Background

With the increasing attention to well-being and mental health in schools as antecedents of meeting students’ academic, emotional and social needs, more research is needed to understand how educator well-being can be promoted alongside student well-being (1). Our exploration of the various types of learning experiences that exist in teacher education programs, with a focus on equipping students to both embrace their own well-being and to enhance the same in others, is theoretically grounded in a interdisciplinary research in positive psychology, positive organizational scholarship, and work-related learning (2).

Aims

This study examined programmatic considerations within teacher education programs in Canada to determine the extent to which teacher preparation programs includes support for and promotion of teacher wellbeing as part of their pre-service teaching development. 

Method

In this presentation, we detail findings from a pan-Canadian questionnaires to the administrators of teacher education programs to elicit information about the program components and ways they encourage a focus on preparing for well-being across all aspects of their program. Questionnaire included closed and open-ended questions about the programmatic components and initiatives and their perceived effectiveness. Qualitative data analysis entailed a constant comparison method, and quantitative data analysis included descriptive statistics. Finally, the data were compared and contrasted with the themes derived from the review of related research on fostering well-being in programs.

Results

The findings pointed out moderate programmatic preparation of teacher candidates to deal with stress. Detailed analysis provided program administrators perspectives on how well each of the pillars of wellbeing - namely cultural, emotional, environmental, intellectual, physical, social, and spiritual - are supported with programmatic aspects in teacher education programs. Data showed that not all pillars are equally supported, suggesting programmatic attention to specific strategies and initiatives to promote teacher candidates' wellbeing capacity.

Conclusion

This study provides opportunities for teacher education programs to develop policies, procedures, practices, and approaches that foreground well-being during pre-service education and practicum teaching.