“WE FACE OBSTACLES WITH IKHLAS”: REFLECTION ON PSYCHOLOGICAL FLEXIBILITY OF ELEMENTARY SCHOOL TEACHERS IN RURAL TEGAL, CENTRAL JAVA, DURING COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

This study examines the psychological flexibility of elementary school’s teachers in rural settings who obliged to still carried out teaching activities during Covid-19 pandemics. The changing teaching methods, along with other daily life changes, are common to be studied in urban setting. But, the vulnerable group of teachers in rural community setting is under researched. The school in this rural setting also achieved good mark academically, even though it was hampered by the pandemic. This study employed qualitative methods with a phenomenological approach, as the most relevant design for studying a life experience. Participants were four elementary school’s teachers in rural Tegal regency, Central Java. Data was gathered through an in-depth interview, and analyzed using the tradition of content analysis. Triangulation was conducted by interviewing significant others of each participant, to maintain the credibility of the data. The results of this study showed that all the subjects, reflecting that when facing obstacles during a pandemic, they were able to bring up a set of skills that a person uses when faced with challenging thoughts, feelings, emotions, and/or experiences. Themes emerged included struggle to adapt, such as “Create New Innovations to Address Solutions," “An Attitude of Willingness to Learn to Face Challenges," “Functioning Effectively Despite Obstacles," “The Attitude of Continuing to Live Despite Obstacles”; struggle to accept, such as “Responding to Situations with a Positive Outlook”, “Gaining Wisdom," and finding meaning of events such as “Desire to Become a Better Version of Oneself.”. Meanwhile, factors that influenced psychological flexibility were teaching commitment, motivation, creativity, and social support. Overall, the study contributes to the comprehension of human virtue in a rural community setting during the hardest time of the pandemic.