Exploring the Stress Coping Strategies of Indonesian Elementary School Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study

Authors

• Anak Agung Gede Agung, Ganesha University of Education, Singaraja, Bali Province, IndonesiaFollow
• I Ketut Gading, Ganesha University of Education, Singaraja, Bali Province, IndonesiaFollow
• Basilius Redan Werang, Ganesha University of Education, Singaraja, Bali Province, IndonesiaFollow
• Ni Luh Putu Agetania, Ganesha University of Education, Singaraja, Bali Province, IndonesiaFollow

Abstract

Teachers play a pivotal role in delivering quality education and shaping students’ future lives. The growing demands and responsibilities on teachers can lead to physical, mental, and emotional exhaustion, which threatens their well-being—a condition commonly referred to as work stress. Our study aimed to explore the strategies used by elementary school teachers in Bali Province to cope with work-related stress. This study adopts a qualitative research approach with elementary schools in Bali Province, Indonesia, serving as the research setting. A phenomenological research design was employed, involving 25 purposively selected teachers as participants. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. The results of data analysis showed that elementary school teachers in Bali employ a variety of strategies to manage the work-related stress they experience. Among the coping strategies identified by participants, deepening spiritual life emerged as the most frequently mentioned approach for managing work-related stress, followed by finding joy in teaching, striving to balance professional responsibility with recreational pursuits, and reframing stress as an opportunity for personal and professional growth. These strategies highlight the adaptive responses of teachers in managing occupational stress within the educational context.

Keywords

coping strategies, elementary school, phenomenological study, thematic analysis, stress, teachers

Author Bio(s)

Anak Agung Gede Agung has long been engaged in teacher education, school leadership, and educational research in Indonesia. They have a long-standing involvement in educational research and teacher professional development

I Ketut Gading has long been engaged in teacher education, school leadership, and educational research in Indonesia. He has expertise in educational psychology and qualitative data analysis

Basilius Redan Werang has long been engaged in teacher education, school leadership, and educational research in Indonesia. They have a long-standing involvement in educational research and teacher professional development

Ni Luh Putu Agetania has long been engaged in teacher education, school leadership, and educational research in Indonesia. She has had professional engagement with elementary schools.

Acknowledgements

We would like to thank the Directorate of Research and Community Service, Ministry of Higher Education, Science, and Technology for funding the entire research process. We would also like to extend our gratitude to all the elementary school teachers who actively participated in this study.

Publication Date

5-9-2026

Creative Commons License

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 International License.

Recommended APA Citation

Agung, A. G., Gading, I., Werang, B. R., & Agetania, N. (2026). Exploring the Stress Coping Strategies of Indonesian Elementary School Teachers: A Qualitative Phenomenological Study. The Qualitative Report, 31(5), 5822-5845. DOI: https://doi.org/10.46743/1052-0147.8595

ORCID ID

https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2675-2887