ULEC Webinar - Flourishing or Floundering? Exploring Ukrainian Elementary School Teacher Understandings of Their Professional Experience
14 March 2025
On February 27, the Ukrainian Language Education Centre hosted a webinar titled "Flourishing or Floundering? Exploring Ukrainian Elementary Schoolteacher Understandings of Their Professional Experience." The webinar focused on the professional experiences of Ukrainian elementary school teachers during significant educational reforms and crises, particularly the COVID-19 pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine. Dr. Ulana Pidzamecky, drawing from her research, presented an in-depth examination of how Ukrainian teachers perceive their professional growth amid these challenges. She explored concepts of flourishing and capabilities, emphasizing the need for teachers to engage with research to adapt to new demands while maintaining their professional autonomy.
Dr. Pidzamecky discussed how Ukrainian teachers navigate their careers within a post-Soviet and neoliberal policy framework, highlighting both the challenges and opportunities for professional flourishing. Using qualitative methods, including narrative inquiry and visual storytelling, the study provided valuable insights into the experiences of educators. Themes of perseverance, innovation, and identity were central to understanding how teachers continue to thrive despite adversity.
The research also focused on resilience, with teachers adapting to digital and hybrid learning models while remaining connected to professional communities. Dr. Pidzamecky highlighted how education serves as a form of resistance in wartime, showing how Ukrainian teachers persist in their work under extreme conditions, fostering both personal and professional agency.
Dr. Ulana Pidzamecky (EdD, University of Glasgow) is an associate researcher at Ontario Tech University.
For those who wish to access a recording of the webinar, it is available on YouTube here: