Resilience and Adaptation in the Teaching Profession: The Lived Experiences of Beginning Teachers

Abstract

This study explored the lived experiences, resilience, and adaptation of beginning Filipino teachers during their first years of teaching in the United States. Using a qualitative phenomenological design, nine beginning teachers with two to four years of classroom experience, currently employed in public schools within Johnston County, North Carolina, were purposively selected based on defined inclusion criteria. Data were gathered through validated, semi-structured one-on-one interviews conducted via Zoom, supported by field notes, and transcribed verbatim. The data were analyzed using Braun and Clarke's (2021) six-phase reflexive thematic analysis, and trustworthiness was ensured through member checking, peer debriefing, and researcher reflexivity, in line with Lincoln and Guba's criteria. Anchored in Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory, the study yielded six major domains and twenty-four themes aligned to the research questions. Findings revealed that participants moved from initial professional vulnerability—emotional exhaustion, self-doubt, and impostor syndrome—toward stability and instructional expertise, anchored by a professional identity that was reconstructed rather than surrendered. They faced layered, co-occurring challenges, including recalibrating classroom management for vocal and dynamic learners, crossing language barriers, navigating differentiation and IEP documentation, and bearing heavy workloads compounded by homesickness. Resilience emerged as a collaborative achievement built on a dual-layered support system combining the Bayanihan-grounded Filipino community with formal mentoring, though community engagement was selective rather than uniform. Through reflective practice and accumulated classroom victories, participants built confidence, competence, and professional agency, moving from surviving to thriving. Cultural adaptation strengthened rather than diluted their identity, and participants identified concrete induction, mentoring, and reintegration gaps—including the absence of any DepEd mechanism to share returnees' expertise. The study recommends practical, differentiated onboarding, growth-oriented evaluation, yearlong mentoring, culturally responsive preparation, and a DepEd reintegration pathway.