Search

Research on compassion has received increasing attention over the past decades (Seppälä et al., 2017). However, empirical studies focusing on the role of compassion for teachers still remain sparse to date. This paper reports on a study designed to investigate the wellbeing of 21 language teachers across the globe during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. In particular, the study sought out to examine the ways in which compassion and selfcompassion contributed to the wellbeing of language teachers during this time. Data were generated through in-depth, semi structured individual online interviews and were analyzed from a Grounded Theory perspective (Charmaz, 2006). Findings revealed that acts of compassion in the workplace and in the private lives of the teachers played a crucial role in shaping our participants’ wellbeing during this time of crisis. Furthermore, self-compassion emerged as an important factor influencing the wellbeing of teachers during the pandemic crisis. Indeed, compassion and self-compassion served as core elements in their teaching and appeared to affect their relationships with their students, co leagues, and headteachers. In the absence of compassion, the stressful and challenging situation they were already experiencing was exacerbated. These findings imply the potential benefits of compassion and self-compassion training for teachers, administrators, and policymakers to support and promote wellbeing in the educational workplace., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

Mid-career teachers are often described as experienced and comfortable in their jobs with higher motivation and self-efficacy (Hargreaves 2005); yet, at the same time, the mid-career phase has also been portrayed as a period marked by a career plateau and feelings of stagnation (Farrell 2014). Despite the criticality of this career phase and the paradoxical research findings, mid-career teachers’ lives have been rarely examined in-depth (Day and Gu 2010). This study employed semi-structured interviews with 16 mid-career foreign language teachers at secondary schools in the two different settings, Austria and England, to explore the characteristics of this career phase and the factors contributing to the wellbeing of these teachers. Inductive data analysis revealed that these mid-career language teachers benefitted from an established sense of confidence but also sought further professional growth opportunities. The teachers drew positivity and satisfaction from the meaning they took from their work, although their wellbeing appeared occasionally threatened by tensions between their job commitments and additional responsibilities in both personal and professional domains. The findings contribute to a more nuanced understanding of this under-researched population and indicate the kind of support such teachers would need to remain in the profession and thrive during this critical period., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

This paper reports on a study designed to investigate the wellbeing of 14 pre-service language teachers from Austria and the UK. Data were generated through in-depth semi-structured interviews which were analysed following principles of Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 2006). The data were compared across the two settings and the analysis revealed a number of individual but also systemic ecological factors that play a role in the pre-service teachers’ wellbeing. These factors include time management, work-life balance, relationships, finding purpose and meaning, the structure of study programs, as well as the status of teaching and the specific language in each respective society., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261- G29, Submitted version

The issue of early-career teacher attrition is a pressing concern across a variety of educational settings. Re- search in predominantly anglophone contexts has shown that rates of foreign language teachers leaving the profession are particularly high. Noting the important role that well-being plays in fostering teacher retention, this study examines factors affecting the well-being of early-career foreign language teach- ers in the United Kingdom and Austria, and the subsequent possible consequences for their decision to leave or remain in the profession, drawing a comparison across the 2 settings. In-depth, semistruc- tured interviews were conducted with 14 early-career foreign language teachers at secondary schools in Austria (n = 6) and the United Kingdom (n = 8). Inductive data analysis revealed an interplay among intrapersonal, societal, and contextual factors in relation to well-being, which might contribute to shap- ing participants’ decision to remain or leave the profession across the 2 settings. These factors include perfectionism, self-efficacy, work–life spillover, self-regulation, relationships within the school, and for- eign language teacher status. Our findings suggest the need for systematic approaches toward improving teacher well-being, not only for surviving in the profession but also for flourishing and thriving in the long term., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

Language teaching is a challenging profession with educators facing various sources of stress, ultimately leading to high rates of attrition (Mason, 2017). In this study, we draw on two theoretical models to examine the wellbeing of language teachers. PERMA includes physical, intellectual, psychological, and social components of wellbeing (Seligman, 2011), while PsyCap is referred to as a set of positive psychological resources which can help sustain wellbeing (Luthans et al., 2007). This study has three main aims: (a) to investigate the relationships between PERMA and PsyCap, (b) to identify teacher profiles based on their PERMA scores, and (c) to determine how these profiles varied in terms of teachers’ PsyCap. Participants were 472 in-service teachers from five continents who completed an online questionnaire including PERMA and PsyCap measures. The survey was analyzed by means of correlation analyses, cluster analysis, and analyses of variance. Findings revealed strong correlations between elements of PERMA and PsyCap. They also revealed the defining role of positive emotions and health in differentiating the wellbeing profiles of the teachers, and differences in optimism across the four profiles. The study offers practical implications for language teachers, teacher trainers, and policy-makers in terms of supporting language teacher wellbeing., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

This article seeks to explore personal and socio-contextual factors that supported or hindered the wellbeing of 13 late-career language teachers from Austria and the UK. Data were generated through in-depth life-history interviews, and analysed following a Grounded Theory approach (Charmaz, 2006). Findings revealed the interplay of various personal and socio-contextual factors that influenced teachers’ wellbeing and willingness to stay in the profession. Findings also showed four different pathways to retirement: Perceived stress and wanting to leave the profession; loved being a te cher but mentally preparing for retirement; busy with work, not thinking about retirement; and, thriving and not planning retirement., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

Pre-service teachers face a number of challenges which might threaten their wellbeing, including negotiating their student and teacher roles, and difficulties in managing their pupils and workload (Day & Gu, 2010). Due to the Covid-19 pandemic, they have been confronted with additional challenges resulting from the transition to online learning and teaching, as well as social problems caused by lockdowns. In this study, we explore the wellbeing of six pre-service language teachers through individual interviews conducted during the first wave of the pandemic. The study has two main aims. Firstly, we seek to identify how these pre-service teachers coped with the challenges of becoming a teacher in the context of a major disruption to their wellbeing. Secondly, we aim to contribute to theoretical work in this field by examining their wellbeing from a Complex Dynamic Systems Theory (Larsen-Freeman & Cameron, 2008) perspective to explore the dynamic and complex nature of the construct. Findings revealed that the pandemic served as a critical incident leading to diverse attractor states for each individual’s wellbeing. They also show how agency played a key role in guiding the trajectory of the teachers’ wellbeing system, and that this was contingent upon individual perceptions of environmental affordances., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Version of record

This paper presents a conceptual framework for understanding language teacher wellbeing from an ecological perspective. Such a perspective captures the holistic interconnections between a teacher’s professional and personal lives and recognizes the critical role played by contexts of foreign language education. In particular, we argue for research which considers the unique stressors and strains faced by educators at different stages of their careers from pre-service through mid- career and up to late career stage. We propose a useful construct to help understand teacher wellbeing is ‘social-psychological capital,’ which refers to the social and psychological resources which teachers can draw upon to manage their wellbeing. We consider the implications for research of an ecological perspective on teacher wellbeing across the career span through the lens of socialpsychological capital., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261- G29, Accepted version

Drawing on a positive psychology perspective, a resource-based view of wellbeing, and an ecological perspective, this article provides an in-depth account of Chinese language teachers’ wellbeing in the UK. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 7 teachers who teach Mandarin Chinese as a foreign language (CFL) at secondary-school level in the UK. This study identified four ecological systems that interconnected with one another that are associated with these CFL teachers’ wellbeing: the ecology of the school, the ecology of work and life, the ecology of the education system, as well as the societal ecology of teaching generally and modern foreign languages (MFL) specifically. The study also found that these CFL teachers drew on a number of psychological, social, and contextual resources to manage their wellbeing and remain positive in the face of challenges. This study provides an ecological understanding of CFL teacher wellbeing in the UK and offers a broader lens for the design and implementation of effective prevention, intervention, and remedial actions to address teacher wellbeing., Fonds zur Förderung der Wissenschaftlichen Forschung P 31261-G29, Accepted version

Background and aims: In this paper, we report on research conducted as a project, which was part of a PhD course on research methodology. The aim of the course was to develop participants’ practical researcher competence and to enhance their critical thinking skills. To meet these aims, the group collectively engaged in an empirical study into the shifting and potentially conflicting identities of teachers choosing to engage in occupation-based PhD studies (i.e., PhD studies with a professional focus, undertaken additionally to full- or part-time teaching jobs) at a university in Austria. Methods: The study was based on a series of in-depth semi-structured interviews conducted with eight PhD candidates, who are all studying toward a PhD in “Fachdidaktik” (“subject-specific teaching and learning”) in different disciplines. To better understand the multiple identities, perceived dynamics, and role of diverse social settings, we took an ecological perspective. Results and conclusion: The findings revealed how the participants’ academic identities were shaped within their own unique ecologies comprising their own personal, professional, and academic contexts, social relationships, attitudes toward each of these domains, perceived demands on their time, and their own initial and ongoing motivations for doing the PhD. Although the participants’ multiple identities and roles can function in synergistic ways, the data suggest that more often they experienced competing demands for time and attention with sometimes a lack of understanding or support from the respective professional or academic domains.