Teacher demoralization: A phenomenological study of triggers, development stages, and reactions

This study developed a descriptive model for teacher demoralization that explains demoralization triggers, its development over time, and the demoralized teachers’ reactions. Ten demoralized teachers from a school district in an Arab country were interviewed, and the data were analyzed using the cluster meaning analysis. It was found that demoralization was triggered by nomothetic and ideographic conditions and developed through different stages, from feelings of dissatisfaction and ending with diminished self-esteem. The demoralized teachers reacted in six main ways from following the rules to leaving the profession. The model could be tested and expanded in different contexts.