacy, coping skills (time management, help-seeking, interpersonal skills), and teaching skills. **Environmental Protective Factors:** Support from mentors, colleagues, school leaders, students, family, and friends, as well as beneficial pre-service academic training.

The findings highlight the dynamic and context-specific nature of teacher resilience, supporting existing research. The low-to-high pattern aligns with previous studies, but with nuanced differences in initial low resilience reasons and the factors contributing to increased resilience. The W-shaped recovery pattern differs from previously identified patterns, emphasizing the impact of specific challenges and the role of resilience recovery. The study underscores the interactive relationship between individual and environmental protective factors in shaping resilience. The benefits of teacher-researcher participation in classroom research were also emphasized.

This study contributes to the understanding of teacher resilience by revealing dynamic development patterns and contributing factors among Chinese secondary school English teacher-researchers. Implications for teacher development include providing resilience training, fostering teacher-researcher roles, and enhancing pre-service academic writing training. Future research should focus on larger, more diverse samples and incorporate observational data for a more comprehensive understanding.

The small sample size and retrospective nature of the data limit the generalizability of the findings. The absence of observational data restricts the exploration of resilience in real-life contexts. Future studies should address these limitations by employing larger and more diverse samples and incorporating observational methods.