Savvas Stafylidis

This study aimed to examine what makes a teacher resilient by investigating the psychological and contextual characteristics that distinguish more resilient educators from their peers. Specifically, it explored the relationships of psychological resilience with emotional intelligence, meaning in life, burnout, and self-efficacy among primary and secondary school teachers. Drawing on data from two independent but methodologically aligned studies (N = 222 and N = 407, respectively), cluster analyses identified two distinct teacher profiles in each study: high-resilience and lower-resilience. Teachers in the high-resilience group consistently reported higher emotional intelligence (in Study 1), greater self-efficacy, and lower levels of burnout (in Study 2). Interestingly, while the presence of meaning in life did not differ significantly between groups, high-resilience teachers were more actively engaged in the search for meaning (in Study 1). Analyses of teachers’ demographics revealed modest associations between resilience and gender or marital status, with women and partnered individuals more frequently represented in the high-resilience profile. No significant differences were observed concerning age, experience, or educational background. These findings support theoretical models that conceptualize resilience as a dynamic, multidimensional construct shaped by emotional, motivational, and social resources rather than fixed demographic traits. Implications for teacher training, institutional policy, and future resilience research are discussed.

Introduction: Educational systems and related evaluation policies tend to change and adapt to the demands of society all over the world. In Greece, the latest education policy includes the update and adaption of the educational curricula and the introduction of evaluation of teachers and adult trainers on vocational education and training (VET). The evaluation of teachers and trainers involved in the Public vocational training Institutes (VTI) and specifically in the Specialties of Sports’ Coach through an effective evaluation process could identify the strengths and weaknesses of the trainers and create professional development opportunities within their knowledge of content, pedagogy, and curriculum. Purpose: The purpose of this study was to investigate the perceptions of Physical Education Teachers who teach as Adult Trainers in public and private VTIs in the specialty of Sports Coach (e.g., Soccer Coach, Basketball Coach, Track and Field Coach, Tennis Coach, Strength and Conditioning Coach, AEROBICS Instructor), regarding their evaluation on VET. Methods: In this study, 102 participants (M = 44.9 ± 11.02 years old), 55 males (53.9%) and 47 females (46.1%) participated. A relevant questionnaire about Teachers’ Evaluation was adapted and used. Non-parametric statistical tests were applied and descriptive statistics were calculated for all variables. Results: The results showed different perceptions among some items of the questionnaire depending on the work institution - public / private VTIs (p ≤ 0.05), educational level (p ≤ 0.05) and teaching experience (p ≤ 0.05). Conclusions: These results underscore the complexity and variability in perceptions of educational evaluation. These findings suggest the importance of considering various factors, such as institutional type, teaching experience, and educational level, in the design and implementation of evaluation systems to ensure they are effective, equitable, and conducive to professional growth.