Symposium Summary:

For several years now, the vision of education in schools and universities has been evolving, with an increasing interest in issues of well-being. Considering the quality of life in this environment is not a simple matter because it involves the various actors of the educational community, teachers, students, staff and/or parents, some of whom seem to be suffering.

The purpose of this presentation is to understand the determinants of the quality of life of teachers and students, but also to suggest ways of intervening based on positive psychology to improve the well-being of all.

This symposium consists of five presentations.

The first dealt specifically with the quality of life of students seen through the prism of the "Job Demands-Resources" model (a stress model from the organizational field of Demerouti et al., 2001) adapted to the school context. It showed that it was possible to highlight student profiles according to their perceived levels of resources and demands, but also according to their level of personal resources (self-efficacy and satisfaction). The effects of these profiles also revealed the importance of taking them into account because of the consequences they may have in terms of health and motivation.

The second study focuses on the motivational 'teacher-student' relationship. It is carried out in the specific context of Physical Education classes. The aim is to analyze whether the teacher's motivational style adopted during these classes can impact on the students' motivation. It also aims to show the differences between expert and novice teachers.

The other three studies focus on teacher well-being. One deals with the impact of various interventions from positive psychology on the well-being, optimism, vitality, and stress of pre-service teachers in extracurricular and primary education in Quebec. Another shows that there is a multitude of conceptual frameworks, methodological considerations, and scales to explain and measure "teacher well-being" and proposes comparisons. Finally, the last one examines the concept of Psychological Capital as a new way to help people feel good at work. She links it to the PERMA model (Positive emotion, Engagement, Positive Relationship, Meaning, Accomplishment). This, in turn, allows the analysis of the process of positive professional identity of a teacher. The mental health of Canadian and Belgian teachers is compared.

All these studies agree on the fact that the quality of life of teachers depends on the quality of life of students and vice versa. There is therefore a virtuous loop that must be preserved by promoting the well-being of all.

Symposium Presentation 1: Quality of life at school in France: between vulnerability and robustness of students
Presenter: Marie Oger

Authors: Marie Oger, Ph. D., Physical Education teacher in France, Charles Martin-Krumm, Ph. D., Full Professor of Psychology at Ecole de Psychologues Praticiens de Paris (France), Fabien Fenouillet, Ph.D. Full Professor of Psychology at Nanterre, University of Paris Ouest (France), Anita Muller, Master at Ecole de Psychologues Praticiens de Paris (France), Fleur Le Roux, Master at Ecole de Psychologues Praticiens de Paris (France), Cyril Tarquinio, Ph. D., Full Professor of Psychology at Lorraine University Metz (France), Guillaume Broc, Ph.D., Full Professor of Psychology at Paul Valéry University, Montpellier 3, (France)

Background
The quality of life of students at school is an increasingly topical issue in relation both to public health issues, made more acute by the pandemic and successive confinements, and to the technical nature of future jobs which means training has become an economic issue.

Aims
The COBE study (Oger et al., 2022) has already revealed that students very often overestimate the constraints of the school environment and underestimate the resources offered by the school and even their own resources. This leads to burnout and has an impact on their performance, motivation and health. However, not everyone experiences the same things. Thus, the aim of this study is twofold. On the one hand, it is to identify student profiles, based on their perception of the school in terms of demands and available resources, but also on their own resources and level of satisfaction. On the other hand, it is a question of testing the impact that each of the profiles is likely to have on motivation (i.e., commitment, performance) or on perceived health.

Method
A cross-sectional design was adopted, in which several scales were administered to 470 students. The overall averages obtained in the first term by each student were also collected. The data were subjected to latent class analysis and then a series of anova was performed to test the effects of profiles on motivation and perceived health.

Results
The results of the analyses reveal three clearly differentiated profiles that have predictive power on students' motivation and health perception.

Discussion
The results of this study feed into recent work in which the JD-R model has been transposed to the school environment (e.g., Salmela-Aro & Upadyaya, 2014). In this line of research, the originality here was the use of latent profile analyses that allowed the identification of both different student profiles and their effects on motivation and perceived health. 

Bibiography
Oger, M., Martin-Krumm, C., & Tarquinio, C. (2022). Quality of life of students in France: The COBE study. 10^th European Conference on Positive Psychology, Reykjavik, Iceland, 29^th of June – 2^tnd of July.
Salmela-Aro, K., & Upadyaya, K. (2014). School burnout and engagement in the context of demands-resources model. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 84(1), 137–151. 

Symposium Presentation 2: Canadian and FWB teachers through the Psychological Capital scope : A new way to promote well-being at work?

Presenter: Nancy Goyette
Authors: Nancy Goyette, Ph. D., Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Stéphanie Girard, Ph. D., Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Sacha Rose Stoloff, Ph. D., Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Denis Berthieaux, cand. M.A, Université de Mons, Josée Lefebvre, cand. M.A, Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Natacha Duroisin, Ph.D., Université de Mons

Abstract: 
Working as a teacher is complex. Indeed, several factors cause psychological distress, which can lead to early drop-out from the profession. Nevertheless, some teachers experience well-being at work, despite the many challenges encountered on a daily basis. This research aims to measure teacher well-being by analyzing the potential links to the concept of Psychological Capital (PsyCap). PsyCap is defined as a positive psychological state of development which is constructed around four variables (Self-efficacy, Optimism, Hope and Resilience). In our research, we also use the concept of PERMA (Positive emotion, Engagement, Positive Relationship, Meaning, Accomplishment). This research linking PsyCap with the elements of PERMA allows us to analyze the process of a teacher’s positive professional identity; firstly,by fostering perseverance in difficult work contexts; and secondly, by understanding how they preserve their mental health in those contexts.

In order to measure the evolution of PsyCap’s variables of teachers during the school year after the pandemic, participants filled out questionnaires using the repeated measures design methodology, which compares the variable at two different times: in November 2021, and in April 2022. The final sample consisted of 151 teachers (M_age = XX; SD = XX) from Quebec (Canada) and 143 teachers (M_age = XX; SD = XX) from FWB (Belgium).

Results indicate that teachers from both regions experience a high level of well-being, despite the pandemic at both measurement times. Based on this data, the results for Quebecois teachers are promising, especially in terms of meaning and engagement. The relationship between well-being and PsyCap demonstrates that hope, optimism and positive emotions are the constructive elements of PsyCap which are most significantly linked  to PERMA. As for the Belgian teachers, similar results are observed. One of the most interesting finds from this data, is that the PsyCap element Hope is the construct most linked to PERMA.

Symposium Presentation 3: When positive psychology enters teacher education : A picture of prospective and novice teachers’ well-being in Québec
Presenter: Mylène Leroux

Authors: Mylène Leroux, Ph. D., Université du Québec en Outaouais; Karina Lapointe, PhD student, Université du Québec en Outaouais, Gilles Dupuis, Université du Québec à Montréal, Nancy Goyette, Ph. D., Université du Québec à Trois-Rivières, Catherine Malboeuf-Hurtubise, Ph. D., Bishop’s University, Geneviève Taylor, Ph. D., Université du Québec à Montréal

Abstract: 
Even if internships often represent the most relevant component of initial training for pre-service teachers, they are also a significant source of stress and concerns. Surprisingly, few initiatives have been developed in teacher education to address this issue, even if more and more researchers highlight the importance of a psychological training in teacher education.

For this reason, we implemented various positive psychology activities with graduating preschool/primary student teachers in Québec, and assessed their impact. To do so, we used a longitudinal mixed method approach, with two cohorts of graduates. Concretely, trainees completed various written exercises during the internship term (2019: n=21; 2020: n=22). We also invited them to complete an online questionnaire including several scales (well-being, optimism, vitality, stress, psychological distress, etc.), at the beginning (T1) as well as at the end of their internship (T2) (2019: n=13; 2020: n=5).

Similarly, a control group completed the questionnaire (T1 and T2) without participating in the activities (2019: n=6; 2020: n=7). A subsample of the experimental group also agreed to participate in a semi-structured interview at the end of the placement (2019: n=5; 2020: n=5). Subsequently, a few participants (2019: n=3; 2020: n=5) took part in a follow-up during their induction (T3). We analyzed the qualitative data using thematic coding (PERMA model – Seligman, 2011). We also carried out statistical analyses (descriptive, t-tests and repeated measures anova) in order to illustrate the evolution of the indicators for the participants and to compare experimental and control groups. 

Preliminary analyses show significant and encouraging results, consistent with the recent literature. The results will not only provide a portrait of teachers’ well-being during this crucial transitional period in their careers, but will also provide reflections on how to better train and support prospective teachers in order to cultivate their well-being despite the challenges they face.

Symposium Presentation 4: Students’ motivation in light of teachers’ motivational style
Presenter: Sophie Sanchez-Larrea

Authors: Sophie Sanchez-Larrea, Laboratoire LACES (Université de Bordeaux), Legrain Pascal, Ph. D., Laboratoire LACES (Université de Bordeaux), Damien Tessier, Associate Professor, Laboratoire SENS (université de Grenoble Alpes)

Abstract: 
Students’ well-being partly depends on peer relationships within the classroom and on the communication they share with the teacher. In France, although institutional recommendations recall that teachers are expected to “master the French language for communication purposes”, few hours are dedicated to how the teacher creates a fulfilling learning environment when interacting with students. In this respect, the in-service and pre-service teacher training programs rarely focus on the teacher’s speech acts. However, according to the self-determination theory (Ryan & Deci, 2017), and specifically recent works indicating that the teacher’s motivating style needs to be considered malleable (Reeve & Cheon, 2021). Thus, it seems interesting to consider whether the observed teacher’s motivating style during instruction (e.g., presenting the task, providing students with feedbacks) would improve students’ motivational outcomes. The purpose of this oral communication is to examine these questions in the physical education (PE) setting. Based on a recent classification system designed by Ahmadi et al. (2022) for studying the teachers’ behaviors during instruction, lessons conducted by 8 PE teachers (4 experts and 4 beginners) were coded. In addition, among the respective 8 classes, data were collected from 186 students (98 boys; 88 girls) with regard to (1) motivation for PE, (2), perceived motivational climate, (3) psychological needs satisfaction/threat, and (4) situational motivation (toward the lesson). Growth multilevel analysis will be performed to examine the relations between teachers’ motivating style and the student’s perceptions of the motivational climate, basic psychological needs satisfaction, and motivation. This study is akin to drawing new perspectives for teacher professional development training.

Ahmadi, A. et al. (2022). A classification system for teachers’ motivational behaviours recommended in self-determination theory interventions. DOI: 10.31234/osf.io/4vrym
Reeve, J., & Cheon, S. H. (2021). Autonomy-supportive teaching: Its malleability, benefits, and potential to improve educational practice. Educational Psychologist, 56(1), 54–77.
Ryan, R. M., & Deci, E. L. (2017). Self-determination theory: Basic Psychological Needs in Motivation Development and Wellness. In New York: Guilford Publishing.

Symposium Presentation 5: Between conceptual frameworks and methodological considerations: keys to understanding “teachers’ well-being”
Presenter: Caterina Mamprin

Authors: Caterina Mamprin, Ph.D., Université de Moncton, Joline Guitard, Ph.D. candidate, Université de Moncton, Louise Clément, D.B.A., Université Laval, Alice Levasseur, Ph.D. candidate, Université Laval

Abstract:
While some researchers in positive psychology have begun to delineate the concept, the polysemous nature of “well-being” persists. Whilst this is true for studies that address the concept within the general population, the same phenomenon is observed when it comes to teachers’ well-being (Hall-Kenyon et al., 2014; Hascher & Waber, 2021). If well-being can be described as a highly contextual phenomenon (Ryff et al., 2021), studying this phenomenon within a tailored population will add to the plethora of conceptions already found in the literature. In the study of teachers’ well-being, we find a variety of definitions, from the most generic to the most specific related to the tasks assumed by these workers (Mamprin, 2021). The diversity of conceptions is also associated with a multitude of measurement tools that are not always in line with the adopted definitions (Hascher & Waber, 2021).

This communication aims to support reflections on the various components underlying “teachers’ well-being” (i.e., hedonic and eudaimonic states, practice-oriented well-being components) and compare different types of scales. For this research, we collected the data in Spring 2022 amongst teachers from New Brunswick, Canada (n = 435).

The results and psychometric properties of the seven scales under study (i.e., Teacher well-being at work scale, Collie et al., 2015; Index of Psychological Well-Being at Work, Dagenais-Desmarais & Savoie, 2012; Scale of Positive and Negative Experiences, Diener et al., 2009; Flourishing scale, Diener et al, 2009; Satisfaction with Life Scale, Diener et al., 1985; Basic Psychological Needs Satisfaction, Bartholomew et al., 2011; Basic Psychological Needs Frustration, Chen et al., 2015) allow us to put into perspective the different phenomena measured and the importance of being cautious in comparing results across studies employing different scales.