An Exploration of Overcoming Experience of Frustration in Elementary School Teachers’ Development Processes
Authors:   Korean Association For Learner-Centered Curriculum And Instruction, Yun So-Min 
Published: July 2022

Objectives The purpose of the present study is to explore the experience and meaning of overcoming frustration such as a cause of the frustration that elementary school teachers encounter in their development processes, its management, and a change caused by overcoming it.
Methods A qualitative interview was conducted with five elementary school teachers in the region of K who had experience of overcoming frustration, and the resulting data were analyzed by using constant comparison method. Expressions of the study participants were summarized as they were through open coding and classified into high categories through categorization work comparing them repeatedly. Based on what was categorized, a confirmation process of the categories, which corrected and confirmed them according to the goodness of fit model through comparison with the original data, was carried out, and member checking was conducted in order to improve the reliability and validity of the study.
Results As a result of the analysis, six subcategories as a cause of frustration were derived from top categories of cause of frustration, method for frustration management, and change through over coming frustration: failure to respond adequately to the needs of a variety of education consumers, sense of shame and self-destruction of being incompetent as a teacher, desperate feelings that nothing is accomplished in spite of making an effort, difficulty in facing one’s wrongdoing and feelings, fear that a tough case is likely to recur at any minute, and school administration that is passive in helping to solve problems. Four methods were derived for frustration management: attempting to develop through a learning community or voluntary learning and reflection, taking courage from collaboration and empathy with fellow teachers and managers and their support, getting away from ascribing to external stimuli and promoting inner growth through exploration, and trying to forget every case and prevent from recurring by transferring to another school or choosing subject teacher. As for change through over coming frustration, five subcategories were derived: having in-depth understanding of the students and their parents and positive change in communication style, putting excessive greed aside and being able to perform a task with a calm and peaceful mind, accepting the limits of the teacher’s realistic role and maintaining affection for the students, becoming humble and mature through an expanded self-love and undestanding of other people, and having an open mind that overcoming completely is not possible and frustration may be able to happen again at any time.
Conclusions A groundwork for in-depth understanding of over coming frustration was laid by systematically determining the elementary school teachers’ over coming frustration, and perception and academic interest saying that frustration was an existential problem of human were aroused. It is meaningful that this study got away from the existing perspective which had focused on the stages of the teachers’ development and its characteristics and revealed the meaning and positive impact of over coming frustration in the teachers’ development processes.