Testing a holistic conceptual framework for early childhood teacher well-being

Kwon, Kyong-Ah; Ford, Timothy G.; Jeon, Lieny; Malek-Lasater, Adrien; Ellis, Natalie; Randall, Ken; Kile, Mia; Salvatore, Alicia L.

doi:10.1016/j.jsp.2021.03.006

Cited by 55 publications

(34 citation statements)

References 88 publications

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“…Well-being is a multivariate concept characterized by physical and mental health, happiness, and overall satisfaction with life [25]. We [8,9] described the concept among ECE teachers as "whole teacher well-being," which consists of physical, psychological, and professional well-being. Model of Whole Teacher Well-being [8] depicts this tripartite view of teacher well-being and its constituent elements.…”

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Professional well-being refers to people's feelings about their work and job based on the definition of well-being from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention [2]. This includes indicators such as self-efficacy and job commitment [9,29]. Life satisfaction is an overall subjective appraisal of an individual's life experiences [30] and is strongly associated with mental health in adolescents and adults, with general health, gender, and income as contributing factors [31].…”

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even before the pandemic, studies indicated that ECE teachers experience a multitude of challenges to their overall well-being due to job-related physical and psychological stresses [9,24,[34][35][36][37][38]. Pre-pandemic psychological ill-being for ECE teachers was characterized by high levels of personal stress and depressive symptoms and far surpassed national averages [34,[39][40][41][42].…”

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…They also reported substantial job-related stress [43,44] and burnout [45]. These trends are important because poor teacher physical and psychological well-being are negatively associated with their professional well-being and the quality of care they provide [9,46]. The disruptions and upheaval of a global pandemic only served to further complicate and disrupt these trends in ECE teachers' well-being and quality of life.…”

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…The evidence on the influence of PA and SB on physical and mental health outcomes and overall life satisfaction in the general population is well established [4,6]. This could be quite concerning for ECE teachers, who have been previously known to experience poor working conditions and poor physical and psychological well-being [7][8][9][10].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical Activity, Physical Well-Being, and Psychological Well-Being: Associations with Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Early Childhood Educators

Randall

Ford

Kwon

et al. 2021

IJERPH

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Seeking personal well-being and life satisfaction during a global pandemic can be daunting, such is the case for early care and education teachers who were considered non-health care essential workers during the COVID-19 pandemic. The potential changes in their physical activity, along with their overall physical and psychological well-being, may have ultimately influenced their life satisfaction. These changes included the potential for increased sedentary behaviors. Despite the high health risks associated with these factors during the pandemic, the role of physical activity in early care and education teachers’ well-being and life satisfaction remains largely unknown. The purpose of this study is to examine the associations of physical activity and sedentary behaviors with teacher well-being and life satisfaction during the COVID-19 pandemic. In doing so, we explored two competing models of the relationship between the teachers’ physical activity, well-being, and life satisfaction, one with physical activity as a mediator and the other with teachers’ well-being as a mediator. An online survey, that collected information on physical, psychological, and professional well-being, job demands, and life satisfaction, was completed by 1434 US ECE teachers in 46 states. To test our hypothesized models, we conducted confirmatory factor analyses, followed by structural equation modeling. Of the respondents, 77% were overweight or obese and only 39% met the recommended 150 min of moderate physical activity per week. They had a mean life satisfaction score that qualifies as slight satisfaction, they experience moderate stress, and, collectively, are approaching the threshold for depression yet still reflect moderate-to-high work commitment. The empirical test of our competing mediation models found the model where teacher well-being mediated the association between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and life satisfaction was the superior model. The relationships between physical activity, sedentary behavior, and overall well-being suggest that these modifiable risk factors can be addressed such that early care and education teachers can improve their overall physical and psychological well-being, along with their life satisfaction.

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Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: The Importance Of Well-being and Life Satisfaction For Teachers In The Covid-19 Pandemicmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Physical Activity, Physical Well-Being, and Psychological Well-Being: Associations with Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Early Childhood Educators

Randall

Ford

Kwon

et al. 2021

IJERPH

Self Cite

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Psychological and physiological stress and stressors in early childhood educators: An observational pilot study

Bates,

Dynia

2023

Psychology in the Schools

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While early childhood educators' mental health is important, it may also affect the well‐being and education of their students. Yet, little research has described the stress and stressors of early childhood educators (ECEs), particularly as the pandemic wanes. This pilot study aimed to (1) describe ECEs' psychological and physiological stress and (2) examine the association between ECEs' psychological and physiological stress levels with stressors. A convenience sample of 67 ECEs, serving children 0–5 years old, from 13 early educational centers completed surveys on psychological stress (perceived stress, anxiety, and depression), stressors (economic hardship, food insecurity, and adverse childhood experiences), and demographics in Fall 2021. A subsample of ECEs provided hair samples, analyzed for cortisol, to estimate physiologic stress. Regarding stress, 63% met the criteria for major depressive disorder and 41% for generalized anxiety disorder. Only 26% were taking medications to manage mental health. About 25% experienced the stressors of food insecurity and economic hardship, and 80% experienced at least one adverse childhood experience. Only education level significantly predicted perceived stress and depression—above and beyond stressors, household income, race, and age. The results have policy and practice implications for implementing evidence‐based solutions to buffer stress and stressors in ECEs.

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The Benefits of PROSPER‐Based Intervention for International Preschool Teachers in Hong Kong: Evidence From the EASP Program

Lee,

Fung,

Chung

et al. 2024

Psychology in the Schools

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Limited research has examined the well‐being of international preschool teachers, while intervention targeting their well‐being is even rarer. The objective of this study was to examine the effectiveness of a 2‐month EASP (i.e., Early Advancement in Social‐Emotional Health and Positivity) positive psychological intervention program based on the PROSPER—which stands for positivity, relationship, outcome, strength, purpose, engagement, and resilience– framework on international preschool teachers' well‐being in Hong Kong. Eighty‐three teachers (Mage = 34.44 years, SD = 8.43, range = 19–53; female = 95.18%) were randomly assigned to the intervention (n = 44) and waitlist control groups (n = 39). Teachers completed survey measures of PROSPER well‐being at baseline and after the intervention. The results of the multivariate regression analyses revealed that the intervention did not have significant overall effects on the PROSPER well‐being, Wilks' lambda F(7, 56) = 1.28, p = 0.28, η2 = 0.14. Yet, findings of univariate analyses suggested the intervention yielded significant medium effects on participants' relationship, outcome, strength and engagement (b = 0.26 to 0.45, 95% CI [0.04, 0.95], p = 0.02 to 0.03, η2 = 0.07 to 0.08). The findings underscore the practical utility of the PROSPER framework in supporting international preschool teachers' well‐being but, at the same time, highlight the need to further examine how cultural variations might implicate its effectiveness.

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Testing a holistic conceptual framework for early childhood teacher well-being

Cited by 55 publications

References 88 publications

Physical Activity, Physical Well-Being, and Psychological Well-Being: Associations with Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Early Childhood Educators

Physical Activity, Physical Well-Being, and Psychological Well-Being: Associations with Life Satisfaction during the COVID-19 Pandemic among Early Childhood Educators

Psychological and physiological stress and stressors in early childhood educators: An observational pilot study

The Benefits of PROSPER‐Based Intervention for International Preschool Teachers in Hong Kong: Evidence From the EASP Program

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