Greek teachers' resilience levels during the COVID-19 pandemic lockdown and its association with attitudes towards emergency remote teaching and perceived stress.

Abstract

The mandatory closure of schools due to the Covid‐19 pandemic affected the mental health, and, by extension, the personal and professional life of teachers. This study explored their level of resilience during the pandemic and its association with attitudes towards emergency remote teaching and perceived stress. Data were collected through the administration of three self‐report instruments: (a) the “Teachers' Professional Attitudes and Behaviors Scale”, (b) the “Teachers' Resilience Scale”, and (c) the “Perceived Stress Scale”. The sample consisted of 1415 general teachers from central Greece. Teachers were found to possess neutral attitudes towards emergency remote teaching, moderate levels of resilience, and experienced slightly increased levels of stress. The examined constructs were largely influenced by some of the teachers' demographic and professional characteristics. Teachers' perceptions of resilience predicted their attitudes to emergency remote teaching and stress levels during the pandemic. The study has reaffirmed the importance of holding sufficient levels of resilience to cope with adverse circumstances and has offered clear directions about which groups of teachers are in most need for counselling and professional support so that their resilience is strengthened.