Abstract

This study examines how Finnish and Korean teachers employed strategies to manage stress and sustain task motivation during hybrid teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic. Using 282 open-ended responses (with 109 Finnish and 173 Korean responses), a cross-national comparative content analysis was conducted. Teachers’ strategies were analyzed using theory- and data-driven approaches to examine their roles in regulating stress management and teaching-related task motivation (Tr-TTM). Changes in Tr-TTM were analyzed as dynamic flows linked to strategy use within instructional contexts. The findings suggest that collegial support was central in both countries, though its form and function differed. Outdoor activities and task-regulation strategies were identified among teachers in the Finnish context, while effectiveness and perseverance strategies were identified among teachers in the Korean context. Tr-TTM flows revealed two contrasting patterns: contextually feasible strategy use was associated with increased motivation, while absence or misalignment of strategies corresponded with motivational decline or stability. These highlight that strategies are not inherently effective; their association with motivation appears to depend on the feasibility of execution, which is shaped by institutional and instructional conditions. Adaptive, context-sensitive strategies were associated with sustaining teaching continuity under demands. Overall, this study advances our understanding of teachers’ strategies across contexts during educational disruption and underscores the importance of support and conditions for strategy selection and implementation.

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