Teachers' well-being in times of Covid-19 pandemic: factors that explain professional well-being

Regina Alves; Teresa Lopes; José Precioso

doi:10.46661/ijeri.5120

Authors

Regina Alves CIEC - Research Center of Child Studies,Institute of Education, University of Minho
Teresa Lopes CIEC – Research Centre Child Studies, Institute of Education – University of Minho
José Precioso CIEC – Research Centre Child Studies, Institute of Education – University of Minho

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.46661/ijeri.5120

Keywords:

COVID-19, Teachers, Well-being, Job satisfaction, future perspectives

Abstract

This cross-sectional study was aimed to describe and analyse factors related to the professional well-being of Portuguese teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. A previously validated, anonymous and online questionnaire was applied to a non-probabilistic sample of Portuguese teachers. In addition to the socio-demographic and professional variables, the questionnaire measured subjective and professional well-being, satisfaction with the education system and future perspectives regarding the professional circumstances. The psychometric characteristics of the questionnaire were analysed, the t-test and ANOVA were used to analyse the differences between the main variables and the socio-demographic and professional characteristics, along with the generalized linear model in order to more precisely determine the predicting factors of teachers' professional well-being. The results showed that the majority of respondents have a moderately positive perception of well-being. Teachers were satisfied with the education system before the pandemic. The pandemic has reduced the perception of well-being in the face of the profession, creating some concern among teachers about their professional future. Sex, length of service, well-being, perceptions of teaching difficulties and future perspectives proved to be predictors of professional well-being in times of pandemic. This study provided scientific bases for the development of interventions that improve the professional well-being of teachers, which focus on emotional management and the development of digital skills in teachers with long careers. This piece of research concluded with thorough evidence that there is a need for further and stronger investment in public policies for the reform and, consequently, for the renewal of the teaching class.

Downloads

Download data is not yet available.

References

Alves, R. F., Precioso, J. A. G., & Becona, E. (2020). Well-being and health perception of university students in Portugal: the influence of parental support and love relationship. Health Psychology Report, 8(2), 145–154. https://doi.org/10.5114/hpr.2020.94723

Azevedo, J., Veiga, J., & Ribeiro, D. (2016). As preocupações e motivações dos professores: apresentação dos resultados de um inquérito (Fundação M). Vila Nova de Gaia, Portugal.

Aziri, B. (2011). Job satisfaction: a literature review. Management Research and Practice, 3(4), 77–86.

Becker, E. S., Goetz, T., Morger, V., & Ranellucci, J. (2014). The importance of teachers’ emotions and instructional behavior for their students’ emotions - An experience sampling analysis. Teaching and Teacher Education, 43, 15–26. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.05.002

Briones, P. E., Urbieta, T. C., & Arenas, M. A. (2010). Job Satisfaction of Secondary School Teachers: Effect of Demographic and Psycho-Social Factors. Revista de Psicología Del Trabajo y de Las Organizaciones, 26(2), 115–122. https://doi.org/10.5093/tr2010v26n2a3

Bullough, R. V., Hall-Kenyon, K. M., & MacKay, K. L. (2012). Head Start Teacher Well-Being: Implications for Policy and Practice. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(6), 323–331. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-012-0535-8

Çevik, G. B. (2017). The Roles of Life Satisfaction, Teaching Efficacy, and Self-esteem in Predicting Teachers’ Job Satisfaction. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5(3), 338–346. https://doi.org/10.13189/ujer.2017.050306

Chan, D. W. (2006). Emotional intelligence and components of burnout among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(8), 1042–1054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2006.04.005

Christensen, L. B., Johnson, B., & Turner, L. A. (2015). Research methods, design, and analysis. Boston: Pearson.

Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., Perry, N. E., & Martin, A. J. (2015). Teacher Well-Being: Exploring Its Components and a Practice-Oriented Scale. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 33(8), 744–756. https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282915587990

Demirel, H. (2014). An investigation of the relationship between job and life satisfaction among teachers Selection and peer review under the responsibility of Prof. Dr. Servet Bayram. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 116, 4925–4931. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.01.1051

Diener, E., Lucas, R. E., & Oishi, S. (2018). Advances and Open Questions in the Science of Subjective Well-Being. Collabra: Psychology, 4(1), 15. https://doi.org/10.1525/collabra.115

Feng, B. (2007). A study of teacher job satisfaction and factors that influence it. Chinese Education and Society, 40(5), 47–64. https://doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932400506

Furtado, S. C. O., & Medeiros, T. (2017). Subjective well-being of teachers in pre-retirement. Revista de Estudios e Investigación En Psicología y Educación, 4(2), 99. https://doi.org/10.17979/reipe.2017.4.2.1889

Garrick, A., Mak, A. S., Cathcart, S., Winwood, P. C., Bakker, A. B., & Lushington, K. (2018). Non-Work Time Activities Predicting Teachers’ Work-Related Fatigue and Engagement: An Effort-Recovery Approach. Australian Psychologist, 53(3), 243–252. https://doi.org/10.1111/ap.12290

Goroshit, M., & Hen, M. (2016). Teachers’ empathy: can it be predicted by self-efficacy? Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 22(7), 805–818. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2016.1185818

Gursel, M., Sunbul, A. M., & Sari, H. (2002). An analysis of burnout and job satisfaction between Turkish headteachers and teachers. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 17(1), 35–45. Retrieved from http://www.jstor.com/stable/23421427

Harding, S., Morris, R., Gunnell, D., Ford, T., Hollingworth, W., Tilling, K., … Kidger, J. (2019). Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? Journal of Affective Disorders, 242, 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.080

Hongying, S. (2007). Literature Review of Teacher Job Satisfaction. Chinese Education & Society, 40(5), 11–16. https://doi.org/10.2753/CED1061-1932400502

Huang, S., & Yin, H. (2018). Teacher Efficacy and Affective Well-Being in Hong Kong: An Examination of Their Relationships and Individual Differences. ECNU Review of Education, 1(2), 102–126. https://doi.org/10.30926/ecnuroe2018010205

Inandi, Y., Tunç, B., & Uslu, F. (2013). Relationship between job satisfaction and career barriers for the academic staff of the education faculties. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 3(1), 219–238. https://doi.org/10.12973/jesr.2013.3112a

Inchley, J. C., Currie, D., Budisavljevic, S., Torsheim, T., Jåstad, A., Cosma, A., … Arnarsson, Á. M. (2020). Spotlight on adolescent health and well-being. Findings from the 2017/2018 Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) survey in Europe and Canada. International report. Volume 1. Key findings. (Vol. 1). Copenhagen. Retrieved from www.euro.who.int

Jensen, B., Sandoval-Hernández, A., Knoll, S., & Gonzalez, E. J. (2012). The Experience of New Teachers: Results from TALIS 2008 (TALIS). OECD. https://doi.org/10.1787/9789264120952-en

Katrin Arens, A., & Morin, A. J. S. (2016). Relations between teachers’ emotional exhaustion and students’ educational outcomes. Journal of Educational Psychology, 108(6), 800–813. https://doi.org/10.1037/edu0000105

Kidger, J., Brockman, R., Tilling, K., Campbell, R., Ford, T., Araya, R., … Gunnell, D. (2016). Teachers’ wellbeing and depressive symptoms, and associated risk factors: A large cross sectional study in English secondary schools. Journal of Affective Disorders, 192, 76–82. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2015.11.054

Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on Teachers’ Self-Efficacy and Job Satisfaction: Teacher Gender, Years of Experience, and Job Stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102(3), 741–756. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019237

Konu, A., Viitanen, E., & Lintonen, T. (2010). Teachers’ wellbeing and perceptions of leadership practices. International Journal of Workplace Health Management, 3(1), 44–57. https://doi.org/10.1108/17538351011031939

Kotaman, H. (2016). Turkish early childhood teachers’ emotional problems in early years of their professional lives. European Early Childhood Education Research Journal, 24(3), 365–381. https://doi.org/10.1080/1350293X.2014.970849

Kurt, N., & Demirbolat, A. O. (2019). Investigation of the Relationship Between Psychological Capital Perception, Psychological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction of Teachers. Journal of Education and Learning, 8(1). https://doi.org/10.5539/jel.v8n1p87

Kyriacou, C. (2001). Teacher stress: Directions for future research. Educational Review, 53(1), 27–35. https://doi.org/10.1080/00131910120033628

Mattern, J., & Bauer, J. (2014). Does teachers’ cognitive self-regulation increase their occupational well-being? The structure and role of self-regulation in the teaching context. Teaching and Teacher Education, 43, 58–68. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2014.05.004

McInerney, D. M., Korpershoek, H., Wang, H., & Morin, A. J. S. (2018). Teachers’ occupational attributes and their psychological wellbeing, job satisfaction, occupational self-concept and quitting intentions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 71, 145–158. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2017.12.020

Mehdinezhad, V. (2012). Relationship between High School teachers’ wellbeing and teachers’ efficacy. Acta Scientiarum. Education, 34(2). https://doi.org/10.4025/actascieduc.v34i2.16716

Moè, A., Pazzaglia, F., & Ronconi, L. (2010). When being able is not enough. The combined value of positive affect and self-efficacy for job satisfaction in teaching. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(5), 1145–1153. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2010.02.010

Puertas Molero, P., Zurita Ortega, F., Ubago Jiménez, J. L., & González Valero, G. (2019). Influence of Emotional Intelligence and Burnout Syndrome on Teachers Well-Being: A Systematic Review. Social Sciences, 8(6), 185. https://doi.org/10.3390/socsci8060185

Pulido-Martos, M., Lopez-Zafra, E., Estévez-López, F., & Augusto-Landa, J. M. (2016). The Moderator Role of Perceived Emotional Intelligence in the Relationship between Sources of Stress and Mental Health in Teachers. Spanish Journal of Psychology, 19. https://doi.org/10.1017/sjp.2016.8

Reimer, F. M., & Schleicher, A. (2020). Schooling Disrupted, Schooling Rethought: How the Covid-19 pandemic is changing education.

Sahito, Z., & Vaisanen, P. (2020). A literature review on teachers’ job satisfaction in developing countries: Recommendations and solutions for the enhancement of the job. Review of Education, 8(1), 3–34. https://doi.org/10.1002/rev3.3159

Sisask, M., Värnik, P., Värnik, A., Apter, A., Balazs, J., Balint, M., … Wasserman, D. (2014). Teacher satisfaction with school and psychological well-being affects their readiness to help children with mental health problems. Health Education Journal, 73(4), 382–393. https://doi.org/10.1177/0017896913485742

Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2015). Job satisfaction, stress and coping strategies in the teaching profession-what do teachers say? International Education Studies, 8(3), 181–192. https://doi.org/10.5539/ies.v8n3p181

Spector, P. (1997). Job Satisfaction: Application, Assessment, Causes, and Consequences. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks California 91320 United States: SAGE Publications, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781452231549

Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Thijs, J. T. (2011, December 12). Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships. Educational Psychology Review. Springer. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9170-y

Tang, Y. (2018). What makes rural teachers happy? An investigation on the subjective well-being (SWB) of Chinese rural teachers. International Journal of Educational Development, 62, 192–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2018.05.001

Virtanen, A., De Bloom, J., & Kinnunen, U. (2020). Relationships between recovery experiences and well-being among younger and older teachers. International Archives of Occupational and Environmental Health, 93(2), 213–227. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00420-019-01475-8

Yildirim, K. (2015). Testing the main determinants of teachers’ professional well-being by using a mixed method. Teacher Development, 19(1), 59–78. https://doi.org/10.1080/13664530.2014.970663

Yin, H. biao, Lee, J. C. K., Zhang, Z. hua, & Jin, Y. le. (2013). Exploring the relationship among teachers’ emotional intelligence, emotional labor strategies and teaching satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education, 35, 137–145. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2013.06.006

Yorulmaz, Y. I., Colak, I., & Altinkurt, Y. (2017). A Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Teachers’ Job Satisfaction and Burnout. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(71), 175–192. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2017.71.10

Zacher, H., & Schmitt, A. (2016). Work Characteristics and Occupational Well-Being: The Role of Age. Frontiers in Psychology, 7. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2016.01411