Session Information
99 ERC SES 05 L, Health and Wellbeing Education
Paper Session
Contribution
Prioritizing a teacher's professional well-being (PWB) is an unequivocal approach to increase the probability of attaining Sustainable Development Goal 4 (SDG4), particularly in lower GDP nations like India, where students primarily rely on their teachers for knowledge acquisition. However, the existing tools for evaluating a teacher's PWB in India may need to be attuned to the country's socio-cultural landscape.
While several studies have investigated teachers' PWB, they primarily originate from the global north (Uchida & Kitayama, 2009; Zhang et al., 2023) or use scales developed in Western countries (Jeyaraj, 2013; Kamboj & Garg, 2021; Raj et al., 2022 among others) or view the phenomenon only through a negative lens, focusing primarily on stress and burnout (Mooij, 2008; Kaur & Singh, 2019). However, significant aspects of well-being (WB) often hinge on personal or cultural perspectives rather than universally accepted factual truths (Thin, 2018), and there is imminent evidence that, conceptually, WB (and PWB) is a multidimensional phenomenon. Therefore, the need for socio-cultural understanding of PWB in India emerges as a gap in the literature.
The purpose of this study is to understand how Indian teachers perceive social and cultural factors in connection with their PWB and is guided by the research question: How do Indian teachers perceive social and cultural factors in connection to their professional well-being?
The research adopts a critical realist (Archer et al., 1998) philosophical viewpoint to explore PWB as an emerging phenomenon, considering empirical manifestations such as physical health and relationships. Emphasizing PWB as a collective endeavor, the study aligns with Bronfenbrenner's bio-ecological model (Bronfenbrenner, 1974), highlighting the interconnectedness of PWB with socio-cultural structures.
The principal researcher's Indian heritage, experience as a teacher in India and abroad, and knowledge of Hindi act as vantage points and can be of immense value when it comes to interpreting cultural nuances, understanding the intricacies of the education system (in comparison to that of the West), and fostering a deeper connection with the participants. The project is conducted under the guidance of supervisors who are advanced in the field of teacher education and research.
The study acknowledges limitations in its applicability to other cultural contexts due to its emphasis on the Indian context. Even within India, it may not represent all. The collection of empirical data is limited to English or Hindi, which may cause bias. Relying solely on virtual interviews may affect the depth of interpersonal connections and non-verbal cues vital in qualitative research. The researcher's Indian-born background may bring bias that could affect data interpretation.
In India, education is a fundamental right. Therefore, a society that values the education of its children should establish evidence-based policies at the state level to ensure that school leaders and administrations are obliged to implement plans regularly tracking the PWB of teachers. The objective of this tracking is to understand, improve, and sustain PWB and thus benefit the learning of children while maximizing the potential of teachers.
In the future, it may be possible to translate this scale into other Indian languages and utilize a comparative methodology to produce similar scales and plans in other countries, such as in the European Union, which could serve as vital tools in achieving SDG 4. However, this is beyond the scope of the current study.
Method
This study focuses on examining the sociocultural understanding of teacher PWB in India. The study is conducted through a cross-sectional design with eleven significant milestones. It started with a State of the Art Review, followed by Desk Research examining reports from diverse entities to understand policies influencing PWB in India. After receiving approval from the University Ethical Committee, one-on-one online interviews will be conducted with teachers and experts employed via snowballing. Teacher interviews will be in the form of deliberate discussions (Ross, 2019; Scheunpflug et al., 2016), whereas expert interviews will be semi-structured. The main objective of the interview with teachers is to understand how teachers perceive and manage their PWB, and the interview with experts seeks to gather possible policy suggestions. The data from the desk research and all interviews will be triangulated by categorizing them into themes of 'values' and 'issues.' Each coded element will then be assigned a level tag (or tags) corresponding to the relevant bioecological sphere: Microsphere, Mesosphere, Exosphere, Macrosphere, or Chronosphere. The synthesized data will undergo an analysis process, and abduction will be used to uncover the intricate sociocultural underpinnings of PWB. The information emerging will provide a basis for making inferences that will be instrumental in the development of the questions in the Teacher PWB (TPWB) scale, which is a part of the quantitative stage of this study. The TPWB will be based on the PERMA+ framework (Seligman, 2018; Donaldson et al., 2022) and incorporate dimensions such as positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Additionally, it will incorporate four additional factors: physical health, mindset, physical work environments, and economic security. The scale will undergo pre-piloting to ensure language clarity and coherence. Next, it will undergo Pilot Testing, which involves online trials with Indian teachers, statistical analysis (Cronbach's alpha), and adjustments based on results.
Expected Outcomes
Knowledge Contribution: The study will comprehend the sociocultural factors that impact teachers' PWB and identify trends and practices that teachers use to manage situations that negatively impact their PWB. Practical Implications: The project outcomes could create a positive and supportive environment for school teachers, promote their PWB, and improve the quality of education by offering a tangible tool, i.e., the TPWB scale that can be used in educational institutions and help school administrators appraise their teachers PWB. This outcome bridges the gap between theory and practice. Policy Recommendations: The study also moves towards advocacy by providing evidence-based guidance to policymakers. It offers recommendations that are customized to the nuanced sociocultural landscape of India. By doing so, the study contributes to policy enhancement by providing guidelines to improve existing frameworks, ensuring that they are aligned with the unique needs of Indian teachers. Universal Achievement: Finally, the methodology employed in this study can be a valuable resource for developing similar tools in other sociocultural settings, especially in the European context. The approach can contribute to achieving SDG 4, which focuses on ensuring inclusive and equitable quality education and promoting lifelong learning opportunities for all.
References
Archer, M. S., Bhaskar, R., Collier, A., Lawson, T., & Norrie, A. (Eds.). (1998). Critical realism: Essential readings. Routledge. Bronfenbrenner, U. (1974). Developmental Research, Public Policy, and the Ecology of Childhood. Child Development, 45(1), 1. https://doi.org/10.2307/1127743 Coyne, I. T. (1997). Sampling in qualitative research. Purposeful and theoretical sampling; merging or clear boundaries? Journal of Advanced Nursing, 26(3), 623–630. https://doi.org/10.1046/j.1365-2648.1997.t01-25-00999.x Donaldson, S. I., van Zyl, L. E., & Donaldson, S. I. (2022). PERMA+4: A Framework for Work-Related Wellbeing, Performance and Positive Organizational Psychology 2.0. Frontiers in Psychology, p. 12. https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.817244 Jeyaraj, S. (2013). Occupational Stress among the Teachers of the Higher Secondary Schools in Madurai District, Tamil Nadu. IOSR Journal of Business and Management, 7(5), 63–76. https://doi.org/10.9790/487X-0756376 Kamboj, K. P., & Garg, P. (2021). Teachers' psychological well-being role of emotional intelligence and resilient character traits in determining the psychological well-being of Indian school teachers. International Journal of Educational Management, 35(4), 768–788. https://doi.org/10.1108/IJEM-08-2019-0278 Kaur, M., & Singh, B. (2019). Teachers' Well-Being: Overlooked Aspect of Teacher Development. Education & Self Development, 14(3), 25–33. https://doi.org/10.26907/esd14.3.03 Mooij, J. (2008). Primary education, teachers' professionalism and social class about motivation and demotivation of government school teachers in India. International Journal of Educational Development, 28(5), 508–523. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedudev.2007.10.006 Raj, K., Neelopant, S. A., Wadhwa, M., & Dabas, P. (2022). A Cross-Sectional Study to Estimate Occupational Stress among Higher Secondary School Teachers in Thalassery, Kerala. National Journal of Community Medicine, 13(2), 74–78. https://doi.org/10.5455/njcm.20211101064057 Ross, A. (2019). Finding Political Identities: Young People in a Changing Europe. Springer International Publishing. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-90875-5 Scheunpflug, A., Krogull, S., & Franz, J. (2016). Understanding learning in world society: Qualitative reconstructive research in global learning and learning for sustainability. International Journal of Development Education and Global Learning, 7(3). https://doi.org/10.18546/IJDEGL.07.3.02 Seligman, M. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13(4), 333–335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1437466 Thompson, J. (2022). A Guide to Abductive Thematic Analysis. The Qualitative Report. https://doi.org/10.46743/2160-3715/2022.5340 Uchida, Y., & Kitayama, S. (2009). Happiness and unhappiness in East and West: Themes and variations. Emotion, 9(4), 441–456. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0015634 United Nations. (2015). Transforming our world: The 2030 agenda for sustainable development. United Nations. https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda Woodside, A. G., & Miller, D. C. (1993). Handbook of Research Design and Social Measurement. Journal of Marketing Research, 30(2), 259. https://doi.org/10.2307/3172834 Zhang, L., Chen, J., Li, X., & Zhan, Y. (2023). A Scope Review of the Teacher Well-being Research Between 1968 and 2021. The Asia-Pacific Education Researcher. https://doi.org/10.1007/s40299-023-00717-1
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