Psychological well-being and coping strategies among secondary school teachers: A cross-sectional study

"SHIELDing" Our Educators: Comprehensive Coping Strategies for Teacher Occupational Well-Being

BACKGROUND

Teaching is a physically and mentally challenging profession that demands high emotional involvement, often leading to stress and anxiety. Understanding how teachers cope with these demands is essential for enhancing their well-being and effectiveness.

OBJECTIVES

This study aimed to (1) investigate personal and school-based well-being initiatives that teachers use for maintaining their occupational well-being, and (2) develop a coping strategy model that enhances teachers' occupational well-being.

METHODS

This study utilised a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the coping strategies of Australian primary school teachers.

RESULTS

The twenty-one participants interviewed employed ten diverse coping strategies classified into five personal and five school-based well-being-enabling initiatives. The personal strategies included setting boundaries, exercise and physical health, social support and interactions, mental health and mindfulness, and work-life balance. The school-based initiatives comprised supportive leadership, colleague support, flexibility and autonomy, resource availability, and proactive approaches to address challenges. A novel SHIELD model incorporating Support, Health, Interaction, Empathy, Leadership, and Development strategies was formulated as a holistic coping strategy for enhancing teachers' occupational well-being.

CONCLUSIONS

The findings highlight the necessity of a holistic approach to teacher well-being, integrating both personal and institutional support systems. Schools can enhance teacher well-being by fostering a supportive and empathetic culture, providing necessary resources, and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The SHIELD model offers a comprehensive framework for supporting teachers and improving educational outcomes.

Teachers' post-pandemic outlook on the role of Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge in coping with burnout under adverse conditions: How a job demand transformed into a job resource

Introduction

The sudden change of instructional mode from face-to-face to online teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic forced teachers to develop their ICT skills and knowledge to cope with newly imposed job pressures. The imbalance between job demands and resources in this context led to teachers' severe burnout. This retrospective study utilized a mixed methods approach to examine teachers' coping mechanisms, Technological and Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), and job burnout amid the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods

Data were gathered from 307 teachers on their experience of emergency remote teaching (ERT) at the time they returned to school in the Spring of 2022. Structural Equation Modeling was used to investigate the mediating role of TPACK in the relationship between coping strategies and burnout.

Results

The results revealed direct effects in the pathways of avoidant, active positive, and evasive coping to burnout highlighting the role of avoidant strategies in harming teachers' well-being and problem-focused strategies in promoting teachers' mental health. Also, indirect effects of active positive coping to burnout through TPACK, as a constructive approach to fighting back the crisis, were verified. Further, the direct effect of TPACK on burnout as a hindrance was significant, showing that higher levels of TPACK guaranteed lower job burnout and emotional drain. Analyzing interviews with 31 teachers revealed that TPACK functioned as a stressor at the outset of the pandemic and a resource for overcoming the strain and resolving the challenges in the midst of the crisis till schools reopened.

Discussion

The findings underscore the significant role of teachers' updated knowledge base in reducing their job pressure and taking proper decisions to cope well with unforeseen circumstances. The study has practical implications for policymakers, teacher educators, and school administrators to pay immediate attention to collective wisdom, organizational support, and technological infrastructures for improving teachers' well-being and professional success.