Living the Flourish Question: Positivity as an Orientation for the Preparation of Teacher Candidates

Cherkowski, Sabre; Walker, Keith

doi:10.15760/nwjte.2013.11.2.5

Cited by 3 publications

(3 citation statements)

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“…Overall, our findings revealed a critical role for such aspects as positive emotions (mindset), engagement, relationships, meaning, accomplishment (outcomes) and resilience (Noble and McGrath, 2015; Seligman, 2011) for ECTs’ well-being. As we noted from the findings, mentoring can be the vehicle through which the flourishing learning climates (Cherkowski and Walker, 2013) can be established, maintained and sustained for beginning teachers to thrive in.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

“…The literature on teacher well-being has multiple foci, including the need to mitigate the negative effects of stress (Farber, 2000; Vesely et al , 2013), enhance work–life balance (Burke and Mcateer, 2007), increase resilience (Gu and Day, 2007), and, more recently, develop prosocial behaviors and flourishing cultures (Cherkowski and Walker, 2013; Jennings and Greenberg, 2009).…”

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

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The impact of mentoring on the Canadian early career teachers’ well-being

Kutsyuruba

Godden

Bosica

2019

IJMCE

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Purpose The purpose of this paper is to explore the impact that mentoring has on Canadian early career teachers’ (ECTs’) well-being. The authors describe findings from a pan-Canadian Teacher Induction Survey (n=1,343) that examined perceptions and experiences of ECTs within K–12 publicly funded schools, with particular interest in retention, career interests and the impact of mentoring on well-being. Design/methodology/approach An online survey was used to examine perceptions and experiences of ECTs within publicly funded K–12 schools across Canada. For this paper, the authors selectively analyzed 35 survey questions that pertained to mentorship and well-being of ECTs, using quantitative and qualitative procedures. Findings The findings revealed a strong correlation between the mentoring experiences and well-being of the participating Canadian ECTs. The teachers who did not receive mentorship indicated significantly lower feelings of well-being, and conversely, teachers who participated in some kind of mentorship demonstrated much higher levels of well-being. Research limitations/implications This paper draws on the selective analysis of the data from a larger study to elicit the connections between the mentoring support and perceived well-being. Due to inconsistencies in terminology and multifaceted offerings of induction and mentoring supports for ECTs across Canada, there might have been some ambiguity regarding the formal and informal mentorship supports. A longitudinal study that is designed to specifically examine the connection between the mentorship and well-being of ECTs could yield deeper understandings. A comparative study in different international contexts is commended. Practical implications The findings showed that the ECTs who did not receive any mentorship scored significantly lower feelings of well-being from external, structural, and internal well-being sources, and conversely, the ECTs who participated in some kind of mentorship scored much higher levels of feelings of well-being. Policy-makers should therefore continue to confidently include mentorship as an intentional strategy to support and help ECTs to flourish. However, inconsistent scoring between individuals and their levels of external, structural and internal well-being suggest that more research on the connection between mentoring and well-being of the ECTs. Social implications Work-life imbalance seems to be more challenging for ECTs than policymakers who provide these expectations are aware. Therefore, excessive work demands and intensive workloads need to be given proper attention for their potential negative effects (such as stress, burnout and absence) on the beginning teachers’ health and well-being. Likewise, purposeful strength-based approaches should be undertaken to establish generative and pro-social efforts to enhance the connectedness, collaboration, collegiality and resilience-building opportunities for novice professionals within flourishing learning communities. Originality/value In this paper, the authors have undertaken the first steps in exploring the impact that mentoring has on Canadian ECTs’ well-being. The study increases the understanding of how mentoring can be used as a purposeful strategy to support the well-being of ECTs and retain them in the teaching profession in Canada and potentially in different international contexts.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 78%

Section: Review Of the Literaturementioning

confidence: 99%

The impact of mentoring on the Canadian early career teachers’ well-being

Kutsyuruba

Godden

Bosica

2019

IJMCE

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“…We see how these practices may already be used by principals in their work, as noted in the stories from our respondents, and suggest growing the research on how a focus on these sorts of practices may be useful for fostering and supporting well-being and resilience among those who teach, lead and learn in schools. Further, teacher education and leadership development programs could become the initial point for conversation and practice about the kinds of practices and habits of mind that support a sense of flourishing in self and others in the work of teaching, learning and leading schools (Cherkowski and Walker, 2013b).…”

Section: Another Principal Sharedmentioning

confidence: 99%

Purpose, passion and play

Cherkowski

Walker

2016

Journal of Educational Administration

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Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to identify and elaborate on the construct of flourishing in schools as understood through the stories and explanations provided by a small group of public school principals. Framed within a positive organizational perspective, the specific objectives of this study are: to identify how school leaders understand and experience flourishing in their roles and in their schools; to explore the conditions, catalysts and/or galvanizing forces of flourishing in schools. Design/methodology/approach – The researchers used an electronic Delphi survey to gain a qualitative description of the understandings and impressions of the construct of flourishing from the perspective of practicing school administrators in one school district in central British Columbia. Delphi responses were aggregated after each round and thematically analysed to determine patterns and trends for further examination through progressive iterations of the survey administered via e-mail. The final set of data were then analysed for patterns, trends and themes that were compared and contrasted against research findings in the literature underpinning the theoretical framework for this study. Findings – While there was no single definition of what it means to flourish in the work of school leadership, shared descriptions from these principals indicated that they feel a sense of flourishing when they are working together with teachers from a sense of purpose and passion and in a spirit of play to cultivate learning climates that reflect a shared ownership for improving educational experiences for students. These initial findings provoke thinking about the potentials and benefits of shifting the focus of research and practice in educational leadership towards more positive, strengths-based perspectives. Research limitations/implications – The sample size was small, and so generalizing findings beyond this study is unreasonable. Further, because the researchers separated participant information from responses in order to safeguard anonymity and to aggregate the responses to provide these back to participants for their further elaboration and reflections, they were unable to determine whether particular responses were connected to context (elementary or secondary, size of school, years of experience as an administrator), gender or other demographic factors. However, the use of the electronic Delphi instrument provided insights on engaging school principals in thoughtful inquiry as participants, while respecting the busy workload and time constraints associated with the work of school principals. Practical implications – Attending to well-being in the work of leading schools is an under-researched area of educational leadership. This study is an example of how researching educational leadership from a positive, strengths-based, human development perspective may provide useful insights for supporting principals and other educators to notice, nurture and sustain a sense of flourishing in their work and across the school. While further research is needed to examine the construct of flourishing across a diverse range of school organizations, the findings from this study provoke thinking about the benefits of studying what goes well, what brings vitality and a more full sense of humanity in the work of leading school organizations. Originality/value – The researchers use a new perspective for examining and explaining the phenomenon of flourishing in schools, a positive organizational research orientation. The use of this strengths-based, positive, human development approach to examining the construct of flourishing from the perspective of school principals can offer new insights and strategies for attending to well-being as an integral part of the work of leading schools.

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Values, Virtues, and Human Capabilities

Cherkowski¹,

Walker²

2016

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Living the Flourish Question: Positivity as an Orientation for the Preparation of Teacher Candidates

Cited by 3 publications

References 20 publications

The impact of mentoring on the Canadian early career teachers’ well-being

The impact of mentoring on the Canadian early career teachers’ well-being

Purpose, passion and play

Values, Virtues, and Human Capabilities

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