Future-proofing teaching: Balancing technology, relationships, and professional growth in Polish teachers’ post-pandemic practices

DOI: https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2026.1529.01
Keywords: teacher professionalism;, relational pedagogy, digital pedagogy, teacher and school success, post-pandemic teaching

Abstract

Research objectives (aims) and problem(s): This article investigates how Polish teachers experienced and responded to COVID-19 disruptions, focusing on transformations in pedagogical practice, professional stress, and evolving understandings of professionalism and success.

Research methods: The study is a qualitative narrative inquiry conducted within the Global Teachers Voice 2 initiative. It forms part of an international project led by the International Council on Education for Teaching and the Mapping Educational Specialist knowHow charities, including the Teacher Voice Project and the Future-Proofing Education Systems initiative. The study involved 11 purposively selected teachers. Data were collected through online semi-structured interviews and analyzed thematically, using narrative approaches to preserve participants’ perspectives and meanings.

Process of argumentation: The analysis traces how teachers responded to emotional and organizational challenges while maintaining professional commitment. It examines the interrelations between technology use, relational pedagogy, and professional collaboration as foundations of adaptive practice.

Research findings and their impact on the development of educational: The findings show that participants reconstructed their professional identities by emphasizing agency, relationality, adaptive capacity, and a redefinition of professional success beyond performance-based metrics. By foregrounding teachers’ voices within the Polish context and situating the analysis within an international research framework, the study contributes an in-depth, relational perspective to post-pandemic debates on teacher professionalism. It advances theoretical discussions by integrating teacher agency and relational pedagogy, demonstrating how professionalism and success are reshaped through the dynamic interplay of technology, relationships, and autonomy in post-pandemic contexts. These insights inform broader debates on sustainable, human-centered educational development.

Conclusions and/or recommendations: Future-oriented education systems should strengthen teachers’ professional autonomy, relational competencies, and access to technological and institutional support. Enhancing teacher agency and supporting a multidimensional understanding of professional success are essential for developing resilient, innovative, and inclusive schools. Policy frameworks should move beyond technocentric and performance-driven models toward approaches that recognize the relational, adaptive, and reflective dimensions of teaching.teacher professionalism; relational pedagogy; digital pedagogy; teacher and school success; post-pandemic teaching

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Published
2026-06-30
How to Cite
Madalińska-Michalak, J. (2026). Future-proofing teaching: Balancing technology, relationships, and professional growth in Polish teachers’ post-pandemic practices. Multidisciplinary Journal of School Education, 15(1 (29), 11-30. https://doi.org/10.35765/mjse.2026.1529.01
Issue
Vol. 15 No. 1 (29) (2026): Stress and Success Among Teachers
Section
Thematic Articles

Copyright (c) 2026 Joanna Madalińska-Michalak

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