“I Teach, Therefore I Am”: The Serial Relationship between Perceived Vulnerability to Disease, Fear of COVID-19, Teacher Identification and Teacher Satisfaction

Abstract

In early 2020, school closures were implemented globally to curb the spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. In South Africa, emergency remote teaching was not sustainable, and conventional teaching resumed in the context of the second and third waves of the pandemic, heightening fear and anxiety about infection among teachers. The pandemic necessitated shifts in the scope of a teacher’s job, potentially impacting their professional identity and job satisfaction. This study investigated the interrelationship between teaching identification, teaching satisfaction, fear of COVID-19 and perceived vulnerability to disease among a sample of South African school teachers (n = 355). A serial mediation analysis supported the hypotheses that teaching identification mediated both the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and teacher satisfaction and the association between perceived vulnerability to disease, fear of COVID-19 and teacher satisfaction. The findings suggest that teacher identification is a potential protective factor, and strengthening professional identification can potentially assist teachers as they negotiate the uncertainty and stress associated with the current pandemic.

The Mediating Role of Teacher Identification in the Relationship Between Psychological Distress and Teacher Satisfaction During COVID-19

“…Teachers with high professional identities tend to appraise their job and the stressors thereof as an opportunity to positively impact the lives of their learners. 5 , 65 Such teachers are more likely than others to adjust their role expectations and adapt to the challenges of the job, particularly within the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. 63 Teachers who have a strong sense of professional identity may perceive remote learning as an opportunity to protect lives by curbing the spread of the virus.…”

“… 1 Simultaneously, teachers were subjected to the same challenges experienced by the general population, including fears of contracting COVID-19, worries about the risk to their loved ones, uncertainty about the course of the pandemic, and managing work and domestic responsibilities (eg, childcare, home schooling, care for elderly loved ones). 5 Emergency remote learning and teaching is resource-intensive and requires the commitment and involvement of students, parents, teachers, and school administrators. Emerging international research findings, for example 6 indicate that virtual instruction may not have been as effective as initially assumed due to a range of factors, including teachers’ and families’ lack of means to access electronic technology and low levels of digital literacy.…”

“…School closures were also based on the assumption of a mortality risk to teachers if conventional teaching were to continue. 5 , 15 By August 2020, classroom-based teaching resumed on a limited basis (ie, groups of learners returned to school on alternative days or weeks). This shift was prompted by inequity in access to information technology and the reliance of many low-income families on school-based feeding programs.…”

“…Conventional face-to-face teaching had resumed, and preliminary reports suggested that teachers were experiencing heightened levels of anxiety and distress. 5 …”

“…Teachers have been called the “forgotten frontline workers” of the pandemic. 5 , 27 Emerging research findings, for example, Fute et al 28 suggest that teachers who highly valued their work and were engaged in their workplace experienced greater levels of job satisfaction and general wellbeing than their peers. These findings suggest that professional identity may be an important protective factor in teachers’ mental health outcomes and work satisfaction.…”