Well-being and psychological capital of novice teachers in French-speaking Belgium. — ASN Events
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  3. Well-being and psychological capital of novice teachers in French-speaking Belgium.

Well-being and psychological capital of novice teachers in French-speaking Belgium. (#677)

Denis Bertieaux 1 , Natacha Duroisin 1 , Nancy Goyette 2 , Stephanie Girard 2 , Sacha Stoloff 2 , Josee Lefebvre 2
  1. University of Mons, Mons, HAINAUT, Belgium
  2. University of Québec at Trois-Rivières, Trois-Rivières, Canada

Background

Many novice teachers are affected by professional dropout in French-speaking Belgium, as elsewhere in the world, and this negatively impacts the quality of school systems (Alava, 2016). The lack of psychological well-being has been identified as one of the causes of this phenomenon (Karsenti et al., 2015; EOCD, 2005). Positive psychology provides an answer to this challenge but the literature on this topic remains limited. Thus, supporting and helping future teachers develop a positive professional identity promotes professional integration (Goyette & Martineau, 2018). For this purpose, two concepts are mobilized: on the one hand, the «PERMA» model of well-being according to Seligman (2012) (Positive emotions, Engagement, positive Relationship, Meaning, Accomplishment) and, on the other hand, psychological capital (PsyCap) (Luthans & al., 2004) which contains positive individual resources (self-efficacy, optimism, hope and resilience).

Aims

The purpose of this study is to highlight the elements of PsyCap that are strongly related to high levels of well-being and to understand the interactions between these two models in teachers, particularly novice teachers.

Method

Quantitative data were collected from teachers in the Wallonia-Brussels Federation twice (November 2021 and April 2022) (N1 = 143, N2 = coming soon). Their level of well-being was measured using Seligman’s PERMA scale (2012), and their PsyCap by the French version of the scale of Luthans and al. (2007). Qualitative data was collected through individual interviews (N = 13) in July 2022 that are still being analyzed.

Results

The first results show a high level of well-being, strongly related to PsyCap. Hope and optimism appear to be the most important resources. Further analysis is underway, particularly with novice teachers in the sample.

Conclusion

At the time when French-speaking Belgium is engaging on a vast reform of initial teachers training, the contribution of this study will make it possible to highlight elements that could be part of curriculum, with the aim of helping them to feel well-being in their professional practice.

  1. Alava, S. (2016). L’enseignant face à la difficulté de la classe: Capacité à agir et décrochage enseignant. Questions Vives. Recherches en éducation(25).
  2. Karsenti, T., Correa Molina, E., Desbiens, J., Gauthier, C., Gervais, C., Lepage, M., Lessard, C., Martineau, S., Mukamurera, J., & Raby, C. (2015). Analyse des facteurs explicatifs et des pistes de solution au phénomène du décrochage chez les nouveaux enseignants, et de son impact sur la réussite scolaire des élèves. Rapport de recherche, programme actions concertées. Fonds de recherche. Société et culture. https://frq.gouv.qc.ca/app/uploads/2021/08/prs_karsentit_rapport_decrochage-nouveaux-enseignants.pdf
  3. OCDE. (2005). Le rôle crucial des enseignants: Attirer, former et retenir des enseignants de qualité. Organisation de Coopération et de Développement Économiques.
  4. Goyette, N., & Dubreuil, P. (2018). Accompagner les stagiaires dans le développement de leurs forces de caractère : un pas de plus vers le bien-être en enseignement. Vivre le primaire, 31(3), 35-37.
  5. Seligman, M. E. (2012). Flourish: A visionary new understanding of happiness and well-being. Simon and Schuster.
  6. Luthans, F., & Youssef, C. M. (2004). Human, Social, and Now Positive Psychological Capital Management: Investing in people for competitive advantage. Organizational Dynamics, 33(2), 143-160. 10.1016/j.orgdyn.2004.01.003
  7. Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel psychology, 60(3), 541-572.
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