Guidelines for Enhancing Sustainable Well-being of Primary School Teachers

Wang Shumin

Teachers -- Job satisfaction

Well-being -- Sustainability

Elementary school teachers -- Psychology

Educational policy -- Teacher welfare

This research aimed to study the current well-being of primary school teachers, develop guidelines for enhancing sustainable well-being, and evaluate the adaptability and feasibility of these guidelines. The study focused on five key aspects: cognitive well-being, subjective well-being, physical and mental well-being, social wellbeing, and self-rated well-being. The sample group consisted of 400 primary school teachers in Guangdong Province, selected through a two-stage sampling process. First, simple random sampling was used to select 1% of schools (8 schools) from a total of 10,614. Then, volunteer sampling was applied to select 400 teachers from a total of 969 within these schools. Additionally, 12 experts participated in the interview process, including 5 administrators and education specialists from two colleges, who evaluated the adaptability and feasibility of the guidelines.

The research employed four key tools: a questionnaire, interview forms, guidelines, and an evaluation form. After expert validation, the Item-Objective Congruence (IOC) index for the questionnaire ranged between 0.85 and 1.00. Data analysis methods included percentage, mean, standard deviation, content analysis, SWOT analysis, and TOWS matrix analysis. The results revealed that while the overall well-being of primary school teachers was high, disparities existed among different aspects. Social well-being ranked the highest, whereas physical and mental well-being remained at a moderate level. To address these issues, 32 specific guidelines were developed, categorized as follows: 6 guidelines for improving the working environment, 6 for enhancing school culture and management, 5 for improving compensation and benefits, 7 for supporting vocational development, 5 for reducing work-related stress
and burnout, and 3 for promoting cross-field cooperation and support. Expert
evaluations confirmed that the guidelines were highly adaptable and feasible, with an average score between 4.5 and 5.0.

Based on these findings, the study suggests that society should improve
teachers' social status and remuneration, increase investment in education, provide ample resources, and foster a supportive environment to enhance their job satisfaction and well-being. Schools should establish a collaborative and resourceful working environment, implement rational evaluation and incentive systems, prioritize teachers' mental health, and strengthen professional communication and cooperation. Meanwhile, teachers should focus on continuous self-improvement, refine their teaching methodologies, cultivate resilience and interpersonal skills, actively participate in professional training and psychological counseling, and enhance their well-being through self-reflection and emotional management.

Keywords: Well-being, guidelines, sustainability, primary school teachers

Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University. Office of Academic Resources and Information Technology

Thanida Suharittham

Phisanu Bangkheow

Chollada Pongpattattanayothin

2024

2025-04-24

2025-04-24

2025-04-24

thesis

application/pdf

TH 371.1 W246G 2024

eng

Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University

Degree of Doctor of Philosophy

Doctoral degree

Education Management for Sustainable Development

Bansomdejchaopraya Rajabhat University