Health And Resiliency Of Physical Education Teachers In Puerto Rico Post Hurricane Maria

The primary purpose of this study was to determine and describe the resilience of physical education (PE) teachers post-Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. A secondary purpose was to determine and describe how PE teachers were influenced by their culture in coping with stress associated with teaching post-Hurricane Maria. This descriptive-qualitative study was positioned within the Socio-Ecological Model (SEM) theoretical framework. The participants were nine PE teachers from public schools in the United States Commonwealth of Puerto Rico. The sampling design was purposeful using criterion sampling. The primary data sources were semi-structured, face-to-face interviews, a demographic questionnaire, field notes generated from on-site observations, and collection of visual artifacts (photographs and video clips) of the built environment from local communities and schools. The data were analyzed descriptively (e.g., responses to demographic questionnaire), as well as qualitatively and analytically (interview data, field notes, artifacts) using a thematic line-by-line analysis method to produce themes. From the dataanalyses, three major recurrent and interrelated themes emerged, which were: (a) Fear, Uncertainty, and Anger, which exposed the emotions and feelings expressed by the PE teachers in connection to Hurricane Maria; (b) Coping, which exposed how the PE teachers found ways in their own lives and their communities to deal with stresses associated to Hurricane Maria and how they managed or adapted to life’s circumstances; and (c) Overwhelmed, which disclosed the difficulties that PE teachers faced in their homes, schools, and communities.