Australian teachers’ conceptualisations of wellbeing at work: a prototype analysis

Given increasing teacher shortages, stress and burnout, and the decline of student wellbeing worldwide, there is growing acknowledgment of the importance of prioritising the wellbeing of teachers in education. However, defining teacher wellbeing and understanding the relative importance of its components remain a challenge. The study used a three-phase prototype analysis to investigate whether Australian teachers consider some components of wellbeing as being more representative of the concept than others; and if so, which are most and least important. In Phase 1 (n = 138) wellbeing features were generated while in Phase 2 (n = 438) the most central and peripheral components were identified. Phase 3 (n = 418) confirmed the recognition of central components in a cognitive task. Findings revealed that there is a closest representation of the concept of teacher wellbeing at work with central components, including feeling safe, supported, valued, trusted and achieving work/life balance. The results of this study provide valuable insights for schools and policy makers interested in developing strategies and interventions to enhance the educational environment so that all teachers can thrive.