Teacher well-being is crucial to educational quality and the sustainability of the education system, and vocational education plays an essential role in socioeconomic development, yet the well-being of teachers in higher vocational education remains underexplored. This study collected qualitative interview data from 17 higher vocational teachers in Hangzhou, China. Guided by the PERMA model, reflexive thematic analysis was conducted with NVivo to identify key factors influencing their well-being. 

Teachers in educational studies have gradually drawn global scholarly attention. While teachers’ wellbeing starts to grow as a domain in teacher studies, teachers are facing challenges that hinder their well-being. Enhancing teacher well-being is crucial to both teachers and the education ecosystem (Ozturk, Wigelsworth, & Bagnall, 2025). With industrialization now oriented by technologies, socioeconomic development requires increasing numbers of highly trained technical workers rather than labourers for repetitive work in the past (Dunkel & Le Mouillour, 2009; Kyvik, 2009). Despite growing global scholarly interest in teacher well-being, research on higher vocational teachers, who are central to high-quality vocational education (Edel, 2022; Ke & Shi, 2018; Loo, 2022), remains scarce, particularly in the Chinese context. As China advances its vocational education reforms, higher vocational teachers face mounting pressures from shifting policies, industry demands, and institutional changes, yet their professional experiences and well-being receive little academic attention.

This study aims to explore the teaching experiences and well-being of higher vocational teachers, with particular attention to those working in institutions that have lower social recognition. Drawing on their lived experiences, the research seeks to provide a comprehensive understanding of the conditions that shape teacher well-being in this under-researched context.

By centring teachers’ voices, this research offers both empirical and theoretical contributions to the field, informing the application of positive psychology in non-Western educational settings. The findings aim to inform educational policy and practice, providing recommendations to better support teachers’ well-being and ultimately enhance the quality and sustainability of vocational education.

The PERMA model, proposed by Martin Seligman in 2011, is adopted as the theoretical framework for the current research. It contains five components contributing to individual well-being: Positive Emotion, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment. Each element contributes uniquely to well-being: (1)Positive Emotion refers to the experiences of pleasure and satisfaction; (2) Engagement focuses on the state of being absorbed or immersed in activities; (3) Relationships underline the significance of social connections and support networks; (4) Meaning pertains to the sense of purpose and coherence in life, motivating individuals to pursue activities that align with their values; (5) Accomplishment refers to the pursuit and achievement of goals.

The PERMA model has been increasingly adopted in educational and professional settings. Interventions and education programs based on the PERMA framework have shown positive effects on students’ motivation and engagement (Miranda et al., 2024). The PERMA model also facilitates teacher satisfaction and development. Teachers who experience high levels of well-being measured by the PERMA model are more likely to be productive and engaged (Leng & Zhang, 2024). The application of PERMA components on Chinese higher vocational teachers helps us to understand the well-being of this unique group of teachers, and thus yields an improvement in their professional performance (Hascher & Waber, 2021). The qualitative utilisation of the PERMA model provides a lens for in-depth exploration of how and why each factor affects their well-being. However, teachers’ well-being through the educators’ living experiences and narratives remains understudied (Weiland, 2021).

Interview was the method of data collection, and reflexive thematic analysis (Braun and Clarke, 2022) was adopted as the method for data analysis. Two rounds of semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 higher vocational teachers on their campuses. Face-to-face interviews benefit to establishing rapport with participants and enhancing the richness and depth of qualitative data (DiCicco‐Bloom & Crabtree, 2006). Being in familiar sites on their campuses also made participants comfortable to share thoughts and experiences. All interviews lasted around 30 minutes with a varied duration from 15 to 45 minutes and all interviews were conducted by the first author Y.L. The data analysis was conducted following the six steps of reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022, p. 35-36): (1) Familiarization with the data; (2) Coding; (3)Generating initial themes; (4) Developing and reviewing themes; (5) Refining, defining and naming themes; (6) Writing up. The rationale of choosing this analysis method lies in its reflexivity, flexibility and standardized procedures. During coding and categorizing the themes, the researchers constantly thought about how our roles as educators in higher education influence the analysis. The coding process included both inductive and deductive approaches, as allowed in reflexive thematic analysis (Braun & Clarke, 2022). The consideration of positionality is a key part to enrich the reflexive process (Holmes, 2020). To ensure reflexivity, the researchers critically examined the effects of positionalities at each stage of the research, especially on the potential influence on the research and the relationship with participants. Both of the researchers Y.L. and S.D. are teaching in higher education institutions, and both studied in the research site, which enabled the researchers to bring nuanced insights into the local educational system and the teaching environment. The experience of the first author Y.L. being a teacher in higher education institutions also provided participants a sense of relatedness during the interviews and thus made participants comfortable to share their thoughts. Besides, Y.L. is experienced in educational research on teachers and higher education while S.D. has rich experience in the study of well-being and Leisure. Apart from positionality, the researchers’ values, assumptions and behaviours also impact the research process. As qualitative researchers, we also kept writing reflexive memos and notes during the research process to ensure transparency. Our reflexive approach highlights the awareness of our influence on the research design and research process and thus enhances the trustworthiness of the study.

This study aims to explore the well-being experience of higher vocational teachers in China, and seven themes were generated from the interviews based on the elements of the PERMA Model and researchers’ reflexivity, namely: 1) emotions, 2) engagement, 3) relationship, 4) meaning, 5) accomplishments and frustrations, 6) financial situation, 7) environment. Findings reveal that apart from the five building blocks of the PERMA Model, namely emotions, accomplishment, relationship, meaning, and engagement, financial situation and different types of environments also influence teachers’ well-being. Therefore, the study extended the PERMA model into a PERMA-FE model, providing a contextualised supplement and enrichment to the original model. The study also found that positive components include positive emotions, like joy and hopefulness, achievements in teaching and career development, meaning of being an educator, campus and city environment, and favourable relationships with leaders, colleagues, students and families. Negative elements that adversely affect teachers’ well-being consist of multiple negative emotions, like stress, burnout, regret, boredom and hopelessness, lack of achievements in teaching and career development, lack of engagement, sociocultural and working environment, as well as financial struggles. Some of the building blocks of the PERMA-FE model have double-sided effects, including emotions, accomplishments, relationships and environments in different cases.

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