Looking After Teacher Wellbeing: Does Teacher Empowerment Matter?

Abstract

It is well acknowledged that teachers' wellbeing has an impact on teachers' work and play a deciding role in the achievements and improvement of both students and schools. A positive internal environment will ensure that teachers are happy and enjoy their work. This study focuses on the relationship between teacher empowerment (TE) and teacher wellbeing at the workplace (TWB). It examines the various subscales of TE to determine the subscales that best predict TWB. The study tool consists of the adapted instrument, the School Participant Empowerment Scale (SPES) that measures teachers' perceived empowerment and a modified version of the Workplace Wellbeing Index that measures TWB. This study was a cross-sectional survey involving 371 schoolteachers selected via multi-stage sampling in one of the states in Malaysia. Results showed no significant difference in TWB based on the demographic factors (gender and age). Results also indicated significant positive correlations between TE and TWB (r=.64, p<0.01) and TE explained as high as 60% of the variance in TWB (r2=.60, F=91.187). Separate analysis of the TE dimensions witnessed only the Decision-Making dimension positively and significantly predicted TWB (β=0.65, p<0.05).

Teacher resilience instrument: Development and validation of a four-factor model

“…The concept of teacher resilience has been developed from the literature on resilience in general, with research predominantly focused upon childhood studies and those who have overcome extreme and significant adversity [3], [31]. However, the emerging trend in research currently suggests that there is a need to observe teacher resilience because the sources of teacher stress in these days occur for many teachers on a daily basis [32]. Teacher resilience has previously been studied more qualitatively in nature, rather than quantitatively, due to the lack of instruments to measure teacher resilience in context.…”

Factors Influencing Teachers' Online Teaching Competence in Higher Education

“…No matter the focus of online learning, teachers need additional instructional help to embrace and utilize ICT to transfer their courses virtually (Neyland, 2011). Research has shown that technologically inclined leaders support teacher competency development in the technology use (Yusoff & Tengku-Ariffin, 2020;Buabeng-Andoh, 2012). Thannimalai and Raman (2018) asserted that institution administrators should provide extensive support on educational technology for teachers as it enhances or reduces ICT usage by teachers in the classroom.…”

Psychological Well-Being in Teachers During and Post-Covid-19: Positive Psychology Interventions

“…Valid and reliable psychometric scales to assess constructs related to teacher well-being should be included in any proposed study (e.g., Renshaw et al, 2015 ). Through this initiative, teacher empowerment would be promoted by involving teachers in decisions (Yusoff and Tengku-Ariffin, 2020 ). In conclusion, the authors call for the design of public policies for teacher training, professional development and retention in the education system to face the challenges ahead.…”