Teaching Beyond Isolation: Lived Experiences, Resilience, and Adaptation of Teachers in Geographically Isolated Areas

Teaching in geographically isolated areas presents unique professional, instructional, and emotional challenges that influence teachers’ resilience, adaptation, and well-being. This study explored the lived experiences of teachers assigned to Del Pilar Community School–Kapihan Extension Classes in Sitio Kapihan, Socorro, Surigao del Norte. Using a qualitative hermeneutic phenomenological design, data were gathered through in-depth interviews and narrative inquiry with 18 teachers and 1 school administrator, selected through complete enumeration. Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis revealed three major themes influencing resilience and burnout: Institutional Neglect and Structural Disadvantage, Workload Intensification and Role Expansion, and Institutional Isolation and Limited Professional Support. Findings further showed that teachers' lived experiences shaped instructional practices through Learner-Centered Adaptation and Empathy, Experience-Driven Flexibility and Instructional Judgment, and Resourcefulness and Geo-Cultural Contextualization. In managing instruction, teachers demonstrated Contextualized Resource Utilization, Curriculum Prioritization, and Adaptive Multi-Grade Pedagogical Strategies. Despite limited infrastructure, inadequate resources, and restricted professional support, teachers sustained educational delivery through resilience, creativity, and strong commitment to learners. The study concludes that while individual adaptability enables teachers to overcome contextual barriers, sustainable educational improvement in geographically isolated areas requires stronger institutional support, targeted professional development, improved infrastructure, and responsive policy interventions to promote teacher well-being and educational equity.

geographically isolated areas, teacher resilience, instructional adaptation, phenomenology, multigrade teaching, educational equity, rural education

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