Research on digital stress resilience of educators in crisis conditions

Abstract

Abstract: The relevance of the study is the need to highlight the issue of strengthening educators’ digital stress resilience, to clarify the main causes of this type of stress, to identify the key mechanisms for overcoming it, and to determine the level of teachers’ digital adaptability. The growing demands for educators’ digital competence, driven by the active digitalization of education, are gaining particular importance and urgency in contemporary conditions. The aim of the article is to analyze teachers’ digital stress resilience in crisis conditions, to identify its key components and effective directions for its development in order to enhance teachers’ digital competence. The research methodology is based on a combination of systemic and comparative approaches, as well as the generalization of sociological research findings. An original instrument was developed to conduct an empirical study, which made it possible to analyze the intensity of digital technology use, the main sources of digital stress, the level of digital confidence and adaptability, and the resources for overcoming stress-inducing factors. The research results showed that the integration of digital technologies into teachers’ professional activities is at a sufficiently high level (92.7% use them regularly). At the same time, a moderate level of digital stress was identified, with certain risk areas, including digital reporting, technical failures, and insufficient confidence in independently solving digital problems. A polarization of responses was also recorded: some teachers demonstrate a high level of adaptability and confidence, while others experience significant difficulties in interacting with the digital environment. It was established that the leading resources for reducing digital stress are support from colleagues (71%), self-education (64.2%), and information hygiene (67.8%). To a lesser extent, teachers use relaxation techniques and internal strategies of emotional self-regulation, which indicates the need to strengthen the psychoeducational component of professional development programs. The conclusions substantiate that the digital transformation of education not only significantly changes educators’ professional activities but also continuously imposes new demands on their level of digital competence, adaptability, and psychological resilience. Therefore, digital stress resilience acquires strategic importance as a factor in ensuring the continuity and quality of education. The practical significance of the study lies in identifying key directions for strengthening teachers’ digital stress resilience and in developing an educational program within the framework of professional development. Prospects for further research are related to the analysis of coping strategies for strengthening teachers’ digital stress resilience, the psychological culture of life activity, and protection against destructive information and digital narratives.