Teachers managing work demands and maintaining a sense of wellbeing: A Q methodology study to investigate the views of primary and secondary school teachers

Teacher wellbeing has been widely researched over the past 40 years. However, most research has used the causes of teacher stress and burnout as measures of wellbeing, with very few studies using qualitative methods to explore this phenomenon from the teachers’ perspective. Only more recently has research explored the use of interventions in schools to promote teacher wellbeing. For this study, I opted to use the term teacher wellbeing rather than teacher stress to distance myself from this problem-saturated term, which I felt had the potential to cause distress for participants.

The aim of this research was to explore the ways in which teachers perceived and managed the demands of school life, to maintain a sense of wellbeing. Q methodology was chosen for this study as it satisfied the researcher’s methodological criteria: to minimise the potential for researcher-bias and maximise the opportunity for participants to express their personal views. Thirty primary and secondary school teachers with Qualified Teacher Status (QTS), some with additional responsibilities, completed a Q sort of 54 statements which depicted strategies that might help a teacher to maintain a sense of wellbeing. Participants were then invited to discuss their Q sorts. The completed Q sorts were subjected to factor analysis, from which a Four Factor solution was interpreted.

The findings from the Q study were discussed in relation to existing literature, and the potential roles of school managers and Educational Psychologists in bringing about positive change to teachers’ wellbeing were considered. Limitations were identified and avenues for further research suggested.