The Meaning of Work for Indonesian Professional Teacher in Vocational Education: A Phenomenological Research

Abstract

Research on the meaning of work for professional teachers in vocational education is still rare. This study fills that void by exploring the experiences of vocational teachers who have received awards as professional teachers and outstanding teachers. This study aims to find the concepts of the meaning of work for professional teachers while carrying out their professional duties. A purposive sampling technique was used to determine 11 (eleven) vocational teachers as informants. Semi-structured interviews carried out data mining. Interview transcripts were analyzed using NVivo-12 with the stages of open coding, axial coding, and generic coding based on inductive themes. The study findings reveal 5 (five) themes: (1) helping students achieve future goals, (2) achieving important goals, (3) obtaining happiness and life satisfaction, (4) being valuable as a field of worship, and (5) aiming to develop their knowledge.