Abstract
Introduction. The ageing of the teaching workforce amid a staff shortage highlights the need to preserve the professional resilience of teachers in older age groups. Most research tends to view mature age in teaching through the lens of vulnerability: the focus is on the risks of burnout, reduced openness to new ideas, and the inertia of professional attitudes. The internal mechanisms that enable teachers to maintain stability and effectiveness in the later stages of their careers, as well as the role of external supporting mechanisms, remain understudied. In this study, resilience is understood as a product of the interaction between personal resources (self-esteem, motivation, reflection, hardiness) and the conditions of the professional environment. The aim of the research is to identify pedagogical factors of professional resilience in older age cohorts and to characterise the contribution of institutional, informal, and non-formal practices to its maintenance.Materials and Methods. The study employed a mixed‑methods design: the quantitative stage involved a survey of teachers (n = 320), while the qualitative stage consisted of semi-structured interviews with representatives of different age subgroups (n = 14). A data weighting procedure was applied to correct for potential biases. The survey tools were designed to examine trends in the self-assessment of competence, adaptability, and job satisfaction among ageing educators. Informants for the interviews were selected using stratified sampling.Results. The highest levels of self‑assessed professional competence were recorded in the 60+ age group (31%), while the lowest were found in the 50–59 age group (14%). Age-related differentiation of adaptive strategies was identified: for teachers aged 60+, informal practices play a leading role; in the 50–59 age group, non-formal practices are predominant; and among teachers aged 40–49, institutional mechanisms prevail. In the oldest age group, the compensatory function of informal practices was confirmed, against the backdrop of a declining significance of institutional mechanisms with increasing age. Specific tools for maintaining resilience were identified for each cohort.Conclusion. A shift is proposed from a formal length-of-service criterion to an age-and-resource model, in which professional resilience is viewed through the lens of the balance between internal determinants and variable external supports. The findings provide a foundation for a differentiated approach to personnel support for teachers across different age groups.