Empowering Teachers: Exploring Early to Mid-Career Elementary School Teachers’ Relationships Between Wellness and Self-Efficacy

Abstract

Background: A cyclical relationship has been documented among a teacher’s self-efficacy, stress, and segments of their professional wellness (i.e., psychological, financial). Despite the recognized importance of teacher wellness and self-efficacy, research pertaining to public school elementary teachers specifically regarding these constructs is sparse.

Purpose: The current exploratory study aimed to discover the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and teacher wellness, controlling for factors such as time spent teaching, and potential site-based differences in the relationship.

 Methods: The sample was comprised of 33 elementary school teachers across two elementary schools (K-5th grades), in two geographically different states, who completed the standardized Teacher Sense of Self-Efficacy Scale Short Form and the Five Factor Wellness Inventory.

Results: Results from a Spearman’s rho indicated that, for both schools, there was a moderate, statistically significant, positive correlation between teachers’ self-efficacy and wellness with higher self-efficacy related to higher wellness.

Conclusions: Given the results, the new insights into the relationship between teacher wellness and self-efficacy, regardless of location, indicates that preservice higher education training programs must emphasize the critical priority of building, supporting, and creating sustainable practices for teacher wellness and self-efficacy. As these practices begin prior to entering the profession, teachers can implement their coping skills to maintain higher wellness and self-efficacy levels, providing healthy modeling to others and potentially increasing effectiveness of instruction and retention levels.

  • Page Number : 1–11

  • Published Date : 2023-09-04

  • Keywords
    Elementary teacher(s), Teacher wellness, K-12 Educators, Teacher self-efficacy

  • DOI Number
    10.15415/iie.2024.121001

  • Authors
    Anna O’Dell and Laura Ainsworth

References

  • Aldrup, K., Klusmann, U., & Lüdtke, O. (2017). Does basic need satisfaction mediate the link between stress exposure and well-being? A diary study among beginning teachers. Learning and Instruction, 50(1), 21-30. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.learninstruc.2016.11.005
  • Aloe, A. M., Amo, L. C., & Shanahan, M. E. (2014). Classroom management self-efficacy and burnout: A multivariate meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 26, 101-126. doi:10.1007/s10648-013-9244-0
  • Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. New York, NY: W.H. Freeman and Company.
  • Bascia, N. (2010). Reducing class size: What do we know?. Canadian Education Association: Ontario Institute for Studies in Education. Retrieved from http://www.cea-ace.ca/sites/cea-ace.ca/files/cea-2010-class-size_0.pdf
  • Beltman, S., Mansfield, C., & Price, A. (2011). Thriving not just surviving: A review of research on teacher resilience. Educational Research Review, 6(3), 185-207. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2011.09.001
  • Braun, S.S., Schonert-Reichl, K.A., & Roeser, R.W. (2020). Effects of teachers’ emotion regulation, burnout, and life satisfaction on student well-being. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 69(1), 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.appdev.2020.101151
  • Brouwers, A., & Tomic, W. (2000). A longitudinal study of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy in classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 239-253. doi:10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00057-8
  • Caples, C., & McNeese, M. N. (2010). Student misbehavior and teacher persistence among beginning and veteran teachers. The International Journal of Learning, 17, 427-436. doi:10.18848/1447-9494/CGP/v17i06/47105
  • Curry, J. R., & O’Brien, E. R. (2012). Shifting to a wellness paradigm in teacher education: A promising practice for fostering teacher stress reduction, burnout resilience, and promoting retention. Ethical Human Psychology and Psychiatry, 14, 178-191. doi:10.1891/1559-4343.14.3.178
  • Dave, D.J., McClure, L.A., Rojas, S.R., De Lavalette, O., & Lee, D.J. (2020). Impact of mindfulness training on the well-being of educators. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 26(7), 645-691.
  • Davidson, K. V. (2009). Challenges contributing to teacher stress and burnout. Southeastern Teacher Education Journal, 2(2), 47-56.
  • Eisenman, G., Edwards, S., & Cushman, C. A. (2015). Bringing reality to classroom management in teacher education. Professional Educator, 39(1), 1-12.
  • Hair Jr., J. F., Hult, G. T. M., Ringle, C. M., & Sarstedt, M. (2017). A primer on partial least squares structural equation modeling (PLS-SEM) (2nd ed.). Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage.
  • Harwell, D., & Daniel, M. (2012). Promoting teacher effectiveness through a holistic wellness model. Problems of Education in the 21st Century, 40(1), 75-87.
  • Hattie, J., Myers, J.E., Sweeney, T.J. (2004). A factor structure of wellness: Theory, assessment, analysis, and practice. Journal of Counseling and Development: JCD, 82(3), 354-364. doi: 10.1002/j.1556-6678.2004.tb00321.x
  • Hultell, D., Melin, B., & Gustavsson, J. P. (2013). Getting personal with teacher burnout: A longitudinal study on the development of burnout using a person-based approach. Teaching and Teacher Education, 32(1), 75-86. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2013.01.007
  • Jones, S. M., & Bouffard, S. M. (2012). Social and emotional learning in schools: From programs to strategies. Sharing Child and Youth Development Knowledge, 26(4), 1-33. doi:10.1002/j.2379-3988.2012.tb00073.x
  • King, E. K., Johnson, A. V., Cassidy, D. J., Wang, Y. C., Lower, J. K., & Kintner-Duffy, V. L. (2016). Preschool teachers’ financial well-being and work time supports: Associations with children’s emotional expressions and behaviors in classrooms. Early Childhood Education Journal, 44, 545-553. doi:10.1007/s10643-015-0744-z
  • 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, 741-756. doi:10.1037/a0019237
  • Kokkinos, C. M. (2007). Job stressors, personality and burnout in primary school teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77, 229-243. doi:10.1348/000709905X90344
  • Liang, J., Peng, L., Zhao, S., & Wu, H. (2017). Relationship among workplace spirituality, meaning in life, and psychological well-being of teachers. Universal Journal of Educational Research, 5, 1008-1013. doi:10.13189/ujer.2017.050613
  • Mathis, W. J. (2016). The effectiveness of class size reduction. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/research-based-options
  • McCarthy, C. J., Lambert, R. G., & Reiser, J. (2014). Vocational concerns of elementary teachers: Stress, job satisfaction, and occupational commitment. Journal of Employment Counseling, 51(1), 59-74. doi:10.1002/j.2161-1920.2014.00042.x
  • Milfont, T. L., Denny, S., Ameratunga, S., Robinson, E., & Merry, S. (2008). Burnout and wellbeing: Testing the Copenhagen burnout inventory in New Zealand. Social Indicators Research, 89(1), 169-177. doi:10.1007/s11205-007-9229-9
  • Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2004). The indivisible self: An evidence-based model of wellness. Journal of Individual Psychology, 60, 234-245.
  • Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2006). The five factor wellness and habit change workbook [PDF]. Purchased from Mind Garden, Inc. https://www.mindgarden.com/
  • Myers, J. E., & Sweeney, T. J. (2014). Five factor wellness inventory (FFWEL) 2nd edition manual: Adult, teen & elementary forms [PDF]. Purchased from Mind Garden, Inc. https://www.mindgarden.com/
  • Nwoko, J. C., Emeto T. I., Malau-Aduli, A. E. O., & Malau-Aduli, B. S. (2023). A systematic review of the factors that influence teachers’ occupational wellbeing. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 20(12), 6070. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph20126070
  • Oberle, E., & Schonert-Reichl, K.A. (2016). Stress contagion in the classroom? The link between classroom teacher burnout and morning cortisol in elementary school students. Social Science & Medicine, 159(1), 30-37. doi:10.1016/j.socscimed.2016.04.031
  • Positive Behavioral Interventions & Supports (PBIS). (2023). What is PBIS?. https://www.pbis.org
  • Price, D., & McCallum, F. (2015). Ecological influences on teachers’ well-being and “fitness”. Asia-Pacific Journal of Teacher Education, 43, 195-209. doi:10.1080/1359866X.2014.932329
  • Public School Review. (2015). WJ Quarles elementary school. Retrieved from https://www.publicschoolreview.com/wj-quarles-elementary-school-profile
  • Schanzenbach, D. W. (2014). Does class size matter?. National Education Policy Center. Retrieved from http://nepc.colorado.edu/publication/does-class-size-matter
  • Stauffer, S. D., & Mason, E. C. M. (2013). Addressing elementary school teachers’ professional stressors: Practical suggestions for schools and administrators. Education Administration Quarterly, 49, 809-837. doi:10.1177/0013161X13482578
  • Taxer, J.L., & Gross, J.J. (2018). Emotion regulation in teachers: The “why” and “how”. Teaching and Teacher Education, 74(1), 180-189. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2018.05.008
  • Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, A. W. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783-805. doi:10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
  • Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk-Hoy, A. (n.d). Teachers’ sense of efficacy scale1 (short form). Retrieved from http://u.osu.edu/hoy.17/files/2014/09/TSES-+-scoring-zted8m.pdf
  • Watson, J. C., Harper, S., & Ratliff, L. (2010). Holistic wellness and perceived stress: Predicting job satisfaction among beginning teachers. Research in the Schools, 17(1), 29-37.
  • Zee, M., & Koomen, H. M. Y. (2016). Teacher self-efficacy and its effects on classroom processes, student academic adjustment, and teacher well-being: A synthesis of 40 years of research. Review of Educational Research, 86, 981-1015. doi:10.3102/0034654315626801