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REVIEW ARTICLE
A Systematic Review ofEvidence‑Based Wellbeing
Initiatives forSchoolteachers andEarly Childhood
Educators
EmilyBerger1,2· AndreaReupert1,3· TimothyC.H.Campbell2· ZoeMorris1·
MarieHammer1· ZaneDiamond1· RochelleHine4· PamelaPatrick1·
ChantelFathers5
Accepted: 14 June 2022
© The Author(s) 2022
Abstract
Schoolteacher and early childhood educator wellbeing is associated with their ability
to provide high-quality educational experiences to students and children in their
care. Given the importance of this topic, this systematic review sought to (1) identify
available evidence-based wellbeing initiatives for educators and schoolteachers,
(2) appraise the quality of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these initiatives,
and (3) summarise the characteristics of these initiatives. In total, 23 studies on 19
distinct initiatives were identified. Although most initiatives improved schoolteacher
wellbeing, the quality of available evidence is modest, especially for early childhood
educators. Existing teacher and educator wellbeing initiatives predominantly target
individual and not systematic determinants of educator wellbeing, even though
wellbeing of these groups is determined by a combination of personal and education
setting influences. More research is needed to improve the evidence on teacher and
early childhood educator wellbeing initiatives, as well as development of initiatives
that aim to change workplace demands and education setting culture.
Keywords Early childhood educators· Schoolteachers· Wellbeing· Wellbeing
initiatives· Intervention review
* Emily Berger
emily.berger@monash.edu
1 Faculty ofEducation, Monash University, Building 92 (Learning and Teaching Building) 19
Ancora Imparo Way, Clayton, VIC3800, Australia
2 Monash Rural Health Warragul, Monash University, Warragul, Australia
3 Krongold Clinic, Faculty ofEducation, Monash University, Clayton, Australia
4 School ofRural Health, Monash University, Warragul, Australia
5 Beyond Blue, Melbourne, Australia
Published online: 4 July 2022
Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
/
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1 3
Introduction
Schoolteachers’ and early childhood educators’ wellbeing is a fundamental contributor
to their ability to support learning and care of children (Gray et al., 2017; Sisask
et al., 2014). Teacher wellbeing is a multi-dimensional construct that encompasses
physical, psychological, and spiritual health, as well as occupational attachment,
stability, commitment, and satisfaction (Granziera et al., 2021). Cumming (2017)
described early childhood educator wellbeing as entailing individual determinants, as
well as contextual, relational, systemic, and discursive factors. Thus, schoolteacher
and educator wellbeing is comprised of more than individual educators’ psychosocial,
physical, and mental wellbeing, and is determined by relationships with colleagues,
the organisational policies and structure, and workplace conditions. Collie and Perry
(2019) argued that a sense of wellbeing is integral to teachers’ ongoing growth in their
role. In this paper, we employ the term “educator” to include early childhood educators
of children before they enter primary school, as well as primary and secondary school
teachers. We also use this term to refer to pre-service teachers undertaking their initial
teacher education to qualify as teachers.
Wellbeing ofEducators
Research demonstrates that teaching is a highly complex, stressful, and demanding
occupation (Smak & Walczak, 2017). Educators encounter a range of challenges
and stressors in their work, including responding to the varied needs of children,
navigating interpersonal relationships and expectations of students, parents,
and colleagues, time pressures, and balancing the requirements of the profession
with their personal life (Herman etal., 2018; Spilt etal., 2011). Additionally, an
emphasis on benchmarks and accountability within education systems heightens
stress for educators (McCallum and Price, 2015). McCullum and Price’s
observation that schools are assuming an increasingly prominent role in supporting
the emotional wellbeing of school-aged children further illustrates the growing
range of responsibilities placed on educators.
Compared to other professions, educators experience higher levels of stress and
depression (Reupert, 2020). In particular, educators carry a high stress-load (Herman
etal., 2018), and are vulnerable to experiencing emotional exhaustion and burnout
(Shen et al., 2015; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010). Low levels of mental health in
educators have been associated with absenteeism (Gibbs & Miller, 2014; Kidger,
Brockman, etal., 2016; Kidger, Stone, etal., 2016), presenteeism (in which educators
are present at work but are under performing; Jain etal., 2013), ill health retirement
(Kuoppala etal., 2011), and a high level of attrition in the teaching profession (Liu &
Onwuegbuzie, 2012). Educators’ wellbeing often affects their teaching competence,
which in turn has implications for students’ academic achievement and wellbeing
(Carroll etal., 2021).
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The Impact ofEducator Wellbeing
An educator’s emotional state influences how they think about and function in their
teaching (Sutton & Wheatley, 2003). A recent study demonstrated that poor wellbeing
reduces educators’ belief that they can help students with behavioural or emotional
problems (Sisask etal., 2014). Educators’ ability to develop supportive relationships
with students, a key factor in promoting children’s engagement (Kidger etal., 2012),
is negatively impacted by educator stress (Virtanen etal., 2019). Conversely, educator
wellbeing is associated with educators’ greater commitment to and motivation
for work (Collie & Perry, 2019), and job retention (Arens & Morin, 2016). These
factors in turn affect children. Harding etal. (2019) showed an association between
higher teacher wellbeing and lower student psychological difficulties. Arens and
Morin (2016) found educators experiencing greater wellbeing were more likely to
have higher academically achieving students. Thus, educator wellbeing is essential
for individual teachers, and plays an important part in fostering healthy and effective
educational environments.
Theoretical Conceptualisation ofEducator Wellbeing
A useful framework for understanding educator wellbeing is Bronfenbrenner’s original
ecological framework. This framework has been applied in educator wellbeing
research and indicates that educator wellbeing is determined by six, interrelated
factors, including the following: (1) the individual educator; (2) microsystem; (3)
mesosystem; (4) exosystem; (5) macrosystem; and (6) chronosystem (Cumming
& Wong, 2019; Price & McCallum, 2015). The individual educator includes
an individuals’ predisposing factors that may influence wellbeing, such as life
experiences and temperament. The microsystem includes the relationships between
teachers, students, and parents, and the influence of classroom and school interactions
on educators’ wellbeing. The mesosystem encompasses the interactions that take
place between two or more people (e.g. students and colleagues) or settings (e.g. work
and home) within a teacher’s microsystem. The exosystem consists of structures and
systemic issues that may indirectly affect educators, such as school district procedures
or available social services. The macrosystem describes the board political, economic,
legal, and cultural influences on educator wellbeing (e.g. school funding for wellbeing
programmes, school culture that supports educator wellbeing), and the chronosystem
refers to the influence of changes across time and historical factors on the wellbeing of
educators (Cross & Hong, 2012).
The use of this framework is consistent with emerging research in the field of
educator wellbeing (Cumming, 2017; Reupert, 2020). Specifically, prior research
has shown that educators’ wellbeing is determined by individual teacher factors
such as coping style, personality, and confidence, alongside organisational factors
including, but not limited to, education setting climate, role clarity, and leadership,
as well as broad societal factors such as academic benchmarks and national testing
procedures (Reupert, 2020). Applying an ecological lens to the extant research
2921Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
on educator wellbeing may help to identity strengths and gaps in the evidence on
initiatives to support educator wellbeing and highlight future research, policy, and
practice directions. However, as Price and McCallum (2015) state, the influence of
the ecological layers on educator wellbeing is not well understood and has not been
extensively analysed. Similarly, it is unclear how well educator wellbeing initiatives
respond to the individual, organisational, and structural factors that impact educator
wellbeing, work performance, and career longevity.
Aims oftheReview
To facilitate the translation of the extant body of available research, a systematic
review and appraisal of available initiatives is required. The aim of this review
was to (1) identify the range of educator wellbeing initiatives currently available,
(2) appraise the quality of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these initiatives
for educator wellbeing, and (3) summarise the approaches, contents, and delivery
formats that characterise these initiatives. Such information might be used to guide
policy, and inform future educator wellbeing initiatives.
Method
A systematic review of research literature was conducted between December 2020
and January 2021 to identify, describe, and appraise evidence-based initiatives sup-
porting educators’ wellbeing. The Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Review
and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines (Moher etal., 2009) informed the meth-
odology for this review.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria
Studies that had investigated educator wellbeing outcomes associated with initiatives
implemented in early learning settings, primary or secondary schools, or specialist
education settings were included in the review. Early learning settings refer to
childcare or kindergarten settings for children aged 0 to 5years, primary (elementary)
and secondary schools refer to educational settings for students aged five to 18years,
and specialist schools are settings that cater for students with additional learning,
social, emotional, or behavioural needs. Initiatives targeting pre-service educators
completing their initial teacher education training were also eligible for inclusion
in the review. To ensure the review focused on contemporary educator wellbeing
initiatives and outcomes, a publication date range from 1 January 2010 to 31
December 2020 was applied. Peer-reviewed quantitative and qualitative evaluation
studies, published worldwide, in the English language were eligible for inclusion.
2922 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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Exclusion Criteria
To establish a minimum standard for an initiative to be considered evidence-based,
articles that were not peer-reviewed (e.g. book chapters, grey literature), did not
report primary data, were study protocols, or were opinion pieces were excluded.
Dissertations were also excluded because they are less likely than published journal
articles to undergo rigorous peer review. Wellbeing initiatives and outcomes in the
context of tertiary and adult education (excluding pre-service educator wellbeing
initiatives) were also outside the scope of this review.
Literature Search
Five journal databases were searched: PsycINFO; Scopus; A + Education; ProQuest
Education Journals; and ERIC for relevant studies. Table1 presents the structure of
search terms used in the literature search, which was formatted to the conventions
of each database. Search limits were utilised according to the options available
within each database, including the application of parameters for English language,
peer-reviewed journal, and publication date.
Appraisal ofEvidence Quality
The Australian National Health and Medical Research Council guidelines, which
establishes different levels of evidence based on the robustness of research methodology
(NHMRC, 2009), was employed to appraise the level of evidence for each identified
initiative (Table 2). These guidelines were selected to classify the review results
according to research design, from randomised controlled trials (RCTs) which is the
highest standard for studies using original data, to pseudorandomised controlled trials,
comparative studies with concurrent controls, comparative studies without concurrent
controls, and case series measuring pre-post intervention outcomes (NHRMC, 2009).
This evidence hierarchy can be used to assess the likelihood of bias in therapeutic
intervention studies (Merlin etal., 2009). However, the NHMRC evidence guidelines
are only applicable to quantitative research methodologies. Thus, qualitative studies
were assessed using the Critical Appraisal Skills Programme checklist for qualitative
research (CASP, 2018). Further, to explore the quality of evidence from the RCTs, the
US Department of Education’s What Works Clearinghouse (WWC, 2020) guidelines
were used.
Table 1 Structure of search terms for the literature review
Search 1 (teacher* OR educator* OR early childhood educator* OR principal*) ADJA-
CENT (wellbeing OR mental wellbeing OR mental health)
Search 2 initiative* OR intervention* OR resource* OR program* OR systems approach*
Search 3 COMBINE Search 1 AND Search 2
2923Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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Procedure
Figure 1 charts the systematic review process, including database search results
and eligibility decisions. The title and abstract of each record returned in the data-
base search were independently screened by two reviewers to ensure the process for
establishing the eligibility of studies was robust. In cases where the two reviewers’
decisions conflicted (33 of 245 records), a third reviewer assessed the paper and
a decision was made through deliberation within the research team. The 51 stud-
ies accepted through this initial screening stage of the title and abstract were sub-
jected to a full-text review. In the full-text review, the eligibility of each study was
assessed by one researcher according to the inclusion and exclusion criteria, and a
second author verified inclusions. Thus, two to three authors (EB, AR, and TC) were
involved across title, abstract, and full-text screening, with the other authors pro-
viding support to develop the methodology and review the results. The reference
lists of these eligible studies were manually checked for additional relevant records,
which were then subjected to the full-text review process. From the 23 included
studies, data were extracted pertaining to the research methodology implemented,
educational setting and sampling, content of the wellbeing initiative (i.e. theoretical
framework employed, format, duration, facilitator), reported outcomes for educator
wellbeing, and other reported outcomes. The review team determined an NHMRC
evidence level, Clearinghouse, or CASP rating as applicable for the methodology in
each eligible study. The educator wellbeing initiatives identified across the studies
were then grouped according to their underpinning therapeutic approach.
Results
In summary, 23 studies were identified that reported on educator outcomes across
19 different educator wellbeing initiatives. One initiative (Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction; MBSR) had been the subject of four separate studies, and one
Table 2 NHMRC levels of evidence
The table presented here is replicated from the National Health Medical Research Council levels of evi-
dence and grades for recommendations for guideline developers (p. 15, 2009)
Level of
evidence
Study design
I A systematic review of level II studies
II A randomised controlled trial
III-1 A pseudo-randomised controlled trial (i.e. alternate allocation or some other method)
III-2 A comparative study with concurrent controls (i.e. non-randomised experimental trials, cohort
studies, case–control studies, interrupted time series studies with a control group)
III-3 A comparative study without concurrent controls (i.e. historical control study, two or more
single arm studies, interrupted time series studies without a parallel control group)
IV Case series with either post-test or pre-test/post-test outcomes
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1 3
initiative (Reconnected) had been the subject of two studies that had made use
of the same dataset. Table3 presents the 19 initiatives grouped by therapeutic
approach and appraisal of evidence quality for each study. Table4 summarises
the sampling, educational context, and educator wellbeing findings reported.
Table5 summarises key characteristics of the 19 educator wellbeing initiatives.
The six therapeutic categories of “mindfulness”, “social-emotional”, “mental
health literacy”, “cognitive behavioural”, “positive psychology”, and “integra-
tive” were used to organise the results. A final category, which was not a thera-
peutic approach, was also included, called “school leadership and policy change”.
Records returned in database searches
(k= 361)
A+ Educaon (k= 79)
ERIC (k= 80)
ProQuest Educaon Journals (k= 18)
PsycINFO (k=43)
Scopus (k= 139)
Screening
Included Eligibility noitacifitnedI
Records aer duplicates removed
(k=245)
Records screened (tle and abstract)
(k= 245)
Records excluded (not relevant to review)
(k= 201)
Full-text arclesassessed for eligibility
(k= 51)
Full-text arcles excluded (reasonsprovided)
(k= 28)
Study out of review scope (k= 12)
Study protocol (k= 4)
Study not in English language (k= 1)
Other type of arcle (k= 11)
Studies included in data synthesis
(k= 23)
Studiesincludedin the final review
(k= 23)
Relevant records idenfied in manual search
of reference lists
(k= 7)
Fig. 1 Flowchart of the literature review process and articles included and excluded at each stage. Note.
This chart is adapted from the Preferred Reporting Items of Systematic Review and Meta-Analyses
(PRISMA) guidelines (Moher etal., 2009)
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Table 3 Initiatives to enhance educator wellbeing: overview of the current evidence base
NHMRC levels of evidence CASP checklist
Therapeutic
approach
Educator well-
being initiative
IV III-3 III-2 III-1 II WWC
Clearinghouse
Guidelines
(RCT studies
only)
Qualitative
evidence
Number of crite-
ria met (qualita-
tive studies only;
range: 0–9)
Mindfulness .b Foundations
Course
Beshai etal.
(2016)
CALM Harris etal.
(2016)
Christian
Meditation
Graham &
Truscott
(2020)
5
MBSR Gold etal.
(2010)
Gouda etal.
(2016)
Rupprecht
etal. (2017)
Frank etal.
(2015)
MT Roeser etal.
(2013)
Eligible to
meet WWC
standards
with reserva-
tions
Reconnected Hwang, Gold-
stein, etal.
(2019)
Hwang, Jae-
Eun, etal.
(2019)
Eligible to
meet WWC
standards
with reserva-
tions
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Table 3 (continued)
NHMRC levels of evidence CASP checklist
Therapeutic
approach
Educator well-
being initiative
IV III-3 III-2 III-1 II WWC
Clearinghouse
Guidelines
(RCT studies
only)
Qualitative
evidence
Number of crite-
ria met (qualita-
tive studies only;
range: 0–9)
SMART Taylor etal.
(2016)
Eligible to
meet WWC
standards
with reserva-
tions
Social-emo-
tional
CARE for
Teachers
Jennings etal.
(2013)
Eligible to
meet WWC
standards
without res-
ervations
EI in the Class-
room
Vesely etal.
(2014)
IY-TCM Hayes etal.
(2020)
Eligible to
meet WWC
standards
without res-
ervations
Lange Lehren
project
Unterbrink
etal. (2010)
Does not
meet WWC
group design
standards
Arts-based
reflection
McKay and
Barton
(2018)
2
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Table 3 (continued)
NHMRC levels of evidence CASP checklist
Therapeutic
approach
Educator well-
being initiative
IV III-3 III-2 III-1 II WWC
Clearinghouse
Guidelines
(RCT studies
only)
Qualitative
evidence
Number of crite-
ria met (qualita-
tive studies only;
range: 0–9)
Mental health
literacy
MHFA Kidger etal.
(2016b)
The African
Guide
Kutcher etal.,
(2016a,
2016b)
School
leadership
and policy
change
PAR Morris etal.
(2020)
Cognitive
behavioural
DBT-ST Justo etal.
(2018)
Positive psy-
chology
PERMA
Model
Turner and
Theilking
(2019)
8
Integrative ARC Cook etal.
(2017)
CALMERSS Taylor (2018)
Community Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM); Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); Mindfulness Training (MT); Stress Management and Resiliency
Techniques for Educators (SMART); Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE for Teachers); Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom (EI in the Class-
room); Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY-TCM); Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); Participatory Action Research (PAR); Dialectical Behaviour Ther-
apy—Skills Training (DBT-ST); ACHIEVER Resilience Curriculum (ARC)
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Table 4 Initiatives to enhance educator wellbeing: overview of study findings
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Mindfulness Beshai etal. (2016) 7 secondary schools
located in five
regions across
England
89 teachers and staff
who had direct
contact with the
students in an edu-
cational / pastoral /
support role
.b Foundations Course Large reductions in
stress
Large improvements
in well-being
95% of teachers
who attended the
course found it to be
acceptable
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Harris etal. (2016) 2 middle schools in
the same district of
the USA
64 educators (42
teachers, 22 para-
professionals or
learning support)
Community Approach
to Learning Mind-
fully (CALM).
CALM informed by
MBSR
Moderate benefits for
educators’ mind-
fulness, positive
affect, classroom
management,
distress tolerance,
physical symptoms,
blood pressure, and
cortisol awakening
response
No improvements
in relational trust,
perceived stress, or
sleep
90% of teachers
indicated they would
continue participat-
ing if the initiative
was offered again;
94% indicated they
would recommend
the initiative to other
school personnel
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Graham and Truscott
(2020)
Australian Catholic
primary schools
50 teachers
114 Year 5 students
involved in focus
groups
Christian Meditation Teachers described
the effects of prac-
ticing the meditation
with students as
relaxing and calm-
ing. Facilitating the
meditation process
and observing
students benefit
from the process
contributed to a
sense of professional
fulfilment. Facilitat-
ing the practice had
personal benefits for
emotional wellbeing
Students described the
effects of practicing
the meditation as
calming, relaxing, and
refreshing
Both students and
teachers stated that
the meditation offered
flow-on benefits for
social interactions in
the classroom
Gold etal. (2010) 6 suburban primary
schools in the UK
9 teachers and 2
teaching assistants
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
(MBSR)
Significant improve-
ments in depression.
Significant improve-
ments in stress
No significant
improvement in
anxiety. Significant
improvement in
Acceptance without
Judgement (a mind-
fulness factor)
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Gouda etal. (2016) A Catholic second-
ary (Gymnasium)
school for girls in
Freiburg, Germany
44 teachers
43 female Year 11
students
Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
(MBSR)
Significantly higher
mindfulness levels
Reduced interpersonal
problems
Moderate improve-
ments in anxiety and
emotion regulation.
Outcomes were
largely stable at
4-month follow-up
Students reported mod-
erate improvements
in stress levels, self-
regulation, school-
specific self-efficacy,
and interpersonal
problems
2932 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Rupprecht etal.
(2017)
Public primary and
secondary schools
in Hamburg, Ger-
many
32 teachers Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
(MBSR)
Moderate to large
improvements in
stress and health,
coping abilities,
emotion regulation,
and self-efficacy.
Initiative effects sta-
bilised or improved
at the 3-months
follow up
Teachers explained
that they became
more aware of
stressors and in
turn, engaged more
wisely with work
demands
Satisfaction with the
MBSR initiative
was high; 82% of
the teachers would
recommend it to
colleagues
2933Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Frank etal. (2015) 2 secondary schools
in Pennsylvania,
USA
36 full-time educators Mindfulness-Based
Stress Reduction
(MBSR) (adapted)
Large gains in
self-regulation, self-
compassion, and
mindfulness-related
skills (observation,
nonjudgment, and
non-reacting)
Large improvements
in sleep quality
No significant
improvements in
teacher burnout,
or mental health
symptoms
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Roeser etal. (2013) Suburban public pri-
mary and secondary
schools in western
Canada and western
USA
113 teachers Mindfulness Training
(MT)
Moderate to large
reductions in
occupational stress,
depression, anxiety,
and burnout
Small improvements
in mindfulness,
focused atten-
tion and working
memory capacity,
and occupational
self-compassion
No effect on physi-
ological measures
of stress
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Hwang, Goldstein,
etal. (2019)
Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal.
(2019)
20 Australian schools
(11 primary; 4 sec-
ondary; 1 primary
and secondary; 4
specialist)
185 educators
87% teaching role;
12.9% non-teaching
roles requiring inter-
action with students,
e.g. principals and
deputy principals)
Reconnected Decreases in per-
ceived stress and
sleep difficulties
Increases in mindful-
ness and self-com-
passion
Initiative effects were
evident at a 5-month
follow-up
Findings did not
support that the
enhancement of
educator wellbe-
ing would improve
teaching efficacy
Improvements were
observed in teacher
and student verbal
interactions in the
classroom
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Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Taylor etal. (2016) Primary and second-
ary schools in a
single Canadian
district
59 teachers Stress Management
and Relaxation
Training (SMART).
SMART was
developed based on
MBSR
Moderate to large
improvements in
efficacy beliefs
and the tendency
to forgive. These
improvements
partially mediated
reductions in stress
from baseline to
4-month follow-up.
Interview results
showed a trend for
teachers in SMART
to report more
adaptive strategies
for coping with
job stress, and a
tendency to evaluate
challenging students
in a more positive
affective light
2937Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Social-emotional Jennings etal. (2013) Primary and second-
ary schools from
two educational
districts in north-
east USA
50 teachers Cultivating Awareness
and Resilience in
Education (CARE
for Teachers)
Improvement in self-
reported wellbeing,
efficacy, burnout,
time-related stress,
and mindfulness.
Teachers viewed
CARE as a feasible,
acceptable, and
effective initiative
*Vesely etal. (2014) University school
teaching course in
Canada
49 undergraduate
teacher candidate
students
Emotional Intel-
ligence (EI) in
the Classroom
(adapted)
The initiative did
not have an effect
on stress, anxiety,
teacher efficacy, sat-
isfaction with life, or
resiliency
*Hayes etal. (2020) 80 schools (Reception
to Year 4) across
the South West of
England
80 teachers Incredible Years
Teacher Classroom
Management (IY-
TCM)
No effect for burnout
reported by teachers
No effect for teacher
efficacy or wellbe-
ing. Teachers
reported that the
initiative helped
them relate with
their students and
respond more posi-
tively to them
2938 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Unterbrink etal.
(2010)
89 secondary schools
(“Hauptschule”:
n = 70; “Gymna-
sium”: n = 19) in
south-west Germany
337 teachers “A psychological
group initiative”
(Lange Lehren
project)
Small to moderate
improvement in gen-
eral mental health
McKay and Barton
(2018)
An Australian second-
ary school
3 teachers from Year
7 and Year 8 class-
rooms
“Arts-based reflec-
tion”
A range of arts-based
reflective practices
helped to elicit par-
ticipants’ awareness
of the personal and
contextual resources
that supported
their resilience and
wellbeing
2939Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Mental health literacy Kidger etal. (2016b) 6 secondary schools
in the UK
438 staff surveyed
13 observations
14 staff focus groups
6 staff interviewed
1862 students (Years
8–9) surveyed
Mental Health First
Aid (MHFA)
Better knowledge
about mental health
Less stigmatising
attitudes towards
mental health dif-
ficulties
Greater confidence in
helping a colleague
The training was
reported to be use-
ful for conferring
new knowledge
and skills, giving
reassurance about
current practice,
providing oppor-
tunity to discuss
difficulties in
supporting students
with colleagues and
developing aware-
ness of one’s own
mental health
2940 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Kutcher etal., (2016a,
2016b)
35 secondary schools
in Tanzania
61 teachers The African Guide
(adapted from the
original “The
Guide” in Canada)
More than 75% of
teachers reported
high rates of posi-
tive help-seeking
efficacy, for them-
selves as well as
for their students,
friends, family
members and peers,
after the initiative.
Improvements in
teacher’s mental
health knowledge
Decreases in teacher’s
stigma in relation to
mental health
2941Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
School leadership and
policy change
Morris etal. (2020) An Australian metro-
politan secondary
school
28 teachers surveyed
15 teachers involved
in focus groups
30 teachers inter-
viewed
Participatory Action
Research (PAR)
Strategies focus-
sing on appraisal
and recognition,
participative
decision-making,
professional growth,
and supportive
leadership (areas
identified by school
staff in the PAR for
specific attention)
were employed to
increase morale
and improve staff
wellbeing
Change in leadership
style was a key
factor that promoted
perceived cultural
change in the school
2942 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Cognitive behavioural *Justo etal. (2018) Public primary
schools in a south
Brazilian city
27 teachers Dialectical Behav-
ioural Therapy—
Skills Training
(DBT-ST)
The initiative
appeared to have a
negative effect on
teachers’ wellbeing
Difficulty in “behav-
ing in accordance
with goals while
experiencing a
negative emotion”
increased during the
initiative period; and
an increase in “lack
of emotional aware-
ness” was observed
2months after the
initiative
Teachers showed
improvements in
their ability to
explain and evaluate
everyday interaction
situations
2943Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Positive psychology Turner and Theilking
(2019)
5 government primary
schools in Australia
(VIC)
5 teachers PERMA Wellbeing
Model
Teachers reported
feeling less stressed,
more relaxed, more
positive and calmer
in the in the
classroom. Teachers
reported feeling
more engaged with
teaching which they
perceived improved
the quality of their
lessons
Teachers reported
spending more one-
on-one time with their
students and devel-
oped better relation-
ships and understand-
ing of their students.
Teachers also noticed
improvements in their
student’s work and
confidence
Integrative Cook etal. (2017) Middle and secondary
schools in educa-
tional district in
mid-west USA
44 teachers ACHIEVER Resil-
ience Curriculum
(ARC)
Moderate reduc-
tions in perceived
stress. Moderate
improvements
in self-efficacy.
Moderate increases
in job satisfaction.
Moderate stronger
intentions to imple-
ment Educational
Planning Books
(EBPs),
2944 Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 4 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Study
(publication year)
Location and
educational setting
Study
participants
Wellbeing initiative
name
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
educator wellbeing
Wellbeing initiative
outcomes:
student wellbeing and
other outcomes
Taylor (2018) Australia (educational
setting unclear)
5 teachers CALMERSS Reductions in psycho-
logical, physical,
and personal strain,
and in depressive
symptoms
Improvement in self-
care
Records marked with an asterisk were found not to have an effect on educator wellbeing or had a negative effect on educator wellbeing. The studies by Hwang, Goldstein,
etal. (2019) and Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal. (2019) have been included together as these studies drew on the same dataset to evaluate initiative outcomes
2945Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 5 Initiatives to enhance educator wellbeing: summary of initiative characteristics
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
Mindfulness .b Foundations Course General educator population The initiative is based on the
core mindfulness principles
of mindfulness-based stress
reduction (MBSR) and
mindfulness-based cogni-
tive therapy (MBCT)
Modules focus on attention to
body, attention to thoughts,
and cultivation of self-
compassion
9 weekly face-to-face ses-
sions of 75-min duration.
Participants of the initiative
are expected to conduct a
10-–40-min home practice
session 6days a week
Trained mindfulness practi-
tioner external to schools
CALM General educator population The initiative is based on
gentle yoga and mindful-
ness practices
A typical session includes:
centering and setting an
intention for the practice;
breathing practices; move-
ment/posture practice;
revisiting the breathing
practice; relaxation/medita-
tion practice (varied focus
on relaxation, mindfulness,
self-care, compassion,
loving-kindness, and grati-
tude); and closing practice
involving setting an inten-
tion for the workday
64 face-to-face sessions, of
approximately 20-min
duration, offered 4days per
week for 16weeks. Partici-
pants were encouraged to
attend at least twice a week
and to use practices outside
of the sessions. Sessions
operated before the school
day commenced
A certified yoga instructor with
experience in meditation
practices. The facilitator
was a practitioner external
to schools
Christian Meditation Educators and students in the
Catholic education system
Classroom-based contempla-
tive education initiatives
may be a valuable approach
for schools seeking to pro-
mote the wellbeing of both
students and teachers
The meditation is primarily
conceptualised as a form of
prayer. Participants focus
their mind through using
the ancient Christian prayer
word, Maranatha, which is
silently repeated as a man-
tra during the meditation
Typically a whole class activ-
ity practiced at least several
times per week, either in
the morning or after class
breaks. The target length of
the meditation is associated
with students’ age, (e.g.
target of 8min for students
who are 8years of age)
Classroom teacher who has
attended a 1-day face-to-face
workshop conducted by
the World Community for
Christian Meditation
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Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
MBSR General educator population Mindfulness, originally a
Buddhist concept, is the
ability to purposefully pay
attention to the present
moment non-judgmentally
Mindfulness might reduce
reactivity to negative emo-
tions, which is pertinent to
the way teachers interact
especially with challenging
pupils
The MBSR curriculum is
comprised of mindfulness
meditation practices and
mindfulness in daily life.
Every course session
focuses on a topic such as
coping with stress or work-
ing with difficult emotions
MBSR is a structured 8-week
course with weekly face-
to-face group meetings that
range 2.5–3h in length.
The initiative structure has
been adapted to the school
year schedule
MBSR instructor external to
schools
MT General educator population Mindful self-regulation skills
and self-compassionate
mind-sets are theorised
to assist in recognising,
acknowledging, and coping
with stress
The initiative uses five
main teaching activities
to teach mindfulness and
self-compassion to teach-
ers: guided mindfulness
and yoga practices, group
discussions of mindfulness
practice, small-group
activities to practice skills
in real-life scenarios,
lecture and guided home
practices, and homework
assignments
11 face-to-face sessions over
8weeks (36 contact hours).
The initiative operated
after school hours
Trained facilitator external to
schools
Reconnected General educator population The aim of the initiative is
to provide educators with
support for self-manage-
ment of stress as well as
foster increases in mindful-
ness, self-awareness and
emotional regulation
The initiative involves a range
of experiential, physical
and everyday exercises,
such as mindful yoga,
walking, eating and breath-
ing, along with empathetic
listening,
8 weekly face-to-face training
sessions (after school
hours) of 90-min duration.
During the initiative
period, participants are
also provided online
resources for guided
meditation and theory
Delivered by Mind with Heart,
an international charity
organisation external to
schools
2947Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
SMART General educator population The initiative is based
on Jon Kabat-Zinn’s
Mindfulness-Based Stress
Reduction (MBSR) initia-
tive (approximately 50%
of the same mindfulness
meditation and movement
practices)
50% of the initiative is
mindfulness-based
stress reduction; 30% is
mindfulness-based emotion
skills; 20% is mindfulness-
based compassion and
forgiveness
11 face-to-face sessions over
8weeks (36 contact hours).
The initiative operated
after hours in the school
Mindfulness trainer external
to schools
Social-emotional CARE for Teachers General educator population CARE is aimed at providing
teachers with skills to
reduce emotional stress
and improve social and
emotional skills required
to build supportive
relationships with students,
manage challenging
student behaviours, and
provide modelling and
direct instruction for effec-
tive social and emotional
learning
CARE includes emotion
skills instruction, mindful
awareness practices, and
compassion building
activities. It also includes
a coaching component
that typically takes place
between initiative sessions
CARE is an intensive 30-h
initiative presented in
4day-long face-to-face
sessions over 4–6weeks,
with intersession phone
coaching and a booster
held approximately
2months later
Trained facilitator external to
schools
*EI in the Classroom The initiative was targeted at
pre-service educators
The skill development
initiative was based on the
Swinburne EI model
The initiative consisted of
modules on emotional
self-awareness and expres-
sion, emotions attached to
awareness of others, rea-
soning, self-management,
management of others, and
self-control
5 weekly face-to-face group
sessions of 90-min duration
University course co-ordinator
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1 3
Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
*IY-TCM General educator population An initiative that supports
teachers to manage
disruptive behaviour and
promote socio-emotional
competence may benefit
not only pupils, but also
teachers themselves. TCM
draws on cognitive social
learning theory
The training is focused on
collaborative learning,
reflections about teachers’
own experiences, and
group work to find solu-
tions to problems encoun-
tered in the classroom
6 whole-day face-to-face
workshops delivered once
per month
Trained facilitator external to
schools
Lange Lehren project General educator population Teachers’ health prevention
must aim at improving
social and emotional
competences (coping)
The initiative includes 5 mod-
ules: (1) basic knowledge
of stress physiology and
effects of interpersonal
relationships; (2) mental
attitudes; (3) handling rela-
tionships with pupils; (4)
handling relationships with
parents; (5) strengthening
collegiality and social sup-
port amongst staff
10 monthly face-to-face ses-
sions of 90-min duration
Trained facilitator external to
schools
Arts-based reflection General educator population Supporting teachers to be
reflective practitioners as
a means of coping allows
them to recognise and
respond to the contextual
and personal factors influ-
encing their experience as
teachers
Various tools for reflection
were employed: time-
lining; rip and paste collag-
ing; metaphor writing; and
adapted photo-elicitation
techniques. These practices
were undertaken to supple-
ment the written reflections
undertaken by teachers
during school-based visits
and the full-day workshops
1 full-day face-to-face work-
shops per term, delivered
over 2years
Trained facilitator external to
schools
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1 3
Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
Mental health literacy MHFA General educator and student
populations
Training and support for staff
in working with students
experiencing mental and
emotional difficulties is
likely to lead to improved
staff-student relationships,
with flow-on academic and
health benefits for students,
and improvements in staff
mental health
The course covers key
facts, recognition and
understanding of the most
common mental disor-
ders—depression, anxiety
and psychosis—and
provides attendees with
a strategy for providing
initial help to anyone
appearing distressed or at
risk of developing a mental
health problem
There were two strands to
the initiative: the MHFA
training package (2 all-day
face-to-face sessions) and
the setting up of a peer
support service for staff
MHFA instructor external to
schools
The African Guide General educator and student
populations The initiative
was culturally adapted
Teachers not only benefit
from developing their own
personal mental health lit-
eracy competency, but are
then also in a position to
enhance the mental health
literacy of their students
The AG consists of a teach-
ers’ mental health knowl-
edge self-study guide, a
self-evaluation test, and 6
modules: (1) the stigma of
mental illness; (2) under-
standing mental health and
wellness; (3) information
about specific mental ill-
nesses; (4) experiences of
mental illness; (5) seeking
help and finding support;
and (6) the importance of
positive mental health
The initiative involved a
2-day face-to-face train-
ing course and a 3-day
refresher training approxi-
mately 6months later
A team of psychologists/psy-
chiatrists working external
of schools
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1 3
Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
School leadership and policy
change
PAR General educator population School leadership behaviours
are a core factor influenc-
ing school improvement
and have been linked to
teachers’ emotions and
wellbeing
PAR process: The school
developed their own
initiatives. Key initiatives
included prioritising
formal recognition of
inspirational staff and seek-
ing opportunities to bring
staff together socially in
order to build morale. Par-
ticipative decision-making
approaches were applied
through a new development
process for the school busi-
ness plan, and professional
growth was enhanced
through a restructure of
budget allocation as well
as increased professional
learning occurring on
school grounds. Leadership
sought to be more visible
and consultative in order
to be viewed as more
supportive
The initiative development
phase of the project was a
workshop. The PAR pro-
cess was completed by the
school within a 12-month
period
An academic researcher
facilitated the PAR process.
The workshop was conducted
by a well-respected retired
secondary school principal to
support the development of
the initiative
Cognitive behavioural *DBT-ST General educator population The initiative is based on the
DBT- ST therapy devel-
oped by Marsha Linehan,
and is aimed at developing
skills needed for new
behavioural, emotional,
and thinking patterns
The training consists of four
skill modules: (a) mindful-
ness; (b) distress tolerance;
(c) emotion regulation;
and (d) interpersonal
effectiveness,
4 weekly face-to-face
meetings of 3-h duration
and a follow- up session
2months afterwards
Clinical psychologist trained in
DBT who worked external
to schools
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1 3
Table 5 (continued)
Therapeutic approach Wellbeing initiative Target group(s) Underpinning theory/
rationale
Key content Format of delivery Facilitator
Positive psychology PERMA Model General educator population Seligman’s PERMA model,
based in positive psychol-
ogy, proposes that positive
emotion is the subjective
measure of happiness
and life satisfaction, and
engagement is the subjec-
tive measure of being
absorbed in a task
4 strategies that align with the
PERMA model are taught:
(1) the use of character
strengths in the workplace;
(2) utilising social support;
(3) fostering work-related
attitude; (4) focusing on
the positive aspects of
one’s work
An interview is conducted
to explain the 4 PERMA
strategies and to ask teach-
ers to report on how they
are already using them.
Teachers are asked to
write daily reflections for
15 working days based on
their observations of how
they were using these strat-
egies already and any new
opportunities they found to
use the strategies
Trained facilitator external to
schools
Integrative ARC General educator population ARC practice areas are predi-
cated on 3 main theories
of change: (1) positive
psychology, (2) cognitive
behaviour therapy, and (3)
Acceptance and Commit-
ment Therapy (ACT)
ARC includes eight stan-
dalone practice areas that
focus on helping teachers
learn skills and routines
they can integrate within
their professional and
private lives to enhance
their resilience
5 weekly online sessions of
2.5-h duration
Trained facilitator external to
schools
CALMERSS General educator population The initiative adopts a
multi-modal approach
incorporating a number of
initiatives
Content is focused on the
following topics: cognition
and automatic thoughts:
learning to relax; mindful-
ness; exercise; resolving
conflict; strengths and
positive psychology; sleep
4 weekly face-to-face group
meetings of 2-h duration
(after school hours)
Trained facilitator external to
schools
Records marked with an asterisk were found not to have an effect on educator wellbeing or had a negative effect on educator wellbeing. The studies by Hwang, Gold-
stein, etal. (2019) and Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal. (2019) have been included together as these studies drew on the same dataset to evaluate initiative outcomes. Community
Approach to Learning Mindfully (CALM); Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR); Mindfulness Training (MT); Stress Management and Resiliency Techniques for
Educators (SMART); Cultivating Awareness and Resilience in Education (CARE for Teachers); Emotional Intelligence in the Classroom (EI in the Classroom); Incredible
Years Teacher Classroom Management (IY-TCM); Mental Health First Aid (MHFA); Participatory Action Research (PAR); Dialectical Behaviour Therapy—Skills Train-
ing (DBT-ST); ACHIEVER Resilience Curriculum (ARC)
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1 3
Geographical andEducational Contexts ofStudies
Seven of the 23 studies included in the review were conducted in Australia and
another seven were conducted in North America (USA: k = 4; Canada: k = 2; both
USA and Canada: k = 1), and seven in Europe (UK: k = 4 and Germany: k = 3). A
single study was conducted in South America (Brazil) and one in Africa (Tanzania).
Studies involved educators in secondary schools (k = 11), primary schools (k = 4), or
across multiple school levels (k = 4). Of the studies that sampled educators across
multiple school levels, one was conducted with educators teaching in primary, sec-
ondary, and specialist schools, one was conducted with pre-service educators com-
pleting school placements as part of their university training, one was conducted
with primary school and early childhood educators, and one study did not provide
sufficient detail to identify the school or year level(s) participating educators were
teaching in.
Quality ofEvidence acrossEducator Wellbeing Initiatives
Fourteen studies employed quantitative methodologies, three employed qualitative
methodologies, and six employed a mixed-methods approach. According to the
NHMRC evidence level guidelines, level I evidence is a systematic review of RCT
studies (i.e. a meta-analysis of efficacy findings across multiple RCT studies of an
initiative). The review revealed that no educator wellbeing initiative has been the
subject of this level of research to date. Furthermore, the review showed that no edu-
cator wellbeing initiatives have been the subject of multiple RCTs, which precludes
the possibility of conducting a systematic review to establish Level I evidence.
Seven of the included studies involved a RCT which classify as level II evidence,
three employed pseudo-randomised controlled trials which classify as level III-1
evidence, five studies involved a non-randomised selection of control participants
recruited from the same population as the initiative group and classify as level III-2
evidence, and four studies involved non-randomised recruitment of control partici-
pants selected from a different population to the initiative group and classify as level
III-3 evidence (see Table3). One study met criteria for classification as level IV evi-
dence (case studies with pre-test and post-test comparison) in the review. Finally, the
three studies that reported qualitative evidence are also presented in Table3 along
with details of how many CASP qualitative study checklist criteria were met and
where the higher the score the higher the quality of evidence. The same was done
for the seven RCTs assessed using the WWC (2020) guidelines (see Table3).
The RCTs by Roeser etal. (2013) and Taylor etal. (2016) were determined to be
eligible to meet WWC group design standards with reservations because of baseline
differences between the control and intervention groups that were not adjusted for in
the analysis. The RCTs by Hwang, Goldstein, etal. (2019), Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal.
(2019)) also meet WWC standards with reservations due to high sample attrition but
with baseline equivalence between the intervention and control groups. The RCTs
by Jennings etal. (2013) and Hayes etal., 2020 were eligible to meet WWC group
design standards without reservations due to random assignment of participants,
2953Educational Psychology Review (2022) 34:2919–2969
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1 3
limited sample attrition, and equivalent or adjusted differences between the control
and intervention groups. Unterbrink etal.’s (2010) RCT was considered not eligible
to meet WWC group design standards due to high sample attrition and because the
study did not adjust for baseline differences between the intervention and control
groups.
A Summary ofEvidence‑Based Educator Wellbeing Initiatives
Seven of the educator wellbeing initiatives were mindfulness-based initiatives, five
were social-emotional initiatives, two focused on educators’ mental health literacy,
one was a positive psychology initiative, one focused on school leadership and pol-
icy change, one cognitive behavioural-based initiative, and two integrated therapeu-
tic interventions.
Initiatives Adopting aMindfulness‑Based Therapeutic Approach
Initiative Structure Eight of the 10 studies on mindfulness investigated mindfulness-
based stress reduction (MBSR) or initiatives based on MBSR, which involves a series
of sessions that include activities such as sitting meditation, body scan, yoga, and
group work to enhance mental and physical wellbeing (Hofmann & Gómez, 2017).
Six of the seven mindfulness initiatives (.b Foundations Course; CALM; MBSR;
MT; Reconnected; SMART) were conducted face-to-face by trained facilitators
external to the schools, and three of the initiatives (.b Foundations Course; CALM;
Reconnected) encouraged educators to continue mindfulness training at home. The
one mindfulness initiative not delivered by a facilitator external to schools, Christian
Meditation, was a classroom activity engaged in by both teacher and students within
a religious-affiliated school; in this initiative the teacher had previously attended a
one-day workshop in preparation for leading the classroom meditation. One of the
mindfulness initiatives, Reconnected, provided online resources with educators, after
their participation in face-to-face workshops. All initiatives were delivered for eight
or more weeks and included several sessions per week and/or encouraged educators
to practice at home on a daily basis.
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing The mindfulness initiatives were found
to have a positive effect on the wellbeing of primary and secondary educators. The
majority of the mindfulness initiatives improved educators’ control of emotions
(Frank etal., 2015; Gouda etal., 2016; Rupprecht etal., 2017), subjective wellbeing
(Beshai et al., 2016; Graham & Truscott, 2020), stress reduction (Beshai et al.,
2016; Gold et al., 2010; Hwang, Goldstein, et al., 2019; Hwang, Jae-Eun, et al.,
2019; Roeser et al., 2013; Rupprecht et al., 2017), improved distress tolerance
(Harris et al., 2016), improved educators’ sleep (Frank etal., 2015; Hwang etal.,
2019a; Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal., 2019), increased educators’ positive affect (Harris
et al., 2016), reduced their anxiety (Gouda et al., 2016; Roeser et al., 2013) and
depression (Gold etal., 2010; Roeser etal., 2013), reduced levels of burnout (Roeser
etal., 2013), and improved educators’ classroom management (Harris etal., 2016)
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1 3
and relationships with others (Gouda etal., 2016). Mindfulness-based interventions
were also found to increase mindfulness practices, such as acceptance of experiences
(Frank et al., 2015; Gold et al., 2010), focused attention and observation (Frank
et al., 2015; Roeser et al., 2013), forgiveness (Taylor et al., 2016), self-efficacy
(Rupprecht etal., 2017; Taylor etal., 2016), self-compassion (Hwang etal., 2019a,
2019b; Roeser etal., 2013), and awareness and healthier engagement with workplace
stressors (Rupprecht etal., 2017).
For three of these initiatives, it was found that educators were satisfied and/or that
they would recommend the initiative to others (Bechai et al., 2016; Harris et al.,
2016; Rupprecht etal., 2017). Despite these positive findings, one of the MBSR
initiatives did not reduce educators’ anxiety (Gold et al., 2010) and one did not
reduce educators’ stress (MT; Roeser et al., 2013). The CALM initiative, based on
MBSR, did not improve educators’ sleep, stress, or educator-educator relational trust
(Harris etal., 2016), and another MBSR initiative did not reduce educator burnout
and mental distress (Frank etal., 2015). Three of the studies demonstrated sustained
improvements in educator wellbeing and stress reduction as an outcome of MBSR-
based mindfulness initiatives, at 3months (Rupprecht etal., 2017) or at four months
(Gouda etal., 2016; Taylor etal., 2016), post-delivery. The Reconnected initiative
demonstrated sustained improvements in stress, sleep, and mindfulness of educators
five months after delivery of the initiative (Hwang, Goldstein, etal., 2019; Hwang,
Jae-Eun, etal., 2019).
Quality of Supporting Evidence The NHMRC levels of evidence ratings for the mindful-
ness initiatives identified here varied from RCTs (k =
4; all rated using WWC guidelines
as RCTs with reservations), to pseudo-randomised controlled trials (k = 2), and non-
randomised or qualitative research designs (k =
5). Of all identified initiatives that aim to
enhance educator wellbeing identified in this review, mindfulness-based initiatives have
the most extensive underlying evidence-base.
Initiatives Adopting aSocial‑Emotional Therapeutic Approach
Initiative Structure One of the social-emotional initiatives (CARE for Teachers)
was delivered to primary and secondary school teachers using face-to-face work-
shops and coaching, three were delivered using face-to-face workshops alone (EI in
the Classroom; IY-TCM; Lange Lehren project), and one was delivered using face-
to-face workshops and written reflections from educators (Arts-based reflection). EI
in the Classroom was the only initiative to be delivered to pre-service educators, IY-
TCM was delivered to early childhood and primary educators, and the Lange Lehran
project was delivered to secondary school teachers. A trained facilitator or univer-
sity course leader working externally to schools (in the case of the EI in the Class-
room initiative delivered to pre-service teachers), delivered each of the social-emo-
tional initiatives. Initiatives were delivered over a variety of timelines, ranging from
programmes involving weekly sessions for 4- to 6-week (CARE for Teachers; EI in
the Classroom), to 6-month (IY-TCM), one-year (Lange Lehren project), and 2-year
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1 3
programmes (Arts-based reflection) involving session spread out over longer inter-
vals. Session lengths ranged from 90min (CARE for Teachers; EI in the Classroom;
Lange Lehren project) to whole-day programmes (Arts-based reflection; IY-TCM).
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing The CARE for Teachers initiative was
reported to improve educator wellbeing and mindfulness, and reduced stress and
burnout (Jennings et al., 2013). Jennings and colleagues also reported that educa-
tors had a positive opinion regarding the merits of the initiative. The Lange Lehren
project demonstrated a moderate effect on educator mental health (Unterbrink etal.,
2010). The Arts-based reflection initiative increased participants’ awareness of their
character strengths and workplace relationships, to support their resilience and well-
being (McKay & Barton, 2018). EI in the Classroom and IY-TCM were found not to
have an effect on educator wellbeing (Hayes etal., 2020; Vesely etal., 2014); how-
ever, Hayes et al. (2020) reported that IY-TCM improved educators’ relationships
with students.
Two of the social-emotional initiatives did not show an effect on educator wellbe-
ing (EI in the Classroom with pre-service educators; IY-TCM with early childhood
and primary educators). Regarding the non-efficacious finding for EI in the Class-
rooms, the researchers argued that their small sample size might have reduced their
chances of detecting a significant result (Vesely et al., 2014). For IY-TCM, Hayes
etal. (2020) explained that one reason why this initiative did not improve educator
wellbeing was possibly because the initiative focused on classroom behaviour man-
agement and relationships, and did not address other aspects of a teacher’s role and
workplace that might be relevant to their wellbeing.
Quality of Supporting Evidence The social-emotional therapeutic approaches identi-
fied here include three RCTs constituting level II NHMRC evidence (Hayes etal.,
2020 rated using WWC standards as an RCT without reservations; Jennings etal.
(2013) rated as meeting WWC RCT standards with reservations; Unterbrink etal.
(2010) rated as not meeting WWC group design standards for RCTs), one pseudo-
randomised controlled trial, and one qualitative research design. The RCT studies
identified in this review (Hayes etal., 2020; Jennings etal., 2013; Unterbrink etal.,
2010) suggest that social-emotional therapeutic approaches may deliver limited
impact on educator wellbeing.
Initiatives Adopting aMental Health Literacy Approach
Initiative Structure Two initiatives in this review, MHFA and The African Guide,
utilised a mental health literacy approach in secondary school settings. The MHFA
initiative, was a 2-day training course to prepare selected teachers to assume a peer
supporter role. The African Guid, was a culturally adapted version of the “The
Guide” (Kutcher etal., 2015) originally developed as a curriculum to promote men-
tal health literacy amongst students in Canada; educators engaged in the training
programme in preparation to deliver the course to students. Both of these initiatives
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1 3
were 2-day, face-to-face programmes delivered by trained instructors/mental health
professionals. The African Guide initiative also involved a refresher course deliv-
ered approximately 6months after the initial training was completed.
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing Kidger and colleagues (2016) reported
that the MHFA improved educators’ knowledge about mental health and reduced
mental illness stigma amongst educators. Participation in the initiative also increased
educators’ sense of confidence in helping a colleague in need of mental health sup-
port. Educators reported that participation in MHFA reassured them about their cur-
rent practices in response to mental health issues led to greater consultation with
colleagues about challenges encountered with students, and increased awareness
of their own mental health. Kutcher etal., (2016a, 2016b) found that The African
Guide initiative improved educators’ confidence to seek help for themselves, col-
leagues, students, friends, and family. Furthermore, the initiative enhanced mental
health knowledge and reduced stigmatising attitudes towards mental illness amongst
participating educators.
Quality of Supporting Evidence Neither of the mental health literacy initiatives
were supported by a high NHMRC level of evidence, with Kidger, Brockman, etal.
(2016), Kidger, Stone, etal. (2016)) and Kutcher etal.’s (2015) studies meeting cri-
teria for being considered level II-2 and level III-3 evidence respectively. Nonethe-
less, both initiatives were perceived by educators to be effective in improving their
wellbeing and mental health literacy.
Initiatives promoting school leadership andpolicy change
Initiative Structure The study by Morris et al. (2020) described an initiative
designed to facilitate school structural change and thereby enhance educator well-
being. Specifically, Morris et al. (2020) adopted a Participatory Action Research
(PAR) process in a secondary school that targeted leadership and policy to improve
the wellbeing of school staff. PAR, in general, is an initiative in which the people
who are affected by a particular issue or problem are actively engaged in a research
process implemented to generate solutions (Kindon etal., 2009). In Morris etal.’s
(2020) study, the PAR initiative was led by the researchers and a retired secondary
school principal who facilitated a series of workshops with school staff over a period
of 12 months. Educators and school leaders were encouraged to work together to
share and develop ideas to improve educators’ wellbeing.
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing At the beginning of the PAR process,
the participating school found that staff morale was low. They believed that the
solution resided in promoting changes to leadership style and introducing shared
decision making. Positive outcomes reported by Morris etal. (2020) included the
professional growth of educators, greater recognition of educators’ contributions,
improved school-wide decision-making, more supportive leadership, and positive
changes to school culture.
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1 3
Quality of Supporting Evidence The PAR initiative was demonstrated to have posi-
tive outcomes. However, the evaluation involved a comparative study without con-
current controls, and did not evaluate longer-term educator wellbeing outcomes.
Initiatives Adopting aCognitive Behavioural Approach
Initiative Structure The study by Justo et al. (2018) investigated an initiative
grounded in cognitive behavioural theory (Dialectical Behavioural Therapy; DBT).
Cognitive behavioural approaches aim to address habitual negative thought patterns
and to instil positive thought patterns, improve personal functioning, mental health,
and wellbeing (Trower etal., 2015). DBT was originally developed for treating clini-
cally diagnosed borderline personality disorder, and has since been adapted to treat
a range of mental health concerns such as mood disorders and suicidal ideation
(Chapman & Dixon-Gordon, 2020).
An adaption of the Dialectical Behaviour Therapy Skills Training (DBT-ST; Line-
han, 2010) manual was implemented (Justo et al., 2018) to investigate initiative
impacts on educator wellbeing. The DBT-ST manual is comprised of four modules
which aim to promote educators’ (1) mindfulness, (2) distress tolerance, (3) emo-
tional control, and (4) interpersonal functioning (Linehan, 2010). The DBT-ST ini-
tiative was delivered by a psychologist who had completed accredited training. The
DBT-ST initiative comprised four weekly sessions of approximately 3h length, and
a final follow-up session conducted two months afterward (Justo etal., 2018).
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing Justo etal. (2018) found that educators’
wellbeing deteriorated, reporting an increase in negative emotions and a reduction
in emotional awareness, after participating in the DBT-ST initiative. These negative
outcomes were observed two months after delivery of the initiative. Teachers’
ability to explain and evaluate everyday social interactions had improved; however,
the researchers argued that teachers’ lack of emotional awareness two months after
the initiative may have prevented teachers from changing their behaviour.
Quality of Supporting Evidence Justo et al.’s (2018) study met criteria for being a
comparative study without concurrent controls. At present, there is little evidence
available in relation to DBT as an initiative to support educator wellbeing and Justo’s
study suggests that participating in a DBT-based initiative may be counter-productive
to supporting educators’ wellbeing.
Initiatives Adopting aPositive Psychology Approach
Initiative Structure Positive psychology has been defined as “the study of the con-
ditions and processes that contribute to the flourishing or optimal functioning of
people, groups and institutions” (Gable & Haidt, 2005, p. 103). The one positive
psychology initiative identified in this review was the PERMA model. The PERMA
model was developed by Martin Seligman, the founder of positive psychology, and
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1 3
includes five domains of positive psychology: positive emotion, engagement, rela-
tionships, meaning, and accomplishment (Seligman, 2018).
Delivery of the PERMA initiative involved primary school educators participating
in a one-to-one interview with a trained facilitator, followed by educators engaging
in personal reflection over 15days about how they used four PERMA strategies in
their work, including the following: (1) the use of personal strengths in the work-
place; (2) identifying and drawing on social support; (3) fostering a positive work-
related attitude; and (4) focusing on the positive aspects of one’s work as an educa-
tor (Turner & Theilking, 2019).
Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing Turner and Thielking’s (2019) study
concluded that the PERMA initiative was well-received by participating educators.
Interviews indicated that as a result of participating, educators perceived a reduction
in their stress, an increase in their positivity, and felt that their participation in the
initiative had also led to better interactions with students. Educators reported that
relationships with their students had improved and as a result, students’ confidence
and learning had improved.
Quality of Supporting Evidence Turner and Thielking’s (2019) qualitative findings
are based on educators’ self-perceptions with no further triangulation of data. None-
theless, the findings indicate that the PERMA initiative may be acceptable to educa-
tors and the study received the highest CASP rating of 8 out of 9.
Initiatives Adopting anIntegrative Approach
Initiative Structure Integrative initiatives are those which combine several differ-
ent types of therapies into the one initiative. Integrative therapy can assume vari-
ous forms, including an eclectic approach involving the assimilation of selected
components from across a variety of therapies, augmenting a particular therapeu-
tic approach with the addition of complimentary components associated with other
therapeutic approaches, or focusing on practices that are common to all or most ther-
apeutic approaches (Zarbo etal., 2016).
The two integrative approaches included in the review had some overlap in relation
to content: the ARC initiative combined cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT),
acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT), and positive psychology (Cook etal.,
2017); the CALMERSS initiative adopted CBT, mindfulness, positive psychology,
conflict resolution, and sleep hygiene practices (Taylor, 2018). The ARC initiative
was delivered online over five weeks, by a trained facilitator; however, Cook and
colleagues did not specify whether the initiative was delivered in a primary or
secondary, or another school type. The CALMERSS initiative was delivered face-
to-face to middle and secondary school educators over a 4-week period by a trained
facilitator.
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Reported Outcomes for Educator Wellbeing Cook etal. (2017) found that the ARC
initiative reduced educator stress, improved confidence, and improved job satisfac-
tion. Taylor (2018) reported that educators perceived that the CALMERSS initiative
had a positive impact on psychological, physical and personal distress, and improved
self-care practices.
Quality of Supporting Evidence Cook et al.’s (2017) study of the ARC initiative
employed a non-randomised experimental trial research methodology (level III-2
evidence), while Taylor (2018) employed a pre/post-test case research methodol-
ogy (level IV evidence) to evaluate CALMERSS. A key issue for understanding the
results reported in the ARC and CALMERSS initiatives is that because both initia-
tives included multiple initiatives such as CBT, ACT, and positive psychology, it is
not possible to determine which specific element(s), or combination of elements,
might account for their effectiveness. In addition, long-term outcomes following
delivery of the ARC and CALMERSS initiatives have not yet been investigated.
Discussion
Overall, this review found that educators generally report positive outcomes from
engaging in wellbeing initiatives. Three of the 19 initiatives that have been evaluated,
namely DBT-ST, EI in the Classroom, and IY-TCM, were reported to have had no
positive effect on the wellbeing of educators. Nonetheless, although the evaluation
data are generally favourable across the various initiatives that aim to promote educator
wellbeing, evaluation data is at best emerging and has some serious limitations.
Moreover, considering the results within Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model indicates
that most initiatives target change at the individual educator and microsystem levels,
and do not consider the other layers of Bronfenbrenner’s ecological framework,
including workplace demands and school/education setting culture.
Gaps andOpportunities inInitiatives fromanEcological Perspective
Educator wellbeing is impacted not only by individual factors but also by con-
textual, relational, and systemic influences (Acton & Glasgow, 2015; Cumming,
2017; Gray etal., 2017). Likewise, it has been suggested that the most effective
initiatives to promote wellbeing in the workplace (outside of education) are those
that seek to influence at both an individual level and a wider social or organisa-
tional level (Smedley & Syme, 2001; Smith etal., 2011; Tetrick & Quick, 2011).
In comparison, this review found that most initiatives in the field of educator
wellbeing attend to wellbeing as an individual issue, rather than as an organisa-
tion-wide consideration. In other words, most initiatives prompt individual edu-
cators to initiate changes that aim to mitigate the impact of stress and/or enhance
their wellbeing. For example, mindfulness-based initiatives, the approach
employed most commonly, aim to encourage individuals to assume a positive
mind set, rather than challenging or changing school structure, work demands,
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1 3
and educational policy which decrease educators’ positive affect. Similarly, many
of the educator wellbeing initiatives promoted strategies for managing stress or
learning adaptive coping skills. Collectively, such strategies may be useful to
assist educators to manage work-related challenges, but do not address the struc-
tures of the workplace from which these challenges emerge (Hone etal., 2015).
Some initiatives were successful in promoting positive collegial or student
relationships (Gouda etal., 2016; Graham & Truscott, 2020; Hwang, Goldstein,
et al., 2019; Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal., 2019; Turner & Theilking, 2019), which
relate to the microsystem in Bronfenbrenner’s model. However, the programme
by Harris et al. (2016) did not improve collegial relationships. This is likely
because the study by Harris etal. defined school relationships as “relational trust”
or trust between colleagues, while other studies defined relational wellbeing as
reduced interpersonal problems (Gouda etal., 2016), improved communication,
warmth, and caring for others (Graham & Truscott, 2020; Hwang etal., 2019a;
Hwang, Jae-Eun, et al., 2019), and greater individualised support for students
(Turner & Theilking, 2019). One initiative that demonstrated benefits for educa-
tor wellbeing, The Lange Lehren programme, included attending to educators’
competency in handling educator-parent relationships (Unterbrink etal., 2010).
Only one initiative, the PAR process, sought to collaborate with educators
to improve school leadership and policy (Morris etal., 2020). This programme
could be viewed as related to a teacher’s mesosystem because it evaluated school-
level processes and policies impacting educator wellbeing. The two mental health
literacy initiatives (Mental Health First Aid; The African Guide) addressed fac-
tors related to the exosystem by virtue of increasing educators’ awareness of men-
tal health services (Kidger, Brockman, etal., 2016; Kidger, Stone, etal., 2016;
Kutcher et al., 2016a, 2016b). The results of studies by Kidger et al. (2016),
Kidger, Stone, etal. (2016)) and Kutcher etal., (2016a, 2016b) were consistent in
reducing mental illness stigma and increasing educator confidence to seek mental
health support. However, these initiatives only increased educators’ knowledge
about mental health services and did not influence the availability of community
health services for educators (nor was this the intention of those initiatives).
Taken together, although educator wellbeing has been defined as comprising
individual and school-related factors (e.g. relationships with parents, students
and colleagues, school policies, and school structures), the focus of wellbeing
programmes for educators is mainly on the individual educator. However, a
common criticism of approaches to improve educator wellbeing is the view that
educator wellbeing is an individual issue, and schools and governing education
authorities ignore systemic, home, and community influences that may also be
having an impact on teacher wellbeing (Hine et al., 2022). It is challenging to
identify why existing evidence considers educator wellbeing as an individual rather
than a systematic issue, but this could be partially explained by the challenge of
evaluating the effects of systems-level interventions on outcomes for individual
educators (see suggestions for this type of evaluation later in the discussion). It
would also be reasonable to assume that the ecological lens has only recently been
applied to teacher wellbeing, relative to use of this framework when discussing
child development and wellbeing.
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1 3
Gaps intheCurrent Knowledge Base andOpportunities forFurther Research
Evidence of the longer-term efficacy of educator wellbeing initiatives is integral
for understanding the sustainability of initiatives. The economic cost of initiative
delivery, including the infrastructure required to deliver the initiatives and educator
time to attend professional learning, are factors that are not discussed in the literature.
Further, no evaluations were found that ascertained the effectiveness of an initiative
beyond six months post-delivery. Only five evaluations (Gouda etal., 2016;Hwang,
Goldstein, etal., 2019; Hwang, Jae-Eun, etal., 2019; Rupprecht etal., 2017; Taylor
etal., 2016), each in relation to mindfulness-based approaches, reported sustained
changes in educator wellbeing between three and five months after delivery. Given
educator stress and wellbeing fluctuate throughout the academic year (von der
Embse & Mankin, 2020), when to deliver an educator wellbeing initiative is an
additional under-researched issue that warrants investigation.
A lack of high-quality evaluation evidence is not an indication that an initiative
is unacceptable or does not result in sustained and positive changes for educators.
Instead, this review highlights the limited empirical evidence for educator
wellbeing initiatives. The absence of RCTs and high-quality RCTs supporting the
efficacy of any educator wellbeing initiative emphasises the need for high-level
research to be conducted in this area. Though the complexity of ecological models
of wellbeing makes such high-quality evaluations challenging, it is incumbent on
researchers to employ rigorous evaluation models that identify effective wellbeing
initiatives for different educational settings and educator groups. All educator
wellbeing outcomes observed in this review were based on educator self-report.
Future studies might employ observational research methodologies or draw on
administrative records indicative of educator wellbeing, such as staff retention
rates, performance metrics, and absences. It is also important to evaluate outcomes
of system-wide initiatives (such as workload variations) on educator outcomes.
Participatory research design and qualitative methods could be used (similar to the
study by Morris et al., 2020) to explore how national or state-level initiatives to
enhance educator wellbeing are being interpreted, implemented, and considered at
the school- and individual-level.
The lack of differentiation in wellbeing outcomes according to gender, ethnicity,
sexuality, and cultural background is another gap. For example, only one of the
efficacious initiatives, The African Guide adapted from the Canadian initiative The
Guide (Kutcher etal., 2016a, 2016b), had been delivered in a non-Western context;
the only other study conducted outside of Western nations was Justo etal.’s (2018)
investigation of the non-efficacious DBT-ST initiative delivered in Brazil. Relatedly,
only one initiative targeted early childhood educators (IY-TCM; Hayes et al., 2020),
and only one initiative targeted pre-service educators (IE in the classroom; Vesely etal.,
2014); all other initiatives were delivered to primary, secondary, and specialist school
teachers. A clear gap in the literature is the lacking evidence-based wellbeing initiatives
for early childhood educators, which is in stark contrast to research addressing the
significant wellbeing, workplace, and relational stressors faced by these educators
(Cumming, 2017). Arguably, there is also much more literature addressing wellbeing
programmes for culturally and linguistically diverse students than for educators from
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1 3
similar backgrounds. Research with LGBTQIA + teachers has found these educators
experience marginalisation, repressive, and heteronormative attitudes, which warrant
addressing in educator preparation and wellbeing programmes (Dykes & Delport,
2018).
Researchers should seek to apply Bronfenbrenner’s model in future to promote a more
holistic understanding of educator wellbeing, and to guide development and evaluation of
educator wellbeing programmes. Using Bronfenbrenner’s model, researchers have argued
that ecological factors influence educators’ interactions with others, their experiences,
and their sense of wellbeing as educators (Price & McCallum, 2015). Bronfenbrenner
expanded his framework to suggest that interactions (proximal processes) between
individuals (e.g. teachers) and their environment (e.g. schools) operate over time to build
an individual’s capabilities and skills (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006). While this review
was unable to determine how a teacher’s interactions over time increase their wellbeing
and fitness as educators, there is clear evidence that early career teachers are at higher risk
of impaired wellbeing and skills when navigating the challenges of teaching compared
to more experienced educators (Berger etal., 2020, 2021). Based on the results of this
review, research with pre-service, early career teachers, and longitudinal research may be
able to monitor individual and school factors that influence these educators’ wellbeing
across time and how these change as a result of wellbeing initiatives.
Limitations oftheReview
Given that wellbeing is a broad and loosely defined concept (Dodge etal., 2012),
the parameters of the literature search, including the requirement that studies
had been subject to peer-review, published no earlier than 2010, and had been
published in English language, may have excluded other initiatives. Because the
aim of this review was to identify the range of educator wellbeing initiatives
currently available, we deliberately did not explore through our search terms a
specific type of wellbeing programme or provide a definition of wellbeing for this
review. More targeted reviews may be possible when there is more research and
evidence-based programmes addressing educator wellbeing. For example, further
research and reviews of early childhood educator wellbeing programmes are
required to address the individual and contextual factors distinct to early childhood
educators’ wellbeing compared to schoolteachers. It may also be appropriate to
extend searches to earlier than 2010, and to include grey literature/dissertations,
especially when reviewing evidence on populations, such as early childhood
educators, typically excluded from the published wellbeing literature.
Regarding the need for future reviews and research to explore specific populations
and educational settings, the study by Beshai et al. (2016) included a sample of
secondary school teachers as well as staff who had direct contact with students in
educational, pastoral, or supporting roles, and thus, all results from this review may
not be reflective of classroom teachers. There is also a need for evaluation studies
in this field to specify the recruitment process and retention rate of participants
involved in the evaluation. For example, it was not possible to determine, but
highly possible, that only teachers with adequate time or established self-care skills
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1 3
participated in the interventions. Some studies (see for example Cook etal., 2017)
indicated that there were several unaccounted factors that either enhanced or limited
educator wellbeing after programme delivery. The study by Vesely et al. (2014)
found no improvements on educator satisfaction with life, while Cook etal. (2017)
identified increased job satisfaction amongst participants. The way these studies
conceptualised satisfaction (i.e. life versus job satisfaction) impacted outcomes of the
review. Further work to centralise a definition and constructs of educator wellbeing
is required. Finally, meta-analysis of future reviews using a more stringent criteria
for study selection, such as based on study design, population, or educational setting
type, is recommended. Although some educator wellbeing programmes resulted in
positive outcomes for teachers, the evidence for these programmes is limited at best.
Concluding Comments
A variety of initiative approaches were identified to promote educator wellbeing. Evidence
to date is at best emerging that available initiatives are effective in promoting educator
wellbeing. Further longitudinal and triangulated evaluation designs are needed. Although
educator wellbeing is shaped by many individual and ecological factors, most available
wellbeing initiatives focus at the individual-level of change. More attention is needed to
the development and evaluation of initiatives targeting workplace, policy, and relationship
changes that will lead to sustainable positive change in relation to educators’ wellbeing
within educational settings.
Funding Open Access funding enabled and organized by CAUL and its Member Institutions This work
was supported by the Commonwealth of Australia represented by Department of Health, Mental Health
in Education initiative known as Be You.
Declarations
Competing Interests None.
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