McCallum 2010

Source:   RESEARCH STUDY/ARTICLE

APA Citation:

McCallum, F., & Price, D. (2010). Well teachers, well students. Journal of Student Wellbeing, 4(1), 19-34.

Author bio:

McCallum, Faye – Associate Dean: Teaching and Learning, School of Education, University of South Australia

Price, Deborah – Lecturer, School of Education, University of South Australia

Central Argument/Thesis:

Promoting self-awareness of wellbeing in beginning teachers will contribute to their longevity and productivity 19

Retention of teachers is dependent on having a wellbeing strategy in place that clearly identifies inhibiting and enabling strategies. Beginning teachers need to be able to identify such strategies to remain well – for themselves and the future of our children and young people 19

Discussion – Conclusion:

Beginning teachers must adopt enabling wellbeing strategies if they are to be retained as effective practitioners and as role models that contribute to the wellbeing of future generations 32

The community, school leaders and employers are instrumental in helping to raise awareness, and to establish and maintain positive workplace practices that foster working and learning conditions appropriate for the development of wellbeing for future teachers and leaders … holistic approach emphasizes how social and cultural forces shape individual and group identities 32

Notable Quotes (w/page numbers):

Educational discourse for beginning teachers predominately identifies experiences, qualities, and ideas to enable student wellbeing. There also exists in the discourse a persistent focus on student achievement and the desire for them to fulfil their maximum educational potential in order to contribute to society. (teachers promote student wellbeing) 20

Wellbeing constructs, and conceptual frameworks for both student and teacher wellbeing … acknowledge that to be well, physical, social, emotional, cognitive, and spiritual dimensions need to be valued. Taking responsibility and developing a sense of agency in one’s own wellbeing is central to productivity, wellness and a sustained teaching career. 20

Enabling teacher wellbeing experiences demands active participation (physical activity, cognitive stimulation, social interactions, and a connection with significant places) … connectedness and communication are essential to establishing supportive and productive communities … positive attitude, taking ownership and responsibility, along with identifying as a lifelong learner are qualities that sustain teacher wellbeing and identity 20

Teacher retention is a global concern … Farber (1991, cited in Hakanen, Bakker, and Schaufeli, 2006) estimated that between 5% - 20% of United States teachers are burned out and the significance of this is that teacher stress and burnout affect the schools’ study climate, lower morale, prevent the attainment of educational objectives, and increase the probability of teachers leaving their posts 21

The changing nature of teachers’ work and how it is regulated and managed with the 21^st century plays a significant role in job satisfaction … incongruity between demands placed upon teachers and the ability to resource such demands … emotional demands (student discipline, counselling/social work), social support, performance management, mentoring and organizational leadership … cognitive and emotional effort required for the physical, psychological, social, and organizational aspects of teaching … continually evolving pedagogy, policy development, rapid development in the area of information and communication technologies, social and political pressure, curriculum, methodology and assessment promotes relentless demands on teachers 21

Deficit media views can influence perceptions of the teaching profession to such an extent that the negativity can impact teacher morale 21

… [it is demanded] that education must play a role in promoting a sense of belonging, values-based learning, engaging at-risk students, child protection, social networking and keeping abreast of mass media influences … these social and political pressures fuel unrealistic expectations of teachers 22

Interpersonal relationships may contribute to a negative work environment and lack of support, recognition, trust and respect amongst colleagues, parents, leadership and students 22

In this paper we see wellbeing as being systematically developmental, which implies the promotion of positive personal and physical identities as well as a sense of belonging … body and mind cannot be separated when it comes to learning 23

Contemporary research into teacher wellbeing identifies numerous inhibiting and protective factors with a focus on resilience. Protective factors, such as managing stress and learning coping skills, are a reaction to a state of unwellness … we argue that beginning teachers require more than awareness of these risk and protective factors; they should also be skilled with enabling wellbeing strategies 23

Fatigue, illness, mental problems, anxiety, anger, isolation, intolerance, and loneliness have been identified as contributing factors to teacher stress. These can sometimes make teachers susceptible to illness and other related health risks and cause physical and mental exhaustion 25

Beginning teachers expressed an awareness of their poor health and wellbeing, which was exacerbated by drinking too much coffee or alcohol, being tired due to sleep deprivation or anxiety, and feeling depressed 26

The beginning teachers also felt that the level of responsibility changed when they transitioned from preservice teacher to teacher. They mentioned that they were required to have extensive content knowledge in order to teach effectively … need to cater for diverse family and cultural contexts in the curriculum … they held high expectations for their students, which led to mixed feelings about their teaching capabilities, a situation which forces new teachers to prove themselves as worthy and credible 27

[stressed increased with the transition from preservice teacher to teacher because of ] increased levels of administrative paperwork, a breakdown in discipline, media criticism, new assessment procedures and curriculum innovations, parent and community expectations, increased workload pressures, lack of influence over decision-making, and inadequate salary 28

A significant recurring theme for the beginning teachers was the realistic awareness of the lessened time available to them, particularly in the initial stages of their career 29

A positive emotional state was enhanced if individuals had a balance of social activities in their personal or work lives 29

Inclusion of the voice of members of the school community in contributing to decision-making, policy development, and social activities … promoted a sense of belonging, value, mutual respect, and collegiality within the community 30

Building relationships with students, parents, and community members [is] a vital ingredient in the social and emotional space … typified by being active listener and open communicator, which was sometimes implemented through various means including social networking sites 30

Teachers saw the importance of maintaining study, professional development, training and inquiry into one’s practice as contributions to cognitive wellbeing … being planned and well-organized for daily teaching, supported by the skills of flexibility and adaptability, were essential survival strategies for the classroom 30

Beginning teachers who acknowledged they had positive wellbeing demonstrated that they also had personal and professional protective qualities that influenced their state of competence. These included social competence, problem-solving strategies, autonomy, a futures perspective, hope and feelings of belonging to a team that shared a common purpose 32