Background

The consequences of a deficit of psychological well-being in the teaching profession contribute to the phenomenon of early dropout from the profession observed in the Walloon Federation of Brussels (35%, FWB, 2015) and worldwide (OECD, 2005). This seems to have been accentuated during the Covid-19 health crisis (Kim et al., 2021).

Aims

To address these attrition and psychological health issues, this presentation analyzes data on teachers' psychological well-being during the crisis.

Method

From the first containment and throughout the pandemic, primary and secondary school teachers responded to our quantitative surveys (4 surveys already conducted (N=1515) and one last one in progress whose results will be previewed at the IPPA congress). In parallel, semi-structured interviews (N = 3) were also conducted with a smaller number of teachers (N = 15).
In the surveys and interviews, two theoretical models were used. On the one hand, the model of psychological health at work (PHW), which considers psychological well-being, particularly in its positive components. On the other hand, the job demands-resources (JD-R) model (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007), increasingly used in educational research, for its operational character.

Results

Our results show that contact with students is the main resource offered by the teaching profession. In the absence of these during lockdowns, teachers experienced a lower sense of psychological well-being, even though the expectations of the profession were lower. Our results also demonstrate, on the one hand, a strong link between professional competence and psychological well-being and, on the other hand, a significant link between material and human resources and the well-being felt by teachers.

Conclusion

These considerations support our comments on the use of models based on the analysis of resources. This approach makes it possible to operationalize avenues of research in positive psychology in response to the issue of dropout and teacher well-being.