Assessing Grit and Well-Being of Malaysian Esl Teachers

Abstract

Purpose – Seligman’s well-being theory of PERMA has been proven fruitful in defining various well-being constructs across different fields of study. With a growing interest in teacher psychology research abroad, PERMA has been unveiled as a rewarding prospect for the well-being of second language (L2) teachers. Nonetheless, the contribution of PERMA to the well-being and grit of L2 teachers in Malaysia remains unclear. Thus, this study (1) examined the influence of PERMA on the well-being and grit of Malaysian teachers of English as a second language (ESL); and (2) analyzed the mediating impact of positive emotion in the relationship between grit and well-being. Methodology – A priori power analysis was conducted to identify the sample size for this study. Hence, a convenience sample of 91 primary ESL teachers from Kuala Lumpur participated in this cross-sectional study. Data obtained were analyzed via multiple regression and mediation analysis using SPSS v20. The analysis of the indirect effects of the mediation model was complemented with a bootstrap procedure based on Hayes’s PROCESS Macro. Findings – The regression analysis confirmed the significant impact of PERMA on both well-being and grit. Analysis of the regression coefficients (β) displayed that engagement and accomplishment influenced significant changes in grit. Engagement was also a significant predictor of well-being. The mediation model portrayed positive emotion as a partial mediator in the association between grit and well-being. Significance – The meaningful interaction of PERMA with well-being and grit may not only encourage ESL teachers to flourish, correspondingly, it may elevate the well-being of learners in L2 classrooms.

K-12 Educator Wellbeing in a Post-Pandemic Context: The Importance of Regularly Experiencing Even Some Positive Emotions

“…Feeling at least some positive emotions in a day was associated with higher levels of 20 EDUCATOR EMOTIONS AND WELLBEING wellbeing than no positive emotions-almost an entire standard deviation above those with no positive emotions reported. This supports research which highlights the potential of positive emotions to mediate wellbeing and educator persistence in the face of some negative feelings (Dreer, 2024;Shanmugam & Hidayat, 2022). In this sample, educators who reported all positive emotions within a day recorded higher average levels of wellbeing over those categorized into the two other emotional groups.…”

“…Many of these studies have demonstrated the unique importance of positive emotions for teacher wellbeing. For example, higher levels of positive emotions have been found to significantly predict higher levels of overall wellbeing on average (Dreer, 2024;Fatih et al, 2019;Shanmugam and Hidayat, 2022;Wessels & Wood, 2019). These findings indicate that intentional boosts to teachers' experiences of positive emotions may be an important strategy for school leaders to employ to promote educator flourishing and wellbeing-and to subsequently evade issues associated with compromised wellbeing.…”

“…The ongoing experience of stress and burnout due to COVID-19 threatens educator wellbeing (von der Embse & Mankin, 2020) across the profession, likely explaining some of the increased attrition from teaching positions over the past four years, especially in schools in divested communities (Bacher-Hicks et al, 2023;Goldhaber & Theobald, 2022). Some positive psychology and wellbeing researchers (e.g., Dreer, 2021;Fatih et al, 2019;Kern et al, 2015a;Shanmugam and Hidayat, 2022;Wessels & Wood, 2019) have examined educator wellbeing through the lens of the PERMA Theory of Wellbeing (Seligman, 2011). The PERMA Theory consists of five elements suggested to contribute to wellbeing: positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment.…”

PERMA Model and EFL Teachers’ Well-Being: A Systematic Review

“…Chen and Tang (2024) support that resilience and well-being promote teachers' engagement contributing to professional success. Shanmugam and Hidayat (2022) demonstrate the importance of engagement in enhancing teachers' dedication and perseverance. Shao (2023) states enthusiastic teachers find the purpose and meaning in their work, which improves their overall well-being.…”

Structure and factorial invariance of the Grit-Original scale and convergent validity of the network with job satisfaction and happiness

“…These aspects strengthen a persevering attitude toward work tasks. In addition, other studies ( Goh et al, 2022 ; Shanmugam and Hidayat, 2022 ) suggest that workers with a higher level of Grit tend to be more motivated toward the tasks assigned to them, as they feel identified and perceive progress toward the established goals. This has been mentioned within the framework of Seligman’s PERMA model, which addresses the domain of achievement and involves moving toward goals with constant effort and active work ( Donaldson et al, 2021 ; Jimenez et al, 2022 ).…”