Averting the Crisis in Trainee Teacher Well-being – Learning Lessons across European Contexts: A Comparative Study

Abstract

Teacher well-being is frequently high-lighted as a significant contributor to poor retention rates. Whilst there remains a focus on the well-being of serving teachers and pupils, there is a paucity of research directly focusing on the well-being of trainee teachers. This pilot study sought to compare the experiences of trainee teachers from three European countries, in an attempt to identify the resources and challenges faced by teachers during their training. Through the use of interviews and visual approaches, key factors, which appeared to influence trainee teachers’ well-being, were identified. Through shifting the focus of training onto the development of communities of practice, the development of interpersonal skills, and supporting the development of strong relationships, it is hoped that Initial Teacher Training (ITT) programmes in England can draw on some best practice from other European contexts to better support trainee teachers’ well-being.

Teacher Trainees’ Well-Being—The Role of Personal Resources

“…The second phase of teacher education (referendariat) is often experienced by teacher trainees as a phase of adjustments, stresses, ambivalences, and has the potential for conflict [ 70 ]. This is primarily due to various stressors, such as the perceived high workload, the pressure to perform, conflicts with students, or the perceived stressful dependence on instructors (e.g., [ 48 , 71 , 72 , 73 , 74 ]). How these occupational stressors are related to health literacy is an open question and should be investigated in more detail in further studies.…”

Die professionelle pädagogische Beziehung zwischen Referendar*innen und ihren Seminarlehrkräften: Belastungsfaktor oder Ressource?

“…(z.B. Christ et al 2004;Darius et al 2020;Horstmeyer 2018;Manning und Hobson 2017;Thompson et al 2020;Weiß et al 2014;Wernet 2009).…”