Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to determine whether it has an effect on teachers’ resilience when they live according to their innate talents and strengths. The result of the Clifton StrengthsFinder® (CSF) assessment was used as the basis for this study. I linked Bandura’s social cognitive theory with the CSF and used it as a conceptual framework for the study. Bandura identified four core features of human agency, namely intentionality, forethought, self-reaction and self-reflection. The 34 talent themes identified by the CSF are divided into four domains, namely executional, thinking, influencing and relational. These four domains of talent themes can be partially linked with Bandura’s four core features of human agency. The domains of talent themes cannot be individually and rigidly linked with each of the features identified by Bandura, but there are clearly discernible points of contact between the talent themes and the core features of human agency. In this qualitative study I conducted conversational interviews with eight participants from a phenomenological perspective. Seven participants were female and one male. Five of the participants are educators at private schools; generally not well-resourced, but with small class groups. The other three participants are employed at former Model C schools with significantly more resources, but also much larger class groups. All the educators who participated in this study indicated that the outcome of the CSF assessment described them accurately. Most of the participants live and work according to their strengths and experience that it plays a significant role in their resilience at work. Participants who indicated that they do not live according to their strengths, or use it to a lesser extent, experience limited or no resilience professionally and personally.
