Adaptability is a person’s skill to change his actions, course, or approach
to suit a new situation. People are changing their lifestyles constantly because
our world is always changing. When there is a shortage of a commodity in the
market, they switch their demand to substitute goods. It is not only about
adjusting to a situation or changing something. It covers being able to effect
changes during action with smoothness and timeliness, without any significant
setbacks. It is necessary to acquire this skill if there are many uncontrollable
factors in our environment, such as laws and economic factors (cleverism.com,
2018). These were connected to the present situation of public school teachers
that are facing different work-related changes like making and submitting various
reports to the superiors, attending webinars, preparing lessons, presentations,
and teaching students from different learning modalities, virtually communicating
with the learners, parents, and guardians, and others. Thus, if teachers could not
adapt to the activities and rapid changes in the workplace, they tend to quit the
profession and seek another job (Munda, 2021).
Adaptability is vital for teachers. Collie and her colleagues (2018)
underlined that just as public life is full of fluctuations, uncertainties, working life
is full of new situations for men. The term “just as working life’s path is
changeable, public service has to them” for instance, in the workplace, teachers
come across many learners to whom they must adapt, and respond to changing
requirements, as well as unexpected scenarios in the classroom, and colleagues,
as well as well as meet, and students, and parents, and all at the same time.
These situations call for teachers to be handled in an adaptive manner.
Increasing student attention might be done by keeping the lesson on schedule,
tolerating failure when a lesson does not go as planned, or adjusting teamwork
with new coworkers. The authors further explained that instructional content must
be tailored to students’ varying needs, which should be accompanied by changes
in learning support as students advance in their understanding of content, and
classroom management strategies adjusted as the students’ level of expertise
develops. Teachers also need to keep up with changes in the entire school by
effectively responding to the demands of their students. Teachers must be able
to make changes to their work settings if they are to perform optimally at work
(Collie & Martin, 2016).
Adaptability, or the capacity to regulate one’s thoughts, feelings, and
behaviors in response to changing, new, or uncertain situations (Martin, Nejad,
Colmar, & Liem, 2012), has been identified as an important capability for
teachers. Researchers have established that adaptability is a predictor of
teachers’ healthy functioning at work and positive academic outcomes among
their students (e.g. Collie, Granziera, & Martin, 2018; Loughland & Alonzo, 2018;
Parsons, 2012).
Teaching is characterized by constant change. Teachers are expected to
respond to the different and varying needs of students, incorporate novel
professional learning into their instructional practices, and interact with new
colleagues. Researchers stressed that adaptability is something teachers require
regularly, and it likely plays a vital role in helping them navigate the demands of
their work. Collie and Martin’s (2017) prior research found support for this. They
found that when teachers are more adaptable, they tend to report better well-
being. They also examined whether there were additional connections with
students’ achievement. Results showed that when teachers were more adaptable
and had better well-being, their students had higher achievement (Collie &
Martin, 2018). In addition, they asked 164 secondary school teachers in Australia
to rate their adaptability, their experiences of labor disengagement, and their job
commitment. The results showed that teachers tended to report lower work
disengagement and, in turn, more outstanding job commitment when they were
more adaptable. Adaptable teachers can effectively navigate the constant
change, novelty, and uncertainty that occur in teaching. It may aid the teachers
avoid the outlooks of helplessness that lead to disengagement. They also asked
teachers about the extent to which they felt the principal listens to teachers’
perspectives and supports their initiative and innovation. The findings showed
that when teachers reported principal support, they tended to be more adaptable
(Collie & Martin, 2018).
Meanwhile, study of Collie, Granziera, Martin, Burns & Holliman (2020)
sought to develop knowledge about science teacher adaptability at the school-
level and cross-nationally. Their findings showed that schools with greater
disruptive student behavior in science classes tended to have lower school-
average science teacher adaptability. Schools with more adaptable science
teachers tended to have greater school-average science teacher self-efficacy,
and in turn, greater school-average student self-efficacy for science learning.
A person’s capacity to be adaptable is important because it enables
successful adjustment to life’s inherent changing circumstances. Indeed,
emerging research has shown that adaptability is associated with important
academic and non-academic outcomes among adolescents and employees.
Martin et al. (2012) examined adaptability among high school students and
showed that it was positively associated with academic achievement, school
enjoyment, satisfaction with life, meaning and purpose in life, and academic
buoyancy. They also found that more adaptable students tended to hold greater
incremental beliefs about intelligence (i.e., the belief that intelligence is
malleable; Dweck, 2006) and lower entity beliefs (i.e., the belief that intelligence
is fixed; Dweck, 2006). In a related longitudinal study, Martin et al. (2013) used
data collected at two time points one year apart to show that incremental beliefs
(positively), and the personality traits of conscientiousness (positively) and
neuroticism (negatively) predicted adaptability. In turn, adaptability positively
predicted academic and non-academic outcomes (i.e., class participation, school
enjoyment, self-esteem, life satisfaction, and meaning and purpose in life).
Moreover, in another study that looked at adaptability among students,
Martin, Nejad, Colmar, Liem, and Collie (2015) examined whether adaptability
plays a role in promoting perceived control among students, and whether this, in
turn, reduces the experience of constructs that are known to be detrimental to
students’ academic and non-academic development: academic anxiety,
disengagement, performance avoidance (i.e., where students are motivated by
the desire to avoid disappointing others), and self-handicapping (i.e., sabotaging
one’s chance of success to have an excuse in case of failure). The results
showed that when students were more adaptable, they also tended to perceive
that they had greater control over their academic outcomes. In turn, greater
perceived control was associated with reduced levels of the four detrimental
outcomes.
Meanwhile, we contend that adaptability is also highly relevant to teachers
given that teaching work involves responding to and managing constant change
(Collie & Martin, 2015). The capacity to adapt in order to effectively manage
these changes is crucial for teachers’ work in the classroom, staff room, and
beyond. First, teachers must respond to the different and changing needs of
students by adjusting the lesson pace, adapting activities for different students,
or seeking out different resources to better explain or illustrate key points.
Second, teachers must adapt in order to cope with unexpected situations in
classroom management by regulating emotions that might arise such as
frustration, anger or mirth and conveying patience, or thinking of alternative ways
to solve problems. Third, teachers must also effectively interact with colleagues
under shifting conditions, such as when there is a change in job role, they require
resources to teach a new part of the curriculum, or they require help to deal with
a new or challenging student. Fourth, teachers must also interact effectively with
new colleagues, adjust to the different priorities of a new principal or colleague,
or calibrate to the style of a new teaching aide in the classroom. Fifth, teachers
must also be prepared to stop a lesson midway, reschedule their teaching, or
condense content into less time when time is pressing. Finally, teachers are
regularly involved in professional learning and are expected to continually
integrate new knowledge into their teaching practice. In addition, curriculum or
policy changes may require further adaptability from teachers.
Thus, being able to effectively respond to the inherent novelty, change,
and uncertainty that characterizes teaching work is a highly important capacity
for teachers. We can consider potentially adaptable responses by way of Martin
et al.’s (2012) tripartite model of adaptability (as relevant to the adjustment of
thoughts, behavior, and emotions). For example, if a teacher is asked to teach a
new subject that is unfamiliar to them, effectively dealing with this change
requires regulating thoughts to find connections between the new material and
familiar topics (cognitive adaptability), regulating behavior to seek out a helpful
person who has more knowledge and relevant resources in the new subject
(behavioral adaptability), and regulating emotions such as anxiety or excitement
to focus on finding a solution in a focused and timely manner (emotional
adaptability).
More recently, Collie and Martin (2015) sought to develop understanding
of teachers’ adaptability and its association with other factors that are salient to
teachers’ healthy and effective functioning at work, as well as students’ positive
outcomes. They used Martin et al.’s (2012) tripartite model and the
accompanying Adaptability Scale to assess teachers’ cognitive, behavioral, and
emotional adaptability. Of note, this assessment was not specific to the
workplace—it concerned teachers’ capacity to be adaptable in life generally
(domain-general). As part of the study, Collie and Martin (2015) were interested
in examining whether teachers’ perceptions of the work climate are associated
with their adaptability. To measure work climate, they examined teachers’
perceptions of principals’ autonomy supportiveness at work. Collie and Martin
found that when teachers perceived their principal to be more autonomy
supportive, they tended to have higher adaptability. They also examined teacher
well-being and organizational commitment in the study and found that teachers
who were more adaptable (and those who perceived greater principal autonomy
support) tended to report higher levels of well-being and organizational
commitment.
In addition to, in the final part of the study, Collie and Martin (2015)
examined the extent to which teachers’ adaptability and the other workplace
factors were associated with students’ numeracy achievement. The findings
showed that teachers who reported greater well-being tended to have students
who obtained higher achievement levels. It is also important to note that
teachers’ adaptability was indirectly associated with students’ achievement via
teachers’ well-being. Taken together then, Collie and Martin’s findings suggest
that adaptability plays a core role in teachers’ functioning at work and that it is
also indirectly associated with students’ outcomes. Moreover, principals’
autonomy supportiveness appears to lay an important foundation for teachers’
adaptability.
The adaptability of teachers in teaching new face-to-face classes is crucial
because it allows them to tailor their teaching methods to the unique needs and
dynamics of each class. This flexibility enables teachers to engage students
effectively, address varying learning styles, and incorporate innovative
approaches to enhance the learning experience. Adaptable teachers can
respond to unexpected challenges, create a dynamic classroom environment,
and foster a positive learning atmosphere that promotes student success and
growth.
Researchers stressed that adaptability is something teachers require
regularly, and it likely plays a vital role in helping them navigate the demands of
their work. Collie and Martin’s (2017) prior research found support for this. They
found that when teachers are more adaptable, they tend to report better well-
being. They also examined whether there were additional connections with
students’ achievement. Results showed that when teachers were more adaptable
and had better well-being, their students had higher achievement (Collie &
Martin, 2018). In addition, they asked 164 secondary school teachers in Australia
to rate their adaptability, their experiences of labor disengagement, and their job
commitment. The results showed that teachers tended to report lower work
disengagement and, in turn, more outstanding job commitment when they were
more adaptable. Adaptable teachers can effectively navigate the constant
change, novelty, and uncertainty that occur in teaching. It may aid the teachers
avoid the outlooks of helplessness that lead to disengagement. They also asked
teachers about the extent to which they felt the principal listens to teachers’
perspectives and supports their initiative and innovation. The findings showed
that when teachers reported principal support, they tended to be more adaptable
(Collie & Martin, 2018).
Meanwhile, study of Collie, Granziera, Martin, Burns & Holliman (2020)
sought to develop knowledge about science teacher adaptability at the school-
level and cross-nationally. Their findings showed that schools with greater
disruptive student behavior in science classes tended to have lower school-
average science teacher adaptability. Schools with more adaptable science
teachers tended to have greater school-average science teacher self-efficacy,
and in turn, greater school-average student self-efficacy for science learning.
Moreover, in another study that looked at adaptability among students,
Martin, Nejad, Colmar, Liem, and Collie (2015) examined whether adaptability
plays a role in promoting perceived control among students, and whether this, in
turn, reduces the experience of constructs that are known to be detrimental to
students’ academic and non-academic development: academic anxiety,
disengagement, performance avoidance (i.e., where students are motivated by
the desire to avoid disappointing others), and self-handicapping (i.e., sabotaging
one’s chance of success to have an excuse in case of failure). The results
showed that when students were more adaptable, they also tended to perceive
that they had greater control over their academic outcomes. In turn, greater
perceived control was associated with reduced levels of the four detrimental
outcomes.
In addition to, in the final part of the study, Collie and Martin (2015)
examined the extent to which teachers’ adaptability and the other workplace
factors were associated with students’ numeracy achievement. The findings
showed that teachers who reported greater well-being tended to have students
who obtained higher achievement levels. It is also important to note that
teachers’ adaptability was indirectly associated with students’ achievement via
teachers’ well-being. Taken together then, Collie and Martin’s findings suggest
that adaptability plays a core role in teachers’ functioning at work and that it is
also indirectly associated with students’ outcomes. Moreover, principals’
autonomy supportiveness appears to lay an important foundation for teachers’
adaptability.
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