Work

Teachers’ occupational well-being in relation to teacher–student interactions in primary school

Year: 2025

Type: article

Abstract: Teachers experience various demands in their job, and teachers’ well-being has become a concern. However, less is known about how teachers’ positive and negative aspects of teachers’ occupational well-being are related to their quality of interactions with students, at the lower primary school classrooms. This study explored the relation between teachers’ occupational well-being and teacher–student interactions in primary school classrooms in Finland. 49 Grade 2 teachers rated their work engagement and burnout, and quality of teacher–student interactions was rated by trained coders using the Classroom Assessment Scoring System (CLASS K-3) based on video-recorded lessons. Results of structural equation modelling showed that teachers with higher levels of work engagement showed higher-quality emotional support and instructional support, while teachers with higher levels of burnout potentially evidenced lower-quality instructional support. It is suggested that more attention should be paid to teachers’ positive aspects of occupational well-being in teacher education programs and schools.

Source: Journal of Early Childhood Education Research

DOI: 10.58955/jecer.145766

Authors: Sze Wah Chan, Sanni Pöysä, Marja-Kristiina Lerkkanen, Eija Pakarinen

Institutions: University of Jyväskylä, University of Stavanger

Language: English

Topic: Occupational Health and Burnout

Subfield: Occupational Therapy

Field: Health Professions

Domain: Health Sciences

SDGs: Quality education, Good health and well-being, Decent work and economic growth

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: Suomen Kulttuurirahasto, Jyväskylän Yliopisto, Strategic Research Council