Resilience among Female School Teachers from Hadith Perspectives: The Nominal Group Technique Approach

Resilience among Female School Teachers from Hadith Perspectives: The Nominal Group Technique Approach

Siti Aidah Tulimin, Roshimah Shamsudin^*

School of Humanities, University Sains Malaysia, Penang, Malaysia

^*Corresponding author

DOI: https://dx.doi.org/10.47772/IJRISS.2025.9020104

Received: 14 January 2025; Accepted: 25 January 2025; Published: 05 March 2025

ABSTRACT

Resilience is an essential trait for female schoolteachers, helping them navigate the complexities of their profession while preserving emotional and psychological well-being. This study examines resilience among female educators through the lens of Hadith by employing the Nominal Group Technique. The results indicated that the experts agree with the proposed idea of resilience based on the hadith perspective. It is highly recommended to do more research on resilience upon others using the hadith perspective help more people to be resilient in their life.

Keywords: resilience, female schoolteachers, hadith perspective, Nominal Group Technique

INTRODUCTION

Education has been among the preferred careers for females for years. Women or females have been predominantly occupying their roles in this field especially in preschool as it seems that it has been gendered to them (Taniavska, 2024). It is similar in secondary institution where female teachers are dominating compared to male teachers (P Etejere, 2023). By being together in society teaching and educating people, female schoolteachers can be considered positive role models specifically for female students by showing them both sides of professional and intellectual domains (Sperling, 2015).

Nevertheless, despite the positive impact of having female teachers, their profession is marked by unique challenges that require emotional strength, adaptability, and perseverance. Female teachers, in particular, often face additional societal expectations to exhibit nurturing qualities, which can lead to emotional exhaustion (Hargreaves, A.1998. Juggling between being the educators and caretakers of the family also lead to burnout and stress life (Granziera, 2019). Being a teacher with these various problems could affecting their lives, their job performances as well as people surrounding them. Resilience is a must for female teacher to cope with their problems and simultaneously maintaining the good quality of their job.

By looking at the arising problem, there is a call for finding solutions to help female teachers to be resilient in their work. Previous studies have proven that the resilience promoted by the hadith of Prophet Muhammad PBUH has been helping many people to maintain and commit to their work. Therefore, this approach to resilience should be seen as another alternative to helping female teachers.

LITERATURE REVIEW

Teaching is a noble job which brings value, knowledge and hope to people’s lives. More than 80% of schoolteachers in Malaysia are female (World Bank Collection, 2024). Just like male schoolteachers, they are contributing to society by educating and nurturing generation after generation. Apart from having a beautiful and passionate life as a teacher, female schoolteachers are met with various trials, challenges and difficulties in life, especially in their profession. Female school teachers were reported to have challenges in terms of gender bias and perception such as skepticism regarding their capabilities as they are perceived as less competent than their male counterparts (Ngakane & Gumbo, 2024). Moreover, juggling between teaching responsibilities with domestic duties sometimes leads them to be stressed and overworked (Febrianto et al., 2022). Hence, without a proper way of handling all of the challenges, it might affect the performance of female schoolteachers.

In addition to that, female teacher also reported to have mental health issues that can be attributed to a combination of work-related stressors, societal expectations and personal factors. These elements create a challenging and tough environment as well as situations for the female teachers which lead to the impacting their mental well-being. The primary factors contributing to high prevalence of mental health issues among female teachers include socio-demographic factors like sex and marital status, along with work-related factors such as job satisfaction, class size, and years of teaching experience. Teachers face increasing demands such as administrative tasks, lesson planning, and adapting to changing curriculums. Studies show that female teachers often carry additional emotional labor due to societal expectations (Bakker & Demerouti, 2017).

Previous research stated that a significant percentage of female teachers report experiencing burnout, with rates ranging from 25.12% to 74% (Agyapong, 2022). Other than that, personal factors including having a pre-existing chronic or psychiatric illness, difficulty in adapting education, dealing with family and work conflict and pandemic such as Covid-19 also contributing to the mental health issues for female teacher. (Iago, 2023). What is concerning is that if this issue persists, it could affect the teachers’ duties and responsibilities. Moreover, it also impacts those around them, including students and colleagues.

The challenges faced by female teachers have significant repercussions, not only for the individuals themselves but also for their students, colleagues, and the broader educational system. In term of professional impact, it decreases the job performance and productivity of the teacher herself. It could lead to the high rates of absenteeism and burnout which eventually bring to the likelihood of leaving the profession (Collie et.al, 2020). As for the student themselves, students of stressed or burned-out teachers often report lower academic achievement and decreased emotional well-being (McLean et al., 2022).

For the challenging pertaining workload, job satisfaction and administration burden, the solution needed are coming from the outside part. For instance, in order to control and managing the over workload facing by female teacher, the schools can provide professional development programs focusing on time management and workload prioritization. This will enable teachers to handle their tasks more effectively ((Klasses, 2010). Other than recognition and reward program (Dinham, 2000), providing access to continuous professional development, training and leadership could enhance the teacher’s career achievement (Day, 2013). This effort is essential for job satisfaction among the teachers. Meanwhile, regarding the administration burden, Allocate dedicated staff to handle non-instructional tasks, allowing teachers to concentrate on their primary role and can facilitate them to be focused in their work. (Ingersoll, 2001).

Although being a teacher requires a person to be patient, and have good communication skills, empathy and creativity (Rogers, C.(1969), Cooper, B.(2004), Hargie, O., & Dickson, D.(2004), Beghetto, R. A., & Kaufman, J. C. (2010),  a teacher also need to have resilience for them to maintain the well-being and job satisfaction (Tait, M. (2008). Through resilience, female teacher able to navigate with the challenges in life without becoming overwhelming (Gu, Q., & Day, C.2007). In fact, resilience is essential to prevent burnout and ensure long-term effectiveness (Maslach, 1997). Moreover, a teacher that apply resilience in their life drawn a good example to their students in term of fostering a positive learning environment and profound influence on shaping students’ attitudes toward challenges. (Jennings, 2009).

Resilience is defined as the ability to be happy and successful again after something bad or difficult has happened (Cambridge, 2024). It is also known as the capability of a person to recover from or adjust easily to misfortune or change (Merriam-Webster, 2024), as well as unpleasant events such as shocks or injuries (Oxford, 2024). In addition to that, resilience can also be considered as optimism, bettering oneself through challenges as well as bouncing back from adversity (Carol, Lee, Christopher, 2021). Meanwhile, according to Luthar et al, resilience refers to a class of phenomena characterized by good outcomes despite serious threats to adaptation or development.

Previous research shows that resilience is a must for a teacher to survive, maintain well-being and excel in playing their role. Through resilience, burnout can be prevented and stress can be managed well by the teacher since their roles require them to perform excellently in their field (Karakasidou, 2024). In fact, resilience is among the concrete reasons for a teacher to stay emotionally stable, cope with job challenges and remain in the teaching profession regardless of any difficulties and uncomfortable situations (Indra Ordina, 2022). On top of that, by holding to resilience in life, good relationships with students can be developed, promoting social justice and maintaining balance in the classroom (Sarah L. Schlessinger, 2024). Resilience seems to be crucial and vital in the life of a teacher and it has positive impacts on their life as well.

Four factors lead to the resilience of a teacher which are the professional factor, social factor, motivational factor and emotional factor (Mansfield et al. 2012).  These factors can be read as follows:

Table 1 Factors in resilience

Based on the table shown, one factor of resilience is from a religious perspective which lies under the emotional part. This brings to the idea of implementation and practising resilience from religions’ perspectives, especially based on insight from hadith. Throughout the previous studies, there are several factors of resilience promoted by the hadith that effectively impact people’s lives such as practising patience (Khalid, 2020; Eka, 2024). Other than being patient, trusting Allah SWT (tawakkal) and seeking solutions for the problem that arises are also parts of resilience from the hadith perspective. (Ali, 2018). Furthermore, being optimistic towards Allah’s plan and believing that ease comes after hardship in life are also the factors of resilience as shown depicted through hadith (Nani Nuranisah Djamal, 2022). Henceforth, due to these reasons, an alternative towards resilience among female schoolteachers from hadith’s sight should be drawn to help them attain a better life.

RESEARCH AIMS

This research aims to design a strategy for resilience among female schoolteachers. Particularly, there are two main objectives in this study:

• To investigate the opinion of female schoolteachers regarding resilience according to insight from hadith
• To evaluate the proposed solution based on the consensus and opinion of female schoolteachers

METHODOLOGY

The main method applied in this study is called the NGT method. Seven female schoolteachers were involved in conducting this study. These female schoolteachers were gathered in one place to discuss the methods used in order to be resilient as teachers. The proposed solutions listed in this study were drawn from the selected hadiths of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. In collecting ideas and resolutions based on expert opinions, an hour-long session was conducted. At the end of the session, the researcher applied a specific calculation using the NGT method to generate results that answered the study’s objectives.

Sampling

To run the study, the researcher gathered seven female schoolteachers from different departments and fields. Since the Nominal Group Technique (NGT) can be conducted either with a large group or through a single cohort ((Lomax & McColeman, 1984; Dobbie et al., 2004; Mustapha et al., 2022), this sample size is adequate to ensure the acceptability of the result for this research. Small groups can help towards effective decision-making (Van de Ven, A. H., & Delbecq, A. L.1971) along with achieving a meaningful and consensus dialogue (Harvey, N., & Holmes, C. A. (2012). While Horton (1980) suggested 7 to 10 people for sampling size, there were also suggestions for the sample size to be between 5 to 9 persons for effective group interaction (Delbecq, A. L., Van de Ven, A. H., & Gustafson, D. H.1975).

NGT techniques step

The Nominal Group Technique (NGT) is a structured group method that is designed for systematically prioritizing solutions, fostering the participation of certain experts and generating ideas for the problems that arise. Developed by Andre Delbecq and Andrew Van de Ven in 1971, it serves as an alternative to traditional brainstorming methods. NGT is especially useful when groups need to reach a consensus or collaborate to solve complex problems.

From time to time, NGT techniques have been applied in various fields of research such as physiotherapy (Potter, M., Gordon, S., & Hamer, P. (2004), health care (Harvey, N., & Holmes, C. A.2012) and in clinical research and practice (McMillan, S. S., King, M., & Tully, M. P.2016). Apart from that, there were studies conducted using NGT in education Carney, O., McIntosh, J., & Worth, A. (1996) and business (Dunham, R. B. (1998). Although it is more commonly used in research on healthcare, it is also applicable to other fields of research.

As a highly structured process of research, NGT involved a few phases in its method, listed as follows: (1) Introduction and explanation done by the researcher about the process and topic. (2) Silent generation of ideas by the participant for the question given. (3) Sharing and listing out the ideas without discussion among the participants. (4) Clarification and discussion of the ideas without any evaluation. (5) Voting and prioritization by the participants regarding the ideas given (Delbecq, A. L., Van de Ven, A. H., & Gustafson, D. H. (1975), Potter, M., Gordon, S., & Hamer, P. (2004).

In Nominal Group Technique (NGT) research, the recommended sample size is typically between 5 and 12 participants per group. This range is ideal for generating a broad array of ideas while maintaining discussions that are easy to manage. Smaller groups may restrict the diversity of viewpoints, whereas larger groups can make the round-robin sharing process more challenging and hinder active participation from everyone.

FINDINGS

The findings here show the collective agreement and evaluation ratings for the items of resilience from hadith’s insight. In this research, six items in the resilience factors are listed by the experts. The factors are patience, redha (acceptance), gratitude, tawakkal (full reliance), prayer and good thought. All of the solutions proposed here are taken from the selected hadiths of Prophet Muhammad PBUH as ascertained by analysis within the optimal range. Through the result displayed, the highest score which is 100% goes to two factors: gratitude and prayer. Meanwhile, patience, redha and good thought got the second-highest score of 95.24%. On the other hand, the third and last factor in resilience based on the hadith perspective is tawakkal with a score of 90.48%. Given the findings of this study, it can be agreed that the main body part of the model is practicable and the target population fully accepts it. In fact, the modified NGT technique offers a more time-efficient alternative to the extended rounds of expert judgment typically required by the Delphi method.

DISCUSSION

Based on the results drawn, the experts listed the factors of resilience among female schoolteachers according to priorities by starting with the highest-scored options, gratitude and prayer. These two factors were inspired by two different hadiths regarding resilience in life. The hadith on gratitude is narrated by Muslim, as the Prophet PBUH said, “Strange indeed are the affairs of the believers, for all their affairs are good for them… If good things happen to them, they’re thankful, and that is good for them; and if bad things happen to them, they remain patient, and that too is good for them” (Muslim, 1993). In fact, in terms of psychology, studies have shown that those who practice thankfulness in their life have higher levels of psychological well-being, and life satisfaction and lower levels of depression and stress. By implementing gratitude and thankfulness in life, resilience is promoted through the reinforcing of positive emotions as it acts as the buffer against negative emotions (Wood et al.2010). The other ultimate factor of resilience apart from gratitude is prayer. Prayer or supplication is the action done in humility to pray and ask from God (Merriam Webster, 2024). Research shows that through supplication, an individual is capable of building psychological resilience by having trust in a higher power and reinforcing a sense of faith and hope. Through this copying strategy, greater emotional adjustment is made especially during stress (Pargament et al., 2001). Moreover, gratitude maintains resilience in the face of adversities by explicating negative situations in a more positive light (Lambert et al., 2012).

The second most important factors of resilience are patience, redha and good thought. In terms of patience, there are a lot of rewards promised to be granted to a patient person. Patience in daily life is a sign of piety and follows the way of Prophet Muhammad PBUH. The hadith taken for being patient as part of resilience in life is narrated by Bukhari, as Prophet Muhammad PBUH said, “True patience is at the first stroke of calamity” (Al-Bukhari, 2001). The crucial element of resilience is emotion regulation by which patience is related to it. According to previous research, a person who has strong patience can effectively handle the stress of life because they can maintain a sense of calm and composure (Schnitker, 2012). As for the redha part, it brings the definition as full acceptance for what had been determined and had happened in life. Hadith narrated by Muslim, saying that “How amazing is the case of a believer; there is good for him in everything, and this applies only to a believer. If something good happens to him, he is thankful, and that is good for him. If something bad happens to him, he bears it with patience, and that is also good for him”(Muslim, 1993). Aldao mentioned in his study that acceptance is a type of adaptive emotion regulation. By practising full acceptance in life and during a stressful event, an individual will experience less distress and more resilience (Aldao et al., 2010).  In terms of having good thoughts to be resilient in life, it draws the idea of always having good thoughts or positive thinking towards Allah’s plan. It can be simply said as being an optimistic person.  Regardless of what had happened through hard times or challenges in life, believing that Allah always grants them with a good thing, it developed a sense of resilience in life. This item is taken from a famous hadith, as Prophet Muhammad PBUH said: “I am as my servant thinks about me” (Al-Bukhari, 2001). Along with that, practising good thoughts also affects brain function. Based on study in neuroscience, positive thinking is capable of rewiring the brain to be more resilient. The neural pathways are associated with problem-solving, stress resilience as well as emotional regulation through positive thinking. As a matter of fact, the brain is not only being reshaped but its capacity to handle stress and adversity also increases (Davidson & McEwan, 2012).

The third and last item listed by the experts for resilience is called tawakkal. In fact, tawakkal is the Arabic word meaning to be fully reliant towards Allah SWT. It draws the idea that human beings are powerless and everything that happens is beyond their control. Therefore, by having tawakkal in life, a person relies and counts on Allah SWT fully and leaves every matter and decision to Him. Prophet Muhammad (PBUH) said, “O Allah! It is Your mercy that I hope for, so do not leave me in charge of my affairs even for a blink of an eye and rectify for me all of my affairs. None has the right to be worshipped except You” (Abu Dawud, 1994). The previous research indicated that practising tawakkal or reliance facilitates an individual to cope with difficulties in life by mitigating the emotion of helplessness and adopting a sense of inner peace (Keshavarzi, 2017). This contraindicates how tawakkal played a major role in the life of an individual to overcome the feeling of despair and keep being strong in embracing life.

CONCLUSION

As a final point, the inquiry regarding resilience among female schoolteachers from the insight of hadith unveils the thoroughness and pertinent of Islamic education in dealing with recent challenges in life. The guidance and reference displayed by the hadith of Prophet Muhammad PBUH upon resilience in life provide enlightening lessons, especially for female schoolteachers in embracing life wholeheartedly.

Female schoolteachers are capable of having a broad approach to being resilient in life through the implementation of hadith guidance in their daily activities. Being able to bounce back in life after falling shows the strength and character of someone. As for a teacher, those personalities are needed, and it can be achieved by being a resilient person.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

This article is part of research output from the Fundamental Research Grant Scheme (FRGS) 203.PHUMANITI 6711987, Model Pengurusan Emosi Berdasarkan Pendekatan Fiqh Al-Hadith Untuk Ibu Tunggal Mengalami Kemurungan.

REFERENCE

1. Abu Dawud, Sulaiman bin al-Ash ‘ath. (1994). Sunan Abu Dawud. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr.
2. Ali, M.F. (2018). Resilience from the Islamic Perspective. Al-Qalam Journal of Islamic Thought. 29 (2). 101-112.
3. Al-Bukhari, Muhammad bin Ismail. (2001). Sahih al-Bukhari. Beirut: Dar Tawq al-Najah.
4. Aldao, A., Nolen-Hoeksema, S., & Schweizer, S. (2010). Emotion Regulation Strategies Across Psychopathology: A Meta-Analytic Review, Clinical Psychology Review. 30 (2). 217-237.
5. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273-285
6. Beghetto, R. A., & Kaufman, J. C. (2010). Nurturing Creativity in the Classroom. Cambridge University Press.
7. Cooper, B. (2004). Empathy, Interaction and Caring: Teachers’ Roles in a Constrained Environment. Pastoral Care in Education. 22 (3). 12-21.
8. Davidson, R. J., & McEwen, B.S. (2012), Social Influences on Neuroplasticity: Stress and Interventions to Promote Well-being. Nature Neuroscience. 15 (15). 689-695.
9. Day, C., & Sammons, P. (2013). “Successful school leadership.” Education Development Trust.
10. Dinham, S., & Scott, C. (2000). “Moving into the third, outer domain of teacher satisfaction.” Journal of Educational Administration, 38(4), 379–396.
11. Eirini Karakasidou, Anna Papadimitriou, Danai Chatzidou & Smaragda Kazi. (2024). Nurturing Resilience in Education. Journal of Advances in early childhood and K-12 Education.
12. Eka Aprilianti, (2024), Integrating Islamic Psychological Principles in Enhancing Students’ Academic Resilience. Nusantara Journal of Behavioral and Social Science. 3(2): 63-72.
13. Granziera, H., & Perera, H. N. (2019). “Relations among teachers’ self-efficacy, job stress, and job satisfaction: A social-cognitive perspective.” Contemporary Educational Psychology, 58, 75–84.
14. Hargie, O., & Dickson, D. (2004). Skilled Interpersonal Communication: Research, Theory, and Practice. London: Routledge.
15. Herriata M Ngakane, Mishack T. Gumbo. (2024). Female Teachers’ Challenges in the Teaching of Civil Technology in Technical High Schools.
16. Ingersoll, R. M. (2001). “Teacher turnover and teacher shortages: An organizational analysis.” American Educational Research Journal, 38(3), 499–534
17. Indra Odina & Simona Semjonova. (2022). Promoting Teacher Resilience to Remain in the Profession. Human, Technologies and Quality of Education. Proceedings of Scientific Paper. 435-448.
18. Khalid, I. (2020). The Concept of Sabar (Patience) in Islamic Teachings and its Relevance to Resilience. Journal of Islamic Social Sciences. 37 (3). 67-79.
19. Keshavarzi, H., Haque, A., & Khan, F. (2017). Intergrating Indigenous Healing into Western Psychotheraphy for American Muslim Clients. Journal of Contemporary Psychotheraphy, 47 (4). 241-251.
20. Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). “Effects on teachers’ self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and workload.” Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741–756.
21. Lambert, N. M., Graham, S. M., Fincham, F. D., & Stillman, T. F. (2012). A Changed Perspective: How Gratitude Can Affect Sense of Coherence Through Positive Reframing. The Journal of Positive Psychology. 7(3). 192-199.
22. Luthar, S. S., Cicchetti, D., & Becker, B. (2000). The Construct of Resilience: A Critical Evaluation and Guidelines for Future Work. Child Development. 71(3). 543-562.
23. Milan Acharya. (2024). Exploring Hurdles Encountered by a Part-Time Female Teacher: A Gender-based Auto-ethnographic Perspective. Nepal Journal Online. 20, (1). 119-132.
24. Muslim bin al-Hajjaj. (1993). Al-Musnad al-Sahih al-Mukhtasar bi Naql al-ʻAdl ʻan al-ʻAdl ila Rasulillah SAW. Beirut: Dar al-Fikr.
25. Nani Nuranisah Djamal, Ila Nurlaila Hidayat, Tahrir Tahrir & Ujam Jaenudin, (2022), Ketangguhan Keluarga Menghadapi Pandemi COVID 19: Perspektif Psikologi dan Islam, Journal Psikologika, 27 (2), 223-242.
26. Na Zhao, Han Li, (2022), Analysis and Solution Strategies of the Early Retirement Trend of Teachers in Malaysia, Proceedings of the World Conference on Research in Teaching and Education, 1(1), 14-21
27. P. Etejere, Felicia K. Oluwalola, Omotayo Adewale Awodiji, Amudalatu A. Sagaya, (2023). Bridging Gender Disparities in the Teaching Profession in Tertiary Institutions for Globalization. Journal of Perspective Educational. 41(1).
28. Pargament, K. I., Koenig, H. G., & Perez, L. (2001). The Many Methods of Religious Coping: Development and Initial Validation of the RCOPE. Journal of Clinical Psychology. 56 (4), 519–543.
29. Priyono Tri Febrianto, Siti Mas’udah & Lutfi Apreliana Megasari. (2022), Female Teachers’ Double Burden During the Pandemic: Overcoming Challenges and Dilemma Between Career and Family, Sociologia Problemas E Práticas. 100, 87-105.
30. Rogers, C. (1969). Freedom to Learn. Columbus. OH: Merrill Publishing Company.
31. Sarah, L. Schlessinger. (2024). The Resilient Teacher. Live Places Publishing. New York.
32. Sperling, G. B., & Winthrop, R. (2015). What Works in Girls’ Education: Evidence for the World’s Best Investment. Brookings Institution Press.
33. Wood, A. M., Froh, J. J., & Geraghty, A. W. (2010). Gratitude and Well-Being: A Review and Theoretical Integration. Clinical Psychology Review. 30 (7). 890-905.
34. Schnitker, S. A. (2012). An Examination of Patience Well-Being. Journal of Positive Psychology. 7. 263-280.
35. Tait, M. (2008). Resilience as a Contributor to Novice Teacher Success, Commitment, and Retention. Teacher Education Quarterly. 35(4). 57-75.
36. Ya, Taniavska. (2024). Female: Profession of Preschool Teacher: Experience, Trends and Perspectives. Aesthetics and Ethics of Pedagogical Action.