The Essence of "Boosting Morale": A Transcendental Phenomenological Study of Out-of-Field Science Teachers in an Online Community of Practice

Abstract

This study explored the essence of boosting morale as experienced by out-of-field science teachers participating in an online Community of Practice. Guided by Moustakas' (1994) transcendental phenomenology and the analytic procedures illustrated by Moerer-Urdahl and Creswell (2004), the study was conducted as a second-phase phenomenological inquiry that isolated morale enhancement as a distinct phenomenon emerging from a broader qualitative investigation. Five out-of-field science teachers participated in post-intervention, semi-structured interviews. Data were analyzed through epoché, horizonalization, phenomenological reduction, clustering of invariant constituents, and the synthesis of composite textural and structural descriptions.

The findings revealed that participants experienced boosting morale as a gradual reconstruction of professional confidence through three interrelated experiential structures: validation of the teaching self, recognition of a shared professional condition, and confirmation of capability through enacted practice. The synthesis of these structures revealed that boosting morale was not merely an increase in confidence but a relational and transformative experience constituted through affirmation, belonging, and successful teaching practice within a supportive professional community.

The study contributes to the literature on teacher professional development by demonstrating that Communities of Practice foster not only instructional competence but also the lived reconstruction of professional confidence among out-of-field teachers. Methodologically, the study illustrates the value of transcendental phenomenology in uncovering dimensions of teacher development that remain insufficiently explained through outcome-oriented approaches.