- Title
- “SHIELDing” Our Educators: Comprehensive Coping Strategies for Teacher Occupational Well-Being
- Creator
- Nwoko, Joy C.; Anderson, Emma; Adegboye, Oyelola A.; Malau-Aduli, Aduli E. O.; Malau-Aduli, Bunmi S.
- Relation
- Behavioral Sciences Vol. 14, Issue 10, no. 918
- Publisher Link
- http://dx.doi.org/10.3390/bs14100918
- Publisher
- MDPI AG
- Resource Type
- journal article
- Date
- 2024
- Description
- Background: Teaching is a physically and mentally challenging profession that demands high emotional involvement, often leading to stress and anxiety. Understanding how teachers cope with these demands is essential for enhancing their well-being and effectiveness. Objectives: This study aimed to (1) investigate personal and school-based well-being initiatives that teachers use for maintaining their occupational well-being, and (2) develop a coping strategy model that enhances teachers’ occupational well-being. Methods: This study utilised a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the coping strategies of Australian primary school teachers. Results: The twenty-one participants interviewed employed ten diverse coping strategies classified into five personal and five school-based well-being-enabling initiatives. The personal strategies included setting boundaries, exercise and physical health, social support and interactions, mental health and mindfulness, and work–life balance. The school-based initiatives comprised supportive leadership, colleague support, flexibility and autonomy, resource availability, and proactive approaches to address challenges. A novel SHIELD model incorporating Support, Health, Interaction, Empathy, Leadership, and Development strategies was formulated as a holistic coping strategy for enhancing teachers’ occupational well-being. Conclusions: The findings highlight the necessity of a holistic approach to teacher well-being, integrating both personal and institutional support systems. Schools can enhance teacher well-being by fostering a supportive and empathetic culture, providing necessary resources, and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The SHIELD model offers a comprehensive framework for supporting teachers and improving educational outcomes.
- Subject
- coping strategies; stress; teacher well-being; collaboration; social support
- Identifier
- http://hdl.handle.net/1959.13/1516499
- Identifier
- uon:56990
- Identifier
- ISSN:2076-328X
- Rights
- © 2024 by the authors. Licensee MDPI, Basel, Switzerland. This article is an open access article distributed under the terms and conditions of the Creative Commons Attribution (CC BY) license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
- Language
- eng
- Full Text
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