The Impact of Social Uncertainty, Protests, and COVID-19 on Hong Kong Teachers

Teachers in Hong Kong endured an unprecedented 2019-2020 school year with widespread civil unrest followed by the COVID-19 pandemic. These events placed a great deal of stress on teachers as they navigated them with students in face-to-face and virtual environments. The current study examines how social uncertainty impacted ten primary and secondary school teachers in Hong Kong through semi-structured interviews. Findings indicated that the challenging events strengthened teacher motivation as they demonstrated greater commitment to teaching, a strong desire to journey with students through hardship, and a motivation to equip students with tools to navigate uncertain circumstances in the future.