Summary of a teacher wellness M. Ed. research project
Five Teacher Wellness Portraits
Themes amongst the participants
What the Portraits Offer for Teacher Wellness
The Research Project
This is a summary of the completed research project. The project was submitted to the University of Alberta's (Edmonton, Alberta, Canada) Faculty of Education, Department of Education Policy Studies in partial fulfillment for the requirements for the degree of Master of Education.
Purpose of the Research Project
The purpose of this study was to explore the term wellness as it applied to a purposive sample of teachers from Wetaskiwin Regional Public Schools (WRPS). WRPS is a public school division in Central Alberta with 4600 students and 270 full time equivalent teachers. Given that the term wellness covers such a wide spectrum of factors, this study sought to explore teachers’ definitions of wellness. This study also sought to give teachers a chance to discuss a wide range of factors that affect their personal wellness as a teacher. Given these definitions and factors, this study sought to supply further information to support stakeholders in WRPS, especially the Wellness Committee, with their practices, policies, and decisions.
Wellness is a relatively contemporary term. It has many and varied definitions that can apply to individual and organizational contexts. While wellness is generally agreed to be a proactive and holistic term that describes a desired state, there remains much concern that many teachers and their public school organizations are struggling to maintain their wellness. There is a need for teachers within WRPS to share and explore their definitions of wellness to allow for greater understanding for dialogue amongst stakeholders. There was also a need to explore the factors that teachers perceive contribute to their wellness in a local context.
Method and Design
Initial research into the meaning of such a broad and inclusive term, such as wellness, was best suited to qualitative methods that go beyond quantifiable facts and seek shared understanding, and exploration of the way people structure and give meaning to their daily life (Berg, 2001, p. 7).
The qualitative research project involved five WRPS teachers chosen using maximum purposive sampling. Each teacher participated in a one to one, tape recorded interview that focused on three main areas of concept exploration; a personal wellness definition, individual actions and plans, and impacting factors.
Analysis of the data led to the creation of individual portraits of the five participants. The individual portraits were written to impart resonance or dissonance for the readers: "to understand one group well is to understand many almost as well" (Weick, 1996 cited in Kluzcny, 1998, p. 15). The portraits were a way for the researcher to answer a guiding research question; "What was it that these people really wanted to say?" (personal communication, Haughey, March 22, 2001). Member checks were used to ensure accuracy and completeness of the individual teacher wellness portraits.
Five Teacher Wellness Portraits
Here is a brief summary of the ideas expressed by the five participants in this study of teacher wellness. (Pseudonyms are used for each participant)
Lesley
Lesley is a vibrant, caring teacher at an elementary school. Lesley defined wellness as a cognitive process that relied heavily on happiness in her job. She talked of wellness being defined by the stress of teaching and how one copes with stress. In elaborating on her definition Lesley felt that stress and coping was, at least in part, alleviated by recognition and respect for the job one does. Lesley elaborated by saying that "It’s all part of where you fit in and how well you do your job…when all those things are in place, the stress is out of your job for sure and you are thinking more positively."
The emphasis for Lesley was on the social and emotional/mental dimensions of wellness. She communicated that to be well as a teacher there had to be comfort in the job one was doing. Teachers have to have the ability to cope with stress and one way to cope is to have the support and recognition of positive, caring colleagues. Lesley was also stressing the importance of her family not just by recognizing them for their support but also for the balance they create in her life. She stressed this point by letting me know that it was important as a teacher to know when to walk away; to put teaching aside so that there was time for other things in her life. She teaches part-time but her duties equate more closely to a full time workload. Within this dialogue on wellness, Lesley was reassuring herself that she was well and that she knew that staying well was a continual challenge.
Naju
Naju is an elementary teacher who was candid and open in her comments about wellness and its factors. She seasoned her comments with smiles and laughter. Her openness could have been the result of her comfort with the researcher given that we have a lengthy professional relationship and friendship. Wellness was defined in a very personal way for Naju.
What wellness means to me is my physical, emotional, mental health and I guess the stage that I am at is I feel like I am responsible for those…at this point I don’t really reach out for someone to look after that for me…actually my wellness comes from God.
Naju spoke of the impact of positive and negative factors:
I think too that if you’re around people that are positive most of the
time then your outlook is very positive. I know usually every
morning when I come in there are very few mornings where I’m
coming in grouchy. I’m usually very positive when I come in.
And if you meet three or four people as soon as you come in that
are grouchy or complaining, it really brings you down.
Sometimes I get annoyed with myself because I feel that I’m
negative with things or happenings going on in the school.
Naju's wellness emphasized the spiritual and social dimensions. I understood from this interview that Naju is at the stage in her life and her career where she has learned to rely on herself, to strive to have controlled responses to stimuli and stress. She was letting me know that she closely guarded her friendship and support by making careful choices. This was a person who felt she had something good going. She had found a balance that was, for the most part, working, and she was proud of it.
Roger
Roger took a scholarly and perspicacious approach to his discussion on wellness. He had taught the concept of wellness to his students as part of the curriculum in his courses. Roger focused on the nature of wellness as a holistic concept. "If you see a holistic term of wellness, you’re going to have to look at your whole life to determine if you are a well person or not."
Roger spoke of the nature of positive and negative impacts of others on his wellness.
When you go into a room and somebody is smiling it makes you smile. That can make the difference in a day. If people around are positive, it is hard to be negative. If people around you are negative it’s hard to be positive. How others contribute to my wellness? Sometimes people get stuck up on their problems and I mean it’s everyday. It’s all they can talk about. It’s their whole reason to exist. And then you start avoiding those people and that’s not wellness. You have to go home at the end of the day and focus on one of things that I decided for myself right from the very beginning. Whether the whole day is good or just one thing, focus on that one thing and then wellness is more attainable. You can concentrate on the good and it gives you a sense of why you’re doing it.
Roger’s approach to wellness placed a priority on the balance of all five dimensions. His comments indicated that he took pride in the fact that he had mapped his wellness needs and was paying equal attention to each dimension.
As a young professional, Roger was coming to grips with some of the difficult circumstances of his profession and was weighing the advantages and disadvantages of what would continue to motivate him in the years to come. He was reinforcing the idea that if he had more control over his wellness factors he could do an even better job as a teacher. Roger took a great deal of pride in knowing about the things that went on in his school and how they affected the students and the teachers. Roger was concerned with the location of his job because he felt a sense of isolation living in a smaller city.
Nadene
Nadene's definition of wellness centered on a balance between job and personal life. Knowing when to step away from teaching responsibilities and take time for herself was a point that she stressed as essential to her wellness. "It’s only been the last little while where I’ve said, I’m not doing anymore. I’ve put in a full day. I generally go until five or six as it is – that’s it…I’m not doing anymore"
The social and physical dimensions were emphasized within Nadene’s comments on personal wellness. Within the social dimension, Nadene, a single person and not currently in a relationship, expressed concerns about social solitude that also overlapped into emotional/mental dimension.
At this point in her career, Nadene was finding it difficult to justify long hours of preparation and organization. She was giving herself permission to step back, just as someone with a family would find it necessary to change if the care of a dependent became a much higher priority. Nadene also expressed concerns about isolation. She was concerned with geographical location narrowing her choices of activities. Her message to me also left the impression that her single lifestyle left her unfulfilled and left her longing for the companionship of an intimate relationship.
Sherman
There was a very rational approach to Sherman’s ideas on wellness. He often referred to curriculum and standardized testing. He shared his thoughts with ease and often with a smile.
His definition was similar to Nadene’s definition. "I guess it’s a balancing act. Being able to do a good job for the kids and still being able to have enough time for yourself." Sherman’s spoke about a juggling act that was necessary to meet the stress and demands of his duties, and protect his time.
He commented on the nature of stress as being both healthy and unhealthy. Sherman saw the role of the principal as one of hands off unless necessary. Central administration had little impact on Sherman. (His tongue-in- cheek comment was: "The jokes go around the staff room once in a while. If central office [disappeared], would anyone notice?…I don’t see how there is much affect on my life here.")
Sherman was challenged by the geographic isolation of his current position and was also weighing the risks and benefits of teaching opportunities outside of WRPS.
Sherman downplayed the spiritual, physical, and emotional/mental dimensions of wellness. His higher priorities were for social interactions although he said that he found it difficult to fulfill his wants in this area because of the amount of work and his weekday focus on teaching and his students. He also emphasized the intellectual dimension of wellness through the pursuit of further knowledge first in his subject areas for teaching but also in personal learning aspects that would help him find a balance.
Sherman was letting me know that some of the stresses and demands of teaching were very challenging but that her felt he could best deal with them on his own. He was trying to say that he needed as much autonomy as possible to do his best. The freedom he was receiving was the best way to help him because he didn’t want outside interference. However, Sherman also wanted to let the researcher know that his insomnia was a challenge to his wellness. Being unable to rest at night because of the constant thoughts of teaching was a key aspect of Sherman’s wellness as a teacher.
Themes amongst the participants
Main Themes
A. CHOICES B. SUPPORT C. WORKING CONDITIONS
Sub-themes within the theme of CHOICES:
Optimism and pessimism – All participants viewed optimism and positivism as a necessary part of the personal and professional wellness.
Balance
- Balance was emphasized as an integral part of wellness for these participants. The issue of balance was expressed in terms of knowing when and how to put teaching aside; use of coping strategies; or knowing when to say no.Sub-themes within the theme of SUPPORT:
Personal support - This was an aspect of teacher wellness where participants spoke of the support of family and friends.
Professional and administrative support - This was an aspect of wellness that was supported by coworkers and a sense of teamwork or common purpose.
Sub-themes within the theme of WORKING CONDITIONS:
Duties, responsibilities, and other working conditions issues – Each of the participants painted a vivid picture of the working conditions that affected their wellness. From class size to facilities issues; from resource allotment to collective bargaining, teachers are faced with issues unique to their personal and organizational wellness.
Personal and professional isolation – This was the sense that living and working in a smaller community left certain needs unfulfilled. Working in a smaller center was seen as a challenge wellness factor by three of the participants. These three teachers wanted more options and opportunities than they perceived were present in their smaller communities, especially within the social dimension of wellness
Sub themes that applied to all the main theme areas:
The need for change – This theme was exemplified by one participant’s comments about the problems of being in a rut and the challenges of dealing with change.
Control; personal responsibility versus contributing factors – There was a tension or even contradiction as the participants’ believed that wellness had to be their personal responsibility, yet they offered examples of how factors beyond their personal responsibility could override their personal control of wellness.
What the Portraits Offer for Teacher Wellness
Using the list of themes above, it can be suggested that a teacher striving for wellness needs to keep three areas or themes as high their highest priorities in their lifestyle.
- CHOICES - Strive for balance, especially by knowing when to step away from the stress and demands of teaching.
- SUPPORT - Both offer and seek support from the many sources around you.
- WORKING CONDITIONS - Understand yourself and your working conditions sufficiently to know which conditions, factors, and issues you can control and the ones you will need to cope with because they are beyond your control.
Recommendations
This research project resulted in recommendations. The final project included recommendations at three levels: 1) personal administrative practice, 2) for the WRPS Wellness Committee, and 3) for further research. If you are interested in these recommendations, please contact Kevin Gibson at ksgibson@telusplanet.net or gibsonk@wrps.ab.ca