Why They Stay: A Narrative Inquiry of Teachers Who Served the Geographically Isolated and Disadvantaged Areas

Abstract

This study uses a qualitative, narrative research design and the indigenous Filipino methodology of Kwentuhan (storytelling) to investigate why seven veteran teachers remain in their positions as educators in geographically isolated and disadvantaged areas (GIDA) in the Philippines. The research focus has shifted from why teachers leave (teacher attrition) to what sustains them in continuing to teach for extended periods of time. Using two theoretical frameworks, Self-Determination Theory (1985) and Salutogenic Theories (1979), this study explored how these teachers have sustained themselves throughout their careers as they provide alternative learning systems (ALS) and indigenous peoples' education (IPE). A purposeful, criterion-based sampling strategy was used to recruit participants based on at least five years of continued employment in ALS and/or IPE settings. To add to the methodological validity of this study by decreasing researcher bias, member checking was incorporated into all phases of data collection and during the process of transcribing the interviews verbatim. Additionally, because maintaining ethical standards is paramount when conducting qualitative studies, the researcher maintained strict confidentiality and anonymity for all participants. The thematic analysis found that there was a three stage metamorphosis that occurs to sustain persistence among GIDA teachers; the spectrum of arrival (why they became interested in working as a GIDA teacher); the geography of sacrifice (the challenges they encounter while providing services in GIDA settings); and the realization of relational and cognitive anchors (how they have developed relationships and knowledge bases that compensate for the limited resources available in GIDA settings). These results indicate that developing relational sufficiency can help compensate for the material scarcity that exists in GIDA settings. It is recommended that educational administrators begin to use different forms of non-monetary incentives and develop local recruitment efforts instead of solely relying on monetary incentives. It is also suggested that future research be conducted using longitudinal methods so that researchers may examine how teacher resilience develops differently across various geographic regions.

https://doi.org/10.26803/ijlter.25.6.7