The Role of Teachers in Fostering Resilience After a Disaster in Indonesia

Disasters are distressing and disorientating. They often result in enduring community-wide devastation. Consequently, young people may seek support from trusted adults to scaffold their emotional responses and to support their psychosocial recovery. An important non-familial adult in a student’s life is their teacher. However, few studies have examined teachers’ perspectives on the support they provide to students after exposure to disasters, such as earthquakes and tsunamis, particularly in low- and middle-income countries (LMIC) with collectivistic cultural orientations. Given the potential for teachers to foster students’ resilience, the goal of this study was to examine how teachers conceptualise their role following a major disaster. Forty teachers were interviewed from three schools in Central Sulawesi, Indonesia, after a major earthquake and tsunami in September 2018. Thematic analysis shows that teachers act as agents of community resilience after a disaster. The two themes presented converge on support-based aspects. Teachers provided: (1) psychoeducational support (i.e. supporting students’ well-being and educational continuity, including encouraging their return to school) and (2) practical support (i.e. assisting administrative roles, aid distribution and disaster risk reduction). Within these themes, socioculturally specific practices are elucidated, including the Indonesian value of mutual assistance (‘gotong royong’), storytelling (‘tutura’) and the role of religiosity as a form of psychosocial support. Overall, our results highlight the capacity and willingness of teachers to play a central role in the psychosocial recovery of students and their families, contributing to community resilience. We identify implications such as the importance of providing accessible psychological training and support for teachers.