Resilience predicts well-being in teachers, but not in non-teaching employees

Reviewing the effect of teachers' resilience and wellbeing on their foreign language teaching enjoyment

This paper reviews evidence on teachers' resilience (TR) and wellbeing (TWB) on foreign language teaching enjoyment (FLTE). This review improves the understanding of the multi-dimensional, dynamic and context-dependent structural attributes of TR and TWB, as well as the relationship between them and the FLTE. The literature review verifies the positive effects of teachers' positive optimism, self-efficacy, positive teacher-student relationship, teacher support and pro-social dynamic classroom environment on TR and TWB under person-context interaction, and also confirms that TR and TWB have predictive effect and significant impact on personal enjoyment, social enjoyment and student appreciation of FLTE three-factor structure. Some important findings from the review verifies the important role of teachers' social enjoyment in the three-factor structure and the dominant role of prosocial situational characteristics in predicting FLTE. This paper finally explains its pedagogical significance and provides some suggestions for expanding the research on antecedent variables related to FLTE.

Teaching with collective resilience during COVID-19: Korean teachers and collaborative professionalism

This study applies system-focused resilience and collaborative professionalism to examine how teachers in Korea collectively developed resilience and transformed teaching during COVID-19. Using qualitative data from seven individual interviews and four focus groups, we found Korean teachers navigated complex challenges (rapidly changing policies, online teaching, exacerbated learning gaps, and excessive social pressure) and utilized contextual resources (collective autonomy and flexibility, solidity and solidarity, and collective responsibility) to develop strategies (collaborative inquiry, timely communication, and envisioning the future of schooling). The study extends teacher resilience toward more collective and communal, from the individual level, by linking resilience to collaborative systemic changes.

Validation of the World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) among medical educators in Hong Kong: a confirmatory factor analysis

BACKGROUND

The COVID-19 pandemic has exacerbated the pre-existing global crisis of physician burnout. Physician and particularly medical educator well-being, has come into focus as educators can influence their own and learners' well-being. Measuring this construct is one important step towards promoting well-being in the work and learning environments. The 5-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) has been validated in different populations worldwide for assessing well-being. Yet, its psychometric acceptability remains unexplored among medical educators in Asia including Hong Kong (HK). This study evaluates the validity of the WHO-5 when used among HK medical educators.

METHOD

Using data from 435 medical educators, we employed combined within-network (confirmatory factor analysis; CFA) and between-network approaches (correlation and regression) to scale validation.

RESULTS

CFA results indicated that our data fit the a priori WHO-5 model, suggesting structural validity. Results of comparison of means indicated no gender differences, but there were significant differences when participants were compared by age and professional backgrounds. Resilience predicted well-being as measured by the WHO-5, suggesting construct criterion validity.

CONCLUSIONS

Our findings extend the validity evidence for the WHO-5 to HK medical educators examined in this study. This enables their well-being to be assessed when evaluating the impact of future well-being programmes.

Job stress and burnout among ideological and political education teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic: A moderated mediation model

Job burnout among ideological and political education (IPE) teachers in China is a complex problem and rewarding area of research. This study explored the relationship between job stress and burnout among ideological and political education (IPE) teachers in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic. The cross-sectional design included a sample of self-report measures sampled from 362 university IPE teachers. Using multiple line regression analysis, our main findings were as follows: first, job stress had a significant predictive effect on work-family conflict and job burnout; second, work-family conflict mediated the relationship between job stress and job burnout; and finally, resilience productively moderated the relationships between job stress and both work-family conflict and burnout. These results suggest that resilient IPE teachers are less likely to suffer from burnout. They indicate the need to systematically foster resilience in trainees and experienced instructors as a means of coping with adverse work conditions.

An empirical study on the influencing mechanism of Chinese university teachers’ wellbeing

Current studies on teachers’ wellbeing are mainly on lowering stress or burnout. Few studies have noted that faculty wellbeing is related to teaching activities. Teaching engagement and teaching experience are important predictor variables of teachers’ wellbeing, but the internal and external influencing mechanisms of teachers’ wellbeing have not been clearly revealed. Based on the survey data of 7,408 teachers from 271 undergraduate colleges and universities across China, the internal and external influencing mechanisms of teaching engagement and teaching experience on teachers’ wellbeing were investigated through multicluster structural equation modeling. The results were that teachers’ wellbeing was influenced by both teaching engagement and teaching experience. Among teaching engagement, teachers’ pre-class preparation and post-class communication positively influenced teaching experience, but in-class delivery negatively influenced teaching experience. Teaching experience partially mediates the relationship between engagement and wellbeing. At the level of internal influence, the more teachers identify with and feel accomplished by teaching, the more they invest time and energy in teaching; at the level of external influence, the school environment, leadership, and colleague support affect teachers’ wellbeing through the teaching experience. Universities should offer good teaching hardware and software for teachers, provide adequate teaching support, especially encourage teacher-student communication after class, weaken the rigid constraints and controls on teachers’ teaching in class, give teachers enough teaching autonomy, and reduce their teaching burden to inspire teachers to be more actively involved in teaching, improve their teaching experience, and thus enhance their sense of wellbeing.

The Effect of Trait Mindfulness on Subjective Well-Being of Kindergarten Teachers: The Sequential Mediating Roles of Emotional Intelligence and Work-Family Balance

Purpose

Teaching is a tough and stressful profession. Teachers' pressure and job burnout have become a common and serious problem, which makes teachers' subjective well-being feel a serious impact. The kindergarten environment is challenging and unique. The educational objects faced by kindergarten teachers are usually immature, which brings challenges to the teaching of kindergarten teachers. At the same time, in China, kindergarten teachers also need to undertake daily administrative management and other tasks. Therefore, focusing on the subjective well-being of kindergarten teachers in developing countries during the stage of the COVID-19 pandemic has important implications for promoting teacher well-being globally.

Patients and Methods

The study included 321 kindergarten teachers from 13 kindergartens in Jinan, Shandong Province, China. A cross-sectional study design was used with a cluster random sampling technique. For the present study, Five-Factor Mindfulness Questionnaire, Emotional Intelligence Scale, Work-Family Balance Scale and Subjective Well-being Scale were utilized.

Results

Findings of the study show that trait mindfulness can directly predict subjective well-being. Emotional intelligence played a mediating role in the relationship between trait mindfulness and subjective well-being. Work-family balance played a mediating role between trait mindfulness and subjective well-being. Emotional intelligence and work-family balance play a sequential mediating effect between trait mindfulness and subjective well-being.

Conclusion

This study explores the influence mechanism of trait mindfulness on kindergarten teachers' subjective well-being from the perspective of metacognition. An important conclusion of this study is that emotional intelligence and work-family balance play a sequential mediating effect between trait mindfulness and subjective well-being. We believe the findings of this study have important implications for enriching existing theory and educational practice. This finding has important implications for improving the subjective well-being of kindergarten teachers in developing countries, especially in the context of the current severe impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education systems.

In the Midst of a Pandemic

Abstract. The COVID-19 pandemic confronted teachers with unprecedented challenges to their well-being. Drawing on theories of teacher well-being and resilience, this qualitative study explores how teachers experience well-being in their work during the pandemic and the resilience process of activating strategies to maintain their well-being. Participants were 26 teachers from Australian primary and secondary schools. While teachers experienced personal stress or anxiety, they consciously adopted a positive outlook and deliberately engaged in various activities to restore their well-being. Relations with students and colleagues were constraints as well as key enablers of well-being. At the organizational level, flexibility and practical resources provided by schools was an enabler reported by all participants. The study is limited as teachers were from one location, but they reflected a range of schools, roles, and experiences. Findings indicate the proactive approach of teachers and the importance of contextual resources in restoring their well-being during the pandemic.

A Mixed-Methods Study on Senior High School EFL Teacher Resilience in China

While teacher resilience has gained significant attention in recent years, empirical exploration of this issue is still insufficient, particularly with regard to English as a foreign language (EFL) teacher resilience in China. In this context, this study employed a mixed-methods design to investigate Chinese EFL teacher resilience. Specifically, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC)-EFL Teacher Survey was distributed to 330 Chinese senior high school EFL teachers. Five volunteers in the survey sample participated in semi-structured interviews. The results revealed that resilience in Chinese senior high school EFL teachers was at a moderate to high level, and there was no significant difference in teacher resilience in relation to gender and years of teaching experience, but a small significant difference with teachers' educational background. Possible reasons for interpreting EFL teacher resilience were provided from personal and contextual perspectives. Finally, the implications of these findings were discussed for developing teacher resilience.

Big Five personality trait differences between students from different majors aspiring to the teaching profession

Person-Environment fit theories claim that students choose their academic path according to their personality. In this regard, teacher candidates are of special interest. On the one hand, they all make the same choice to enroll in a teacher education program. On the other hand, they make different choices with respect to the subjects they are going to teach. If the Person-Environment fit approach also applies to the selection regarding teacher candidates’ subject areas, teacher candidates from different majors might have different personality traits and as a result, different starting conditions for becoming a successful teacher. Such differences need to be taken into account by teacher education in order to create programs that allow teacher candidates from different majors to equally succeed. Therefore, the current study investigates to what extent personality group differences across majors occur within the population of teacher candidates. Using data from a large-scale study, the Big Five personality traits of 1735 female and 565 male teacher candidates were analyzed, with teacher candidates compared to male (n = 1122) and female (n = 1570) students who studied the same major but who did not intend to become teachers. Unlike previous studies, academic majors were not grouped into few broad categories, but eight different majors were distinguished. The results indicate that teacher candidates are more extraverted than their non-teaching counterparts. In addition, personality trait differences between teacher candidates from different majors could be observed. The results are discussed as they relate to the recruitment and training of future teachers.

Swiss Primary Teachers' Professional Well-Being During School Closure Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic

During sudden school closures in spring 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers had to move to distance teaching. This unprecedented situation could be expected to influence teacher well-being and schools as organizations. This article reports a qualitative study that aims at understanding how changes in teachers’ professional lives that were related to school closure affected Swiss primary teachers’ professional well-being. In semi-structured online-interviews, 21 teachers from 15 schools sampled by snowball method reported their experiences during school closure and distance teaching and how this situation influenced their professional well-being. Results showed that medium to high levels of teacher well-being could accompany a general negative evaluation of the move to distance teaching. Factors such as high work-load, social distancing and feelings of lack of competence and self-efficacy were among the most aversive aspects of distance teaching and associated with deteriorating professional well-being. Among a plethora of factors that supported teachers in maintaining their well-being, contextual work-related aspects such as school resources, collegial support or leadership support along with individual aspects such as resilience, coping strategies, and clear work structures were important. Additionally, it was found that teacher well-being was nourished by positive experiences with the new forms of distance teaching and feelings of professional mastery. Despite methodological limitations (snowball sampling, retrospective interviews), the findings of this study could inform schools and authorities about what is needed to support teacher well-being and might help to develop organizational strategies that aim at preventing harmful declines in teacher well-being during challenging and difficult times such as a pandemic.

Between Adaptation and Resistance: A Study on Resilience Competencies, Stress, and Well-Being in German VET Teachers

We demonstrate the relationships between occupational demands in German vocational education and training (VET) teacher training, stress symptoms, and different behavioral resilience competencies. Taking into account interindividual differences in resilience competencies, we use a typological approach to identify different types of (trainee) teachers classified by their degrees and configurations of resilience competencies. Our empirical analysis is based on questionnaire data from 131 German vocational trainees and qualified teachers. The results reveal, among other things, that all three resilience competencies-resistance, flexibility, and dynamism-are significantly negatively correlated with the demands of working conditions and workload. Via a latent class analysis, we were able to identify three groups of (trainee) teachers who differed in their resilience competencies to adapt appropriately to different situations and their requirements ("behavioral flexibility"), to recover rapidly from setbacks and to defy the expectations of others ("behavioral resistance"), and to initiate changes as soon as they are necessary or desirable ("behavioral dynamics"). More resilient (trainee) teachers show, among other things, lower values for anxiety as an emotional stress symptom and higher values for job engagement. The findings are discussed with regard to implications for VET teacher training and we stress the need for equilibration on a systemic perspective.

Teachers' psychological well-being role of emotional intelligence and resilient character traits in determining the psychological well-being of Indian school teachers

Purpose

The substance of the present study lies in analysing the extent to which intrinsic factors like emotional intelligence and resilient character traits impact the psychological well-being of school teachers. It prominences the mediating role of resilient character traits in the relationship between emotional intelligence and psychological well-being of teachers.

Design/methodology/approach

This cross-sectional survey study recruits a sample of 200 school teachers across the state of Haryana, India, with the help of a convenience sampling technique.

Findings

The findings from parallel multiple mediation indicate perseverance as a significant mediator and predictor of psychological well-being among factors of resilient traits, and self-reliance emerges as an inconsistent, yet significant mediator in the relationship between emotional intelligence and well-being of teachers. The direct effect of emotional intelligence on psychological well-being also emerged as statistically significant. Additionally, the female school teachers show higher emotional intelligence and resilience as compared to the male school teachers.

Practical implications

The research is not an unmitigated work in the exploration of a causal relationship between the study variables. However, the study draws practical suggestions for improving the perseverant and emotionally intelligent behaviour of teachers for better emotional and psychological adjustment at work. It acknowledges the role of school administration and education policymakers in furthering the betterment of teachers' psychological state for improved performance and effectiveness. Also, teamwork, stress reduction and leadership building appeared to be helpful contributors to enhance the perseverance and emotional intelligence among teachers.

Originality/value

Studies in the field of school administration rarely address the psychological well-being of school teachers as their concern. This study accentuates the impact of intrinsic antecedents of psychological well-being, which is neither well conceptualised in Indian studies nor is causally related to any psychological constructs. Therefore, it remarkably contributes to the literature in the field of educational management and leadership, providing an insight into the psyche of teachers from “the Orient”.

Teacher Training Can Make a Difference: Tools to Overcome the Impact of COVID-19 on Primary Schools. An Experimental Study

Overcoming the impact of the coronavirus pandemic (COVID-19) on primary schools is an emerging need and priority in the current social welfare system. Accordingly, this study presents an empirical learning package to support teachers, who perform frontline work in schools, in coping with stress, preventing burnout, improving their information and communications technology (ICT) competency, and introducing the principles of emotional intelligence (EI) in the classroom. The participants included 141 primary school teachers (M = 38.4 years, SD = 6.84; 54.6% women). They were randomly assigned to an experimental or control group. The experimental group participated in the 14-week teacher training program, whereas the control group did not participate in the program or receive any other training during the intervention. Repeated-measures analysis of variance (time x group) was performed to identify the effects of the teacher training program. Teachers who participated in the training program evaluated it positively and showed significant differences compared to the control group in their abilities to cope with stress and avoid burnout, their ICT competency, and their introduction of EI in the classroom. Implications for supporting teachers are discussed.

Resilience in people who stutter: Association with covert and overt characteristics of stuttering

PURPOSE

Recent literature stresses the importance of resilience, as a trait, for successful coping with life's difficulties or stressors. However, only a limited number of studies were conducted on resilience among people-who-stutter (PWS). These studies did not examine the association between resilience and the specific characteristics of stuttering. This study was, therefore, aimed to directly examine the association between resilience and measures of both the covert and overt characteristics of stuttering.

METHOD

Thirty adults who stutter completed the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC) and the Overall Assessment of Speaker's Experience of Stuttering - Adults (OASES-A). In addition, stuttering severity of all participants was quantified using the Stuttering Severity Instrument-4 (SSI-4). The associations between all measures were examined statistically.

RESULTS

A strong and significant association was found between the participants' scores on the CD-RISC and the OASES-A (r= -.79, p < .001). In contrast, no significant correlation was found between the participants' scores in the CD-RISC and the SSI-4 (r = .02, p > .05). Within our cohort, no significant association was observed between the participants' gender and age and their resilience levels (p > 0.05).

CONCLUSION

This study demonstrates the role of resilience in shaping the individual's experience with stuttering. Results also show that the individuals' resilience levels do not necessarily predict stuttering severity per se, or its overt manifestations but can predict the individuals' subjective perception of his/her stuttering. This highlights the importance of addressing and promoting resilience among PWS in stuttering therapy.

Resilience moderates the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical communication ability among Chinese practice nursing students: A structural equation model analysis

OBJECTIVE

To examine the positive association between emotional intelligence and clinical communication ability among practice nursing students, and to determine whether resilience plays a moderating role in the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical communication ability among Chinese practice nursing students.

METHODS

Three hundred and seventy-seven practice nursing students from three hospitals participated in this study. They completed questionnaires including the Emotional Intelligence Inventory (EII), Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC-10), and Clinical Communication Ability Scale (CCAS). Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the relationships among emotional intelligence, resilience, and clinical communication ability.

RESULTS

Emotional intelligence was positively associated with clinical communication ability (P<0.01). Resilience significantly affected clinical communication ability (P<0.01) and moderated the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical communication ability (P<0.01).

CONCLUSIONS

Emotional intelligence is positively related to clinical communication ability among Chinese practice nursing students, and resilience moderates the relationship between emotional intelligence and clinical communication ability, which may provide scientific evidence to aid in developing intervention strategies to improve clinical communication ability.

Development and Validation of the Five-by-Five Resilience Scale

This article introduces a new measure of resilience and five related protective factors. The Five-by-Five Resilience Scale (5×5RS) is developed on the basis of theoretical and empirical considerations. Two samples ( N = 475 and N = 613) are used to assess the factor structure, reliability, convergent validity, and criterion-related validity of the 5×5RS. Confirmatory factor analysis supports a bifactor model. The 5×5RS demonstrates adequate internal consistency as evidenced by Cronbach's alpha and empirical reliability estimates. The 5×5RS correlates positively with the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), a commonly used measure of resilience. The 5×5RS exhibits similar criterion-related validity to the CD-RISC as evidenced by positive correlations with satisfaction with life, meaning in life, and secure attachment style as well as negative correlations with rumination and anxious or avoidant attachment styles. 5×5RS scores are positively correlated with healthy behaviors such as exercise and negatively correlated with sleep difficulty and symptomology of anxiety and depression. The 5×5RS incrementally explains variance in some criteria above and beyond the CD-RISC. Item responses are modeled using the graded response model. Information estimates demonstrate the ability of the 5×5RS to assess individuals within at least one standard deviation of the mean on relevant latent traits.