The perceived psychological effects of a pandemic on the professional lives of primary educators

Abstract

The aim of this research study is to explore the experiences of primary school teachers during COVID-19 in the Maltese context. The objectives of the present research are to understand what struggles teachers have faced in returning to the classroom during the pandemic, what adjustments had to be made, and how their wellbeing was impacted. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 5 teachers from one church primary school in Malta, with Interpretive Phenomenological Analysis employed to analyse the data. The findings indicate that teachers had to make a significant number of changes in their teaching strategies due to the hurdles which resulted from the pandemic. These professional issues in turn affected teachers’ personal lives and wellbeing, resulting in the need for support and coping strategies. The results were largely consistent with research conducted in other countries, although there was not much research pertaining to the actual changes in teaching strategies upon returning to the classroom during the pandemic; thus giving the present study potential for future research.