Chapter 1

THE PROBLEM AND ITS BACKGROUND

Introduction

“In one day we not only teach, we manage student’s behavior, plan lessons,

assess learning, counsel students, carry out first aid, reply to a long list of emails,

write reports, tidy classrooms, create resources, mark books and create displays –

the list is endless” according to one teacher in a public high school in Baler, Aurora.

As education stakeholders consider improvements to school climate, school

safety, and student well-being, many have turned their attention to the role of

schools in promoting mental health. While most of this attention focuses on students’

mental health needs, it is also essential to explore ways of supporting teachers and

school staff that often experience high levels of stress. Relative to professionals in

other sectors, educators experience significantly more stress and suffer more often

from mental health problems.

Wellbeing has been a big topic in education for a while now and we cannot

just ignore the issue– not when so many colleagues are struggling not to succumb to

the overwhelming pressures of the profession. We all need to be making efforts to

create a culture of supporting wellbeing of teachers. And to do that, we first need to

understand what "wellbeing" actually is.

For the purpose of this research, I am going to use the definition of wellbeing

proposed by Dodge et al (2012): ‘‘Stable wellbeing is when individuals have the

psychological, social and physical resources they need to meet a particular

psychological, social and/or physical challenge. When individuals have more

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challenges than resources, the see-saw dips, along with their wellbeing, and vice-

versa.’’

This definition recognizes the fact that individuals will be challenged on

different levels, but that we all have the power to deal with these challenges if we

have well-developed skills and resources.

Thus, this study is designed to find out the factor that threatens the teacher’s

wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness in order to think of solutions

to cope up the said problem.

Statement of the Problem

This study attempt to fill the recurring need to discover the factors that affects

or threatens the teacher’s wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness to

their students.

Specifically, it attempted to seek answer the following questions;

1. What are the factors that threaten the teacher’s wellbeing?

2. How the wellbeing of teachers affects their teaching effectiveness to their

students?

3. What recommendations or solutions that can be formulated to address the

problem in teacher’s wellbeing?

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Significance of the Study

In particular, the study will prove beneficial to the following;

To the School Administrators/ Officials – They will be familiarized of the factors

that threaten the teacher’s wellbeing, hence, they could design strategic strategies

and measures to solve the problem.

To the Teacher’s – The result of the study will give them a better understanding of

their mental health issues and how they are going to cope with that.

To the Researcher – She will gain firsthand experience in conducting a simple

research study and it will satisfy her desire to know the factors affecting the teacher’s

wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness to their students.

To the Parents of The Students – Once the teacher’s wellbeing was sound and

smooth, they will be at peace that their children were in good hands.

To The Students - .They will greatly benefit from the good and stable wellbeing of

their teachers because the success of the teachers also means the success of the

students.

To the School – Teachers and Students that works together and has a positive and

healthy relationship because of their good wellbeing is a great success and

achievement for the school.

To The Community – Having teachers and students with a sound and stable mind

will mean a greater contribution that can be made to the community as a whole

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Scope and Delimitation of the Study

The discussion of the study will be centered to find out factor that threatens

the teacher’s wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness.

This study is limited to the discussion of the data gathered from the teachers

of Central Aurora through the conduct of interview to them.

Definition of Terms

The following terms are defined operationally as used in the study.

Affect - Affect is a concept used in psychology to describe the experience of feeling

or emotion. The term affect takes on a different meaning in other fields.

Behavior - Behavior (American English) or behavior (Commonwealth English) is the

range of actions and mannerisms made by individuals, organisms, systems, or

artificial.

Challenges – Tests or Trials

Colleagues – Co-workers; Associates; Equals

Effectiveness - Effectiveness is the capability of producing a desired result or the

ability to produce desired output. When something is deemed effective, it means it

has an intended or expected outcome, or produces a deep, vivid impression.

Factors - a Latin word meaning "who/which acts; reasons; causes

Mental Health - Mental health is a level of psychological well-being or an absence

of mental illness. It is the "psychological state of someone who is functioning at a

satisfactory level of emotional and behavioural adjustment".[1] From the perspective

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of positive psychology or holism, mental health may include an individual's ability to

enjoy life, and create a balance between life activities and efforts to achieve

psychological resilience. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), mental

health includes "subjective well-being, perceived self-efficacy, autonomy,

competence, inter-generational dependence, and self-actualization of one's

intellectual and emotional potential, among others."[2] The WHO further states that

the well-being of an individual is encompassed in the realization of their abilities,

coping with normal stresses of life, productive work and contribution to their

community.[3] Cultural differences, subjective assessments, and competing

professional theories all affect how “mental health” is defined.

Profession - A profession is a vocation founded upon specialized educational

training, the purpose of which is to supply disinterested objective counsel and

service to others, for a direct and definite compensation, wholly apart from

expectation of other business gain.[1][2] The term is a truncation of the term "liberal

profession", which is, in turn, an Anglicization of the French term "profession

libérale". Originally borrowed by English users in the 19th century, it has been re-

borrowed by international users from the late 20th, though the (upper-middle) class

overtones of the term do not seem to survive retranslation: "liberal professions" are,

according to the European Union's Directive on Recognition of Professional

Qualifications (2005/36/EC) "those practiced on the basis of relevant professional

qualifications in a personal, responsible and professionally independent capacity by

those providing intellectual and conceptual services in the interest of the client and

the public.

Resources - A resource is a source or supply from which a benefit is produced.

Resources can broadly classified upon their availability—they are classified into

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renewable and non renewable resources. They can also be classified as actual and

potential on the basis of level of development and use, on the basis of origin they

can be classified as biotic and abiotic, and on the basis of their distribution, as

ubiquitous and localized (private resources, community owned resources, natural

resources, international resources). An item becomes a resource with time and

developing technology. Typically resources are materials, energy, services, staff,

knowledge, or other assets that are transformed to produce benefit and in the

process may be consumed or made unavailable.

Research - Research comprises "creative and systematic work undertaken to

increase the stock of knowledge, including knowledge of humans, culture and

society, and the use of this stock of knowledge to devise new applications."[1] It is

used to establish or confirm facts, reaffirm the results of previous work, solve new or

existing problems, support theorems, or develop new theories. A research project

may also be an expansion on past work in the field. Research projects can be used

to develop further knowledge on a topic, or in the example of a school research

project, they can be used to further a student's research prowess to prepare them for

future jobs or reports. To test the validity of instruments, procedures, or experiments,

research may replicate elements of prior projects or the project as a whole. The

primary purposes of basic research (as opposed to applied research) are

documentation, discovery, interpretation, or the research and development (R&D) of

methods and systems for the advancement of human knowledge. Approaches to

research depend on epistemologies, which vary considerably both within and

between humanities and sciences. There are several forms of research: scientific,

humanities, artistic, economic, social, business, marketing, practitioner research, life,

technological, etc.

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Stress - Occupational stress is stress related to one's job. Occupational stress often

stems from unexpected responsibilities and pressures that do not align with a

person's knowledge, skills, or expectations, inhibiting one's ability to cope.

Occupational stress can increase when workers do not feel supported by supervisors

or colleagues, or feel as if they have little control over work processes.

Teacher - A teacher (also called a school teacher or, in some contexts, an educator)

is a person who helps others to acquire knowledge, competences or values

Threatens – Hovers; Intimidates; Bullies

Wellbeing - Well-being, wellbeing, or wellness is a general term for the condition of

an individual or group. A high level of well-being means that in some sense the

individual's or group's condition is positive.

Conceptual Framework

INPUT PROCESS OUTPUT

Factors that Identification of the

threatens the factors that causes
teachers wellbeing stress in the
Teacher’s teachers
Effectiveness in → → environment
teaching Teacher’s Wellbeing Awareness of the
Life Experiences of and its effect on consequences of
Public School student learning teacher’s mental
Teachers in Central stress
Aurora regarding Consciousness of
their wellbeing the strategies and
solutions to address
the problems
encountered by the
Chapter 2 teachers that
affects their mental
health

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 Review of Related Studies and Literature

Foreign Literature

Teachers are at breaking point. It's time to push wellbeing up the agenda. The

number of teachers seeking mental health support has risen by 35% in the past 12

months. Many of them are in crisis. When secondary school teacher Victoria broke

down in front of her class, she realized the stress of the job had got too much. “I

became exhausted,” she says. “I stepped into my classroom and instantly knew I

couldn’t be there.” She called our charity’s helpline, which offers mental health

support to those working in education. She’s just one of 8,668 people to have come

to us for help in the past 12 months.

From April 2017 to March 2018, the number of teachers seeking support

increased by 35%, from 2,321 to 3,136. Counsellors at the Education Support

Partnership hear daily from those struggling with the demands of ever-greater

accountability, a growing testing culture and workload.

It’s not only teachers who are feeling the pressure. For support staff such as

teaching assistants and administrators, budget constraints mean that what 10 years

ago was one job is now two or three. Senior leaders are also far from immune –

helpline calls from headteachers and deputy heads have risen by 24%. With growing

pressures from above and below, this is the group where we’re seeing some of the

most severe cases of poor mental health.

The consequence is a mounting recruitment and retention problem. Teaching

is one of the most important jobs there is, a chance to shape the future of the next

8
generation. But by turning the role into an unmanageable task we risk alienating

those with the passion and skill to succeed.

There is also a link between poor staff mental health and poor pupil mental

health. There has not been nearly enough focus on the former in recent years, and

this must change if we are to improve the wellbeing of future generations. By turning

the role into an unmanageable task, we risk alienating those with the passion and

skill to succeed.

The recent growth in demand for mental health support underlines the

findings of our 2017 health survey, in which a third of education professionals said

their job had made them feel stressed most or all of the time in the past few weeks,

compared to 18% of the UK workforce overall. A staggering 53% had also

considered leaving the sector within the past two years because of health pressures.

Despite this bleak picture, I want more people to call our helpline next year, at

an earlier stage. The numbers are high, but the majority of those accessing our

support are doing so when they are in crisis. This can and should be avoided.

School leaders, governors, teachers and support staff must work to end the

continuing stigma around seeking support at the earliest sign of poor mental health.

A supportive working environment is key to this. As a sector, we must invest in

people. Wellbeing and development can no longer be viewed as a “nice to have”.

Failure to address this will lead to more teachers leaving the profession and fewer

people wanting to join.

As a minimum standard, schools should have a staff wellbeing policy.

Teachers and other staff could also be offered additional training on aspects of the

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job they find most challenging – which, if not addressed, can lead to poor mental

health.

Ultimately, we want statutory wellbeing policies in all education institutions, for

regulators to prioritize staff wellbeing in their assessments, and for policymakers to

acknowledge the vital role staff play educating the next generation by properly

listening to their concerns.

Solutions exist. But real change will require a collective approach from

everyone in education to recognize the issue and take the practical and tangible

steps to address it.

(https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2018/apr/10/teachers-are-at-

breaking-point-its-time-to-push-wellbeing-up-the-agenda)

Pastoral care: Reviewing staff wellbeing

The aim of pastoral care is to create a caring school community which effectively

meets the academic and social and emotional development needs of both students

and staff. A focus on staff wellbeing also promotes and supports students’ wellbeing.

Developing young people’s academic, social and emotional capabilities is highly

dependent on skilled, competent, and dedicated school staff. Providing emotional

support to students, in addition to their responsibilities as educators, can intensify the

burden on school staff, with school leadership and teaching consistently associated

with experiencing higher levels of work-related stress than those in other

occupations. Chronic levels of work stress and burn-out are associated with physical,

emotional and mental health complaints, absenteeism, low job satisfaction and

attrition (Naghieh et al, 2013; Milfont et al, 2008; Stansfeld & Candy, 2006).

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Carmel Cefai and Valeria Cavioni suggest a caring school community promoting staff

wellbeing can be achieved through a whole-school approach characterised by three

factors: caring and supportive relationships amongst school members; school

members being meaningfully and influentially engaged in the school community; and

addressing and supporting the emotional wellbeing and education of all school

members (Cefai & Cavioni, 2013).

Staff relationships include caring and supportive relationships between colleagues,

the school administration, students and staff where all members feel valued and

respected. Some ways staff relationships can be enhanced is through encouraging:

•collegiality amongst staff;

•staff to discuss and solve problems together constructively;

•staff to act as mentors and provide support to colleagues;

•celebrating each other’s achievements;

•understanding between staff and administration; and,

•regular communication with parents/care givers (Cefai & Cavioni, 2013).

Staff engagement involves being both actively and passively, meaningfully

and influentially, engaged in the school community. Engagement can be promoted

through:

•being well informed and actively participating in school activities, staff

meetings, curriculum planning and policy development;

•being given particular roles and responsibilities at the school;

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 •being provided with adequate support, resources and technology;

•being treated equally and contributions valued;

•teaching partnerships and mentoring schemes; and,

•professional learning (Cefai & Cavioni, 2013).

Addressing and supporting staff emotional wellbeing and education includes

the school’s provision of support for staff social and emotional needs and

development. This can be achieved through:

•professional learning and education sessions for staff in the development of

its social and emotional competence, health and wellbeing;

•provision of designated areas where staff can take a break, or socialize and

connect with each other;

•staff being given the opportunity to apply for positions, roles and promotions;

•importance being given to staff job satisfaction and fulfillment;

•school policies and provisions to help staff cope with, and manage stress,

and reduce and prevent staff burnout; and,

•provisions for access to professional advice and assistance (Cefai & Cavioni,

2013).

Staff wellbeing and mental health can be actively promoted through a caring

and protective school community combined with personal social and emotional

resources (Cefai & Cavioni, 2013). Social and emotional competence enables staff

with effective coping and resilience, high social awareness and skills, being able to

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collaborate with others and engage in decision making, being aware of their own

strengths and weaknesses and able to regulate their own emotions, and building

healthy relationships (Cefai & Cavioni, 2013; Leithwood & Beatty, 2008; Jennings &

Greenberg, 2009). Experiential professional learning experiences, mindfulness

training, enhancing self-efficacy, and mentoring are useful tools in promoting

wellbeing (Roeser et al, 2012; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010; Mind Matters, 2012; Smith

& Ingersoll, 2004).

Reviewing, monitoring and regular evaluation of a school’s pastoral care

policies and practices is essential to improve school staff wellbeing (Cefai & Cavioni,

2013). Regularly surveying staff about ways to improve their mental health and

wellbeing identifies strengths and improvements to objectively determine targets for

intervention. A plan of action can then be developed collaboratively with all school

staff or a representative sample of staff, who prioritise targets for intervention, and

ways for monitoring and evaluating the action plan.

( https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/pastoral-care-reviewing-staff-

wellbeing )

Teacher wellbeing and workload: Why a work–life balance is essential for the

teaching profession

‘Teachers need to know how to look after themselves. This may seem a

simple and easy task; however, when faced with a multitude of teaching tasks, one

of the areas all teachers can miss, is taking care of themselves.’ (Turner and Braine,

2016)

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 Teaching is a privilege! What other job enables you to transform lives? All the

hard work put into preparation, planning and assessment are forgotten during those

‘lean forward’ moments in the classroom when your pupils are so engaged in

learning that they physically move towards you, or their peers, to participate more.

And once your pupils are engaged, they can develop and flourish, with a whole world

of potential opportunities unfolding before them. This said, pupils can only blossom if

the ground that is feeding them is well nourished and refreshed. Teaching is a

challenging job that can impact negatively on teacher wellbeing (Briner and

Drewberry, 2007); (Turner and Braine, 2016). Understanding and supporting teacher

wellbeing in schools, and enabling teachers to support themselves, is essential for a

sustained healthy learning environment.

Teacher wellbeing has been described as involving three core elements

(Humes, 2011):

◦mental and emotional

◦physical

◦social

As teachers, we need to manage these elements. Taking care of our mental

and emotional wellbeing can be hard in a busy school, where we experience the

demands of others (pupils and other teachers/leaders) and respond to these on a

personal level. The physical demands of moving and talking all day can take their toll

– as can the social requirement to engage with other teachers, pupils and parents,

while remaining professional at all times. These personal demands to wellbeing

should not be underestimated for teachers, trainee, NQTs or otherwise.

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 ‘… happier, motivated teachers may make pupils feel happier, motivated and

more confident. Happier teachers may also be able to concentrate better on the job

of teaching.’ (Briner and Drewberry, 2007, p. 4)

So what can be done to support you as a new teacher in managing your

workload as you enter this amazing profession? Here are just a few suggestions that

demonstrate ways in which you can help yourself, as well as how you can work with

your school leaders, mentor and initial teacher training (ITT) provider. Speak up

about different expectations in relation to workload.

As a trainee teacher or NQT, you are required to be aware of your

professional role and master a number of complex skills quickly, which can be

stressful. Those supporting you in school, and in particular your mentor, should

hopefully share realistic expectations in relation to your workload. Typically, the ITT

provider of a trainee teacher will agree specific task requirements with the school,

such as the requirements of lesson planning, and an NQT mentor will set out what is

expected of the NQT. The challenge for you comes if these expectations are not

clear between those overseeing your training or NQT year.

Examples of these mixed expectations can include:

◦You are asked, as a trainee, to use a specific pro forma for lesson planning by your

ITT provider and a different pro forma by your school placement mentor

◦Your department head asks you, as an NQT, to use the department scheme of

work, but the NQT mentor expects you to write your own.

You may feel uneasy about addressing different expectations that impact on

your workload, especially if they are being set by people that appear to have the

15
‘power’ to determine the outcome of your training or NQT year, but hopefully,

knowing that this is not how it should be will give you the confidence to address the

problem. Be professional; explain to your mentor in the first case that there are

different expectations in relation to the same task. No mentor would ever intend to

duplicate a task, and therefore your speaking up will highlight an issue that would not

have been realized.

Know when to stop working

When do you stop working on developing teaching resources, lesson plans,

etc.? As trainee teachers and NQTs, it can be hard to recognize when you need to

stop working. It is great to have high expectations of yourself in your new role as a

teacher, but sometimes this leads to unnecessary pressure and excessive workload.

Learning that there are times when ‘good is good enough’ and that work has to stop

is important to your wellbeing. Savage and Fautley suggest that establishing a

balanced approach to work is one of the most important things for a teacher to

recognize (Savage and Fautley, 2013).

An example of how you might end up working excessively long hours is

lesson planning. You may write your lesson plan and then spend hours refining and

honing it, concerned that one element may result in your pupils not progressing. You

need to remember that if the evidence base suggests that the tasks in your lesson

plan will support student progress then that is good enough. Stop there. Bubb and

Earley highlighted the negative impact on children, and on learning, when teacher

workload becomes impossible to manage (Bubb and Earley, 2004). Seek guidance

from your school mentors if you feel that you are spending too long on particular

tasks.

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Seek support to manage school systems

School systems, processes and tools can all seem overwhelming when you first

encounter them as a trainee or NQT. If you consider that many teachers commit an

average of 33 hours a week to non-teaching tasks ( a DfE, 2016), it is imperative that

you understand how school systems work to enable you to manage your time more

effectively.

So how do I manage my workload?

Ideally, you will be supported as a trainee teacher in understanding how to manage

your workload, being shown practical and real ways to undertake the essential tasks

required by our profession. This support should extend into your NQT year, with your

mentor enabling you to discuss your wellbeing and workload. The Department for

Education (DfE) recently produced a report, ‘Reducing Teacher Workload’ (2016a),

which not only highlighted concerns across the profession for the long hours that

teachers are working, but also suggested ways to improve the situation:

‘Teachers should not be spending their time on bureaucracy that does not add

value. Teachers’ time should be protected and used to make a difference.’ ( b DfE,

2016)

The DfE is working with schools through a variety of projects, such as those

funded by the School Strategic Improvement Fund and the Teaching and Leadership

Innovation Funding, to establish an evidence base of best practice to support

changes in working for teachers.

You can also do a great deal to help yourself as a teacher. Understanding

what you need to do in your role to maintain a work–life balance that sustains your

17
emotional, physical and social wellbeing is your responsibility, but there is plenty of

support out there to help you reach this understanding. You are not on your own;

teaching is a social profession and help is just a conversation away. Resilience does

not mean struggling to meet unachievable workload expectations; it is about

sustaining your effectiveness as a teacher.

https://impact.chartered.college/article/ovenden-hope-etal-teacher-wellbeing-

workload-why-work-life-balance-essential-teaching-profession/

Practical strategies to reduce teacher stress and build teacher capacity.

Student wellbeing begins with teacher wellbeing

As a teacher for more than 20 years I know exactly what it is like to run like a

headless chook for 10 weeks only to end up with the flu in the holidays. In those 10

weeks of term, I remember feeling like I was hitting my head against a brick wall as I

repeated the same conversation daily with students, covered for teachers, nodded

my head politely to parents and juggled meetings with endless admin. The truth is I

was exhausted.

I loved teaching and I loved seeing students thrive, yet I was drowning. My

health was suffering, my relationships failed and my life became one sided with

work, work and more work.

As a result, I made it my mission to find a better way. Teacher Wellbeing is

that way. It consists of evidence-based strategies and resources designed to help us

as teachers;

•Build healthy habits

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•Have more energy and vitality at work better teachers for our students.

( http://www.teacher-wellbeing.com.au/ )

The very real value of teacher wellbeing

Teaching is a challenging profession. It stretches us as people – physically, mentally,

socially and spiritually. Teaching can test our professional ability at times and

sometimes even test the very strength of our hearts and minds.

In short, teaching requires much more than many other jobs.

A focus on teacher wellbeing is helping many individuals and learning environments

deal with the very real demands of teaching. That is not to say, that many external

factors do not need to be addressed. But focusing on wellbeing gives teachers the

strength and optimism to challenge and change the way they work without burning

out or giving up.

The impact of valuing wellbeing in workplaces is well evidenced. A workplace that

supports the holistic wellbeing of its employees has higher retention, increased

loyalty, increased conscientiousness and less sickness.

Teacher wellbeing is both an individual and a collective responsibility. It is holistic –

and focuses on the spiritual, physical, mental and social wellness of teachers as

professionals. In practice, it looks different person to person, and place to place.

As teaching professionals, there are many ways we can improve our own individual

wellbeing. Professor Meihana Durie and psychologist Jacqui Maguire discussed the

importance of teachers taking care of themselves and each other in our recent

podcast, available to listen to on our website.

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Teacher wellbeing is, however, a collective responsibility too. Many ECE centres,

kura and schools are already well along the road of exploring what it means to look

after the spiritual, mental, physical and social wellbeing of their teachers.

ECE centres, kura and schools all have their own distinct ways of cultivating teacher

wellbeing that reflect their own context. Below, you can see Sancta Maria College

and Te Kura Kaupapa Māori Te Whanau Tahi talk about teacher wellbeing in

differing ways, reflecting their own school and kura philosophies.

What is common to all of this conversation – whether the focus is on individual or

collective teacher wellbeing - is the need to value teacher wellbeing as integral to the

life of a teaching professional and to contribute actively to it.

Whether you are an individual seeking to improve your own wellbeing, or an ECE,

kura or school promoting teacher wellbeing, there appear to be some common,

overarching themes:

• The environment where people teach needs to be conducive to vitality.

• Teachers need to feel valued by and connected to the community and culture of the

place they are a part of.

• It is vital that there is reciprocity between the organisation and the individual and

that this is valued and communicated.

• It is important to encourage wellbeing practices and techniques that allow teachers

to flourish.

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• A frame provides the structure within which teacher wellbeing - their wairuatanga,

mauri and mana, can be cultivated. We notice ECE centres, kura and schools using

Te Aho Matua, specific school whakatauki or principles to provide this frame.

( https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/very-real-value-of-teacher-wellbeing )

A 5-Point Plan in teachers Wellbeing

This is my 5-point plan for improving teacher wellbeing across England. Staff

wellbeing is not a peripheral issue. ‘Indeed, it should be a moral imperative for all

senior leadership teams and their governing bodies.’

In June 2014, I visited Education Guardian to attend a round-table discussion.

The topic in which I wrote a preamble is here: “Promoting wellbeing: How can we

support teachers in the face of growing professional challenges?”. On Tuesday 1st

July 2014, the following article: Teachers’ wellbeing: under scrutiny and under-

appreciated was written by journalist, Victoria Neumark and published in The

Guardian. This meeting highlighted the following:

The 40% attrition rate is a damming headline. Those involved with education

in England, will be all-too familiar with this statistic. This figure is drummed across

the media and will be on the lips of every union leader across England in our drive to

reduce working conditions placed upon teachers and to attract the brightest

graduates. However, every statistic must be treated with caution and put into

context. “If we want to maintain our status and stay respected as a profession, we’ve

got to be prepared to be accountable, as others are.” said Graham Lacey, executive

principal of Southbank International school.

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 Of course, accountability comes hand-in-hand with staff wellbeing in schools

and is another debate not discussed here. Attrition rates will vary from school to

school and region across England’s green and pleasant land; yet we need to

seriously make a start, to accept that these startling figures of attrition is indicative of

the pressures placed upon schools and those who work in them. In many ways, the

increased accountability is sapping away at the profession; but, is accountability at

the expense of less time and money to be able to do the same job?

Eye-Watering Statistics:

1.over half of teachers (52%) say that they have seriously considered leaving their

current job in the last 12 months and nearly half (47%) have seriously considered

leaving the profession;

2.two fifths of teachers (41%) say their job satisfaction has decreased in the last 12

months;

3.teachers’ biggest concern regarding their job is workload (79%), followed by pay

and pensions (66%), changes or reforms in the curriculum (59%) and school

inspections (51%). The vast majority of teachers (86%) say that their workload has

increased in the last 12 months;

4.the majority of teachers disagree that teaching is competitive with other

occupations in terms of either the financial rewards on offer (80%) or salaries (67%)

and only 21% of teachers feel optimistic about their career opportunities;

5.the top three things teachers love most about their jobs are seeing children learn

and progress (91%), interacting with pupils (90%) and making a positive difference

(83%). (Source)

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6.research by the Association of Teachers and Lecturers (ATL) found that 55% of

teachers said work pressure is having a detrimental effect on their mental wellbeing.

Note, the research was conducted in April 2014 by polling agency ComRes,

surveying 2002 adults, of whom 1548 are parents and 933 have children under 25

Questions

The published article stems from the following questions:

1.Accountability: to whom are teachers accountable? Children, parents, school

management, Ofsted, the secretary of state, the public, the media? Or are their own

consciences the hardest taskmasters of all?

2.Are the biggest pressures internal or external? What can management do to

alleviate those pressures and help teachers cope with the workload?

3.Professional development: should schools spend on this as an investment in

people, rather than take a negative view and see it as a cost?

4.How has the decline in status affected teachers? Do they feel the need to justify

their working patterns?

5.What does support look like? Preventative measures.

A 5-Point Plan For Teacher Wellbeing

I am not putting my union hat on here. I am genuinely suggesting what we need to

do to raise morale and invest in every teacher in every school.

1.Hold all staff to account, but retain support with constructive feedback and most of

all, flexibility.

23
2.Reduce unneccessary workload on staff. Endless meetings; tick-box proformas

and the famous paraphrase: ‘Ofsted will be coming this year’.

3.Invest more than £500 per member of staff per year for professional development.

In fact, treble this to ensure there is scope for internal and external development, and

keep some cash spare for personal and professional classroom development; set by

the teacher, not the appraiser.

4.That teachers, bloggers and school leaders share more and more good news

stories within the profession; to challenge the preconceptions cast by the media.

5.Praise and recognize every member of staff in the school. Promote staff wellbeing

as a school priority and not a wooly add-on! See academic research from Briner and

Dewberry (Birbeck University 2007) Staff well-being is key to school success. A key

finding is this: There is significant / positive association between wellbeing and

measures of school performance.”

( https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2014/07/03/5-point-plan-for-teacher-wellbeing/ )

Local Literature

DepEd wary over mental, professional fitness of teachers

A TOP education official in Leyte province expressed alarm on Thursday, July

19, over the mental and professional qualifications of public school teachers

following the case of 21-year-old multi-grade teacher Emylou Malate, who killed

herself inside their house on July 12, less than a month from her first day of service

on June 25.

24
Malate, one of the two newly-hired teachers assigned to an upland primary school in

Bagacay village, some five kilometers away from the town proper of La Paz, Leyte,

was believed to have committed suicide due to “depression” as narrated by her 62-

year-old father Rodolfo in a local police blotter.

While the police declared that Malate’s case was already “closed” and no foul play

happened to her, Leyte Assistant Schools Division Superintendent Edgar Tenasas

said they had formed a fact-finding team and conducted inquiry into the “sad”

incident to shed light on the issue whether the teacher’s death was job-related.

The inquiry was also in response to a viral Facebook post that seeks “justice” to the

death of Malate, who belonged to batch 2017 graduates of Leyte Normal University,

a top learning institution for the teaching profession in Eastern Visayas based in

Tacloban City.

The post claimed that Malate’s teaching load, paper works, work pressure,

professional relationship, and working environment, among other various issues

besetting the country’s public education system since its inception, became the

“major factor” of the suicide incident.

In his media interviews, Tenasas said he respected the airing out of views by

the anonymous Facebook poster whom they have already identified but did not

disclose it to the public.

According to Tenasas, he personally asked Malate’s co-teacher and close

friend Desiree Abordo and their school principal Diomedes Tejome to respond to the

“bullying” allegations and both of them denied such statement.

25
 He maintained that Leyte division has not yet received complaints, either in

oral and written form, as regards to bullying among teachers.

The school principal, a second-degree cousin and a fellow resident of Malate

in Limba village, has “official” records to back his statement that they offered

technical assistance to Malate over her lesson planning and other school-related

problems that caused her some worries, Tenasas added.

Tenasas added that the assigned district supervisor in the area also issued a

marching order to the principal to give technical assistance to the newly-hired

teachers.

Malate’s multi-grade class assignment involved Grade 4, with 3 pupils; Grade

5, with 8 pupils, Grade 6, with 8 pupils.

“Preparing lessons and making a report to track down learners have been part

of the teaching profession for decades,” said Tenasas, adding that teachers can

download additional teaching and learning resources from the internet.

He said writing the teacher’s lesson is mandated through Department of

Education (DepEd) orders and are “necessary to ensure quality learning outputs and

smooth classroom management.” It cannot be dispensed due to these

reasons, he said.

“Monthly reports are must for all teachers to submit. Checking of work outputs

of the students and recording results can never be dispensed to equitably give

objective quantitative ratings to the students,” he added.

On the issue of assigning a newly hired teacher to a multigrade class,

Tenasas said Leyte has 500 multigrade classes with the same number of teachers

all over the 40 municipalities comprising the division.

26
 The DepEd promoted “Multigrade Education” as one of its strategies “to

provide access to quality education for all school-age children in remote communities

where enrolment does not warrant the organization of monograde classes.”

“This Division has no choice but to assign newly hired to multigrade classes

on the ground that our Higher Educational Institutions are expected to teach the

delivery of multi-grade classes to would be teachers,” Tenasas said.

Meanwhile, Tenasas said that Leyte is implementing a “fair, objective, and

transparent” recruitment and promotion system.

Dubbed as “NEW DOORS” or Nurturing Employees Welfare through the

Division Objective Open Ranking System, the hiring process “allowed applicants to

bring their own documents and personally hand it in to the assigned validators during

validation and personally witness the appreciation of their documents in the

presence of the committee members and witnessed by all other applicants.”

“The ratings of the appreciated documents are then posted on the screen so

that everyone could see their individual ratings. Every applicant who left the venue

has the knowledge of the actual rating they have during the document validation,” he

said.

An applicant has to get a rating of 70 percent to be included in the Registered

of Qualified Applicants (RQA), which is posted online for the public to see, said

Tenasas.

In Leyte, Tenasas said that all school heads “are empowered to design their

yearlong activity and reflect it in their Annual Improvement Plan (AIP) to

appropriately fund the proposed activities. The activities deeply based on the

perceived needs of the school and teachers.”

27
 However, the education official admitted that they have a problem with the

lack of qualified guidance counselors.

“For many instances, the Schools Division of Leyte published its need to hire

guidance counselors but no one applied due to the very high qualification standards,

which this division has no right to lower it,” he said.

Incidentally, the DepEd central office this week announced the hiring of 3,500

guidance counselors, saying there should be one counselor for every 500 students.

DepEd also proposed the increase in the monthly salary of Guidance Counselor I

from P20,179 to P31,765 so that more professionals will apply for the job.

Yet for Tenasas, the case of Malate is different because based on their

inquiry, they “failed to observe any signs of inconsideration and insensitiveness.”

“Tejome’s act to bring books to Emylou and his effort to go to the school to

comfort Emylou when he received the report from a teacher that Emylou was crying

is a great manifestation of a considerate school head and not a headache to Emylou.

The prodding of the District Supervisor, Edna Calades, to all school heads to extend

technical assistance and give preferential consideration to newly hired teachers are

not indicative of an inconsiderate and insensitive district head,” Tenasas said.

In Malate’s three suicide notes, where two were addressed to her mother and

the third was addressed to her boyfriend, she “never failed to mention that she was

weak but never mentioned it in her letter to her boyfriend.” Quoting a study, Tenasas

said “depression is an extremely complex disease.”

“The Schools Division of Leyte personally extended condolences and deep

sympathies to the bereaved family of Teacher Emylou. We are currently working for

the immediate release of any financial benefits due to her beneficiaries. We are

saddened and in pain over this incident,” he said.

28
Malate’s death is everyone’s concern

Taking lessons from the death of Malate, Tenasas emphasized the

importance of a support system in workplaces and the need to reach out to others if

a person is in trouble over something.

“We will assure the public that this incident will reach to the division executive

meeting so we can deliberate on how to eliminate the burdensome work of the

teachers. This is worth to be elevated to the national. Whether they listen or not, we

will be pushing it to the top. This is a national concern,” he said. Tenasas assured

that the life and death of Malate “will not be in vain.”

Meanwhile, Tenasas appealed to the school principals and administrators “to

be extra considerate to our teachers.”

“They report to the school with different emotional ability. There is a need for

us to be more caring, understanding, and tolerant” he said.

He reiterated that in the case of Malate, Tenasas said that “it cost her life, but

the principal can sleep very well because he has not done anything wrong against

her.” As this developed, Tenasas encouraged teachers to air complaints if they feel

they are aggrieved.

Leyte Division has more than 15,000 teachers assigned in 1,107 elementary

schools, 149 secondary schools, and 126 senior high schools. As of this year’s

Oplan Balik Eskwela, the division has 136,022 students enrolled in both secondary

and senior high schools and 236,794 in elementary.

“To the new applicants or would-be teachers, please find time to ask yourself

and know the challenges in DepEd. You know the paperwork DepEd is making for

our reports. If we feel that we cannot handle it, let’s pause for a while because we

29
ourselves can only determine what we can do and what we cannot do,” he said.

“They should know how to ascertain themselves. It is not hidden that teaching is

equated to plenty of works,” Tenasas said.

Mental health education

Tenasas urged school heads to maintain social activities and interactions with

their teachers. “Part of our learnings, as proposed by the region, is we’ll have mental

health education. Also, we’ve already suspended the pre-evaluation in the first

quarter of the school year. We’ll only have mid-quarter evaluation because it is also

necessary to have an evaluation for us to improve,” he said. “Before deployment, our

newly-hired teachers should undergo a one-day orientation for them to be

emotionally prepared,” Tenasas said. “There is a popular adage, in order not to be

stressed, eliminate the stressor,” he said. He reminded the teachers and

administrators not to be overwhelmed by their tasks. At the end of the day, Tenasas

said it is very important for anyone to reach out to their friends, family, or peers if

they have problems in their workplaces. He also admitted that “maybe experts can

help us on what’s behind Malate’s action.” Malate's suicide case is the second in the

entire Eastern Visayas to date.

Depression-Suicide link

Christian Gloria, associate professor of public health at Hawaii Public

University-Department of Public Health, said that “certainly, there is a strong link

between depression and suicide.”

“Depression could be a result of various stressors. Sources of stress could be

from work, could be from home, from relationships, from friends, could be from

30
unmet expectations between what she thought her new career would be versus what

it actually is (e.g., maybe workload is too high, maybe interpersonal situation at work

is negative and unsupportive, could be a type of workplace where positive emotions

are not experienced),” Gloria told SunStar Philippines.

Research indicates that low-level employees tend to experience high levels of

stress mainly because they lack any sense of control over their work/life

circumstances. These stresses can and do accumulate overtime, and such chronic

forms of stress can negatively impact our health, both physically and psychologically,

which can then spiral downwards to worse conditions to a point where someone may

feel helpless and hopeless that could lead them to decide to end their lives (from

such a deep and dark place where they may believe that they can’t ever get out),” he

added in an online interview Thursday, July 19.

According to Gloria, who is also the president of the Hawaii Public Health

Association, “people who suffer from depression can appear to be fine.” “Because of

the stigma against mental health problems in the Filipino culture, people may simply

‘hide’ their suffering,” he added.

In the case of Malate, Gloria, who learned of the story in news reports, said

that when the teacher “seemed to have backed out from routine task like lesson

planning,” this could have been the point when she decided to end her life, when she

allowed the weight and expectations of the world to get off of her shoulders (i.e.,

gave up or stopped her fight to continue).

“I don’t know much about work conditions in the Philippines, or the work

conditions specifically for teachers. But I can say, from my observations when I travel

around the Philippines and visit schools, that workload for teachers (and even

31
students) are exponentially higher compared to here in the US,” said the 36-year-old

US-based professor who traced his roots from the Philippines.

“In addition to the high workload, high pressure, and high expectations, I had

also wondered about other stresses outside of the workplace (e.g., stress with the

very challenging public transportation, low wages, increasing cost of living, etc.),” he

added.

“If she is new to the job/career, it's possible that she was already

stressed/burned out/depressed before she started this job. It's possible that the

additional stresses of the job served like the last straw that broke the camel's back.

The additional work stress could have tipped the scale, to a point where she feels

she can longer carry on,” Gloria said after going through the initial information shared

by this reporter that may have caused Malate’s death.

Technology, boon or bane?

Meanwhile, Gloria opined on whether the modern technology is helpful or not

in eliminating stress in one’s life particularly to the teachers.

“We teachers always joke about why we still feel so busy and overwhelmed

even with the conveniences of the modern world. But the conveniences and fast

pace only added pressure because now we are expected to get more things done,”

he said.

Yet he said that in the case of Malate, “it could be just too much and too

difficult for her to carry.”

“Overwhelmed and buried under. I worry for teachers and students there,”

said Gloria while saying that he will be going to the Philippines soon in a hope to

help conduct mental health research with the Angeles University Foundation.

32
 Individuals suffering from depression and needing such assistance may call

HopeLine Hotlines at (02) 804-HOPE (4673); 0917 558 HOPE (4673); and 2919 (toll-

free number for all GLOBE and TM subscribers). (SunStar Philippines)

( https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1753622 )

Teachers groups flag alarm on colleagues’ deaths

Act calls for full implementation of Magna Carta for Teachers

Teachers groups flagged alarm on the deaths of their colleagues by suicide

and called for full implementation of the Magna Carta for Teachers wherein the

priorities should include mental health and wellness of teachers. The Alliance of

Concerned Teachers (ACT) Philippines and the Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC)

have expressed concern on the deaths of their colleagues and called on the

Department of Education (DepEd) to address the growing complaint of public school

teachers on their “heavy workload.”

Citing a recent death of a kinder teacher in Bacoor, Cavite by suicide, ACT

said it is high time for the government as well as the DepEd to pay more attention to

the mental health of the country’s teachers. “Mental health of our mentors has long

been overlooked despite the mandate of the Magna Carta for the State to ensure the

free and comprehensive health benefits of teachers,” ACT secretary-general

Raymond Basilio said.

Basilio noted that “without the concrete health benefits program for teachers

and the burgeoning workload in the recent years due to oppressive policies,” the

country’s teachers “are laid vulnerable to severe stress and breakdowns.”

ACT said that on the morning of August 23, they received news about the

suicide of the newly hired kindergarten teacher in Bacoor, Cavite. The said teacher

33
was 23 years old and hails from Antique. Basilio noted that leaders of ACT who

visited the wake were informed of her “struggle with the demands of her work.”

The group learned that the teacher teaches two classes from 7 a.m, to 4 p.m.

with 8 subjects each. “Even her lunch breaks are usually spent in the Office of the

Principal doing tasks especially assigned to her, she prepares 8 different logs, 8

lesson plans per day, 8 worksheets which she herself must provide,” ACT said. The

said teacher, the group noted, “underwent 3–4 observations since her start in June

which is brought about by the latest addition to teachers’ workload, the PPST

[Philippine Professional Standard for Teachers].”

ACT noted that these – combined with public school teachers’ low income –

“are bound to take a toll on teachers’ overall wellbeing.” Basilio noted “one death is

one too many, and this has been the fourth in just a few months.”

“Measures must immediately be taken to safeguard the mental health of our

teachers who undergo manifold of pressures and stresses due to work overload and

economic crisis,” Basilio added.

Meanwhile, TDC also appealed to the DepEd to halt the implementation of

policies that require teachers to comply with “nonteaching-related tasks” which lead

to heavy workload. “We have been raising the issue of overburden due to clerical

tasks required to teachers,” said Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) national

chairperson Benjo Basas. Recently, he noted that DepEd “made things worse when

it introduced the new performance rating system that would again result in heavy

workloads.”

TDC has been appealing to Secretary Leonor Briones to “put a halt on all of

the required nonteaching-related tasks, class observations and paper works and

34
listen to us in a dialogue.” TDC alleged that the heavy workload of teachers might be

among the reasons why some teachers are dying by suicide.

Basas claimed that in July, a newly hired teacher from barrio school of La

Paz, Leyte hanged herself. “The suicide is attributed to heavy burden of paper works

as proved by the teacher’s closest friends and colleagues,” he said. He also

mentioned the death of the young teacher in Bacoor City was “found dead hanging

inside her room still wearing her school uniform.”

TDC is linking these deaths to the “heavy workload” required by DepEd.

“According to colleagues, the teacher is complaining about her workloads and class

observations,” Basas said. He noted that these cases of “suicide in just two months

purportedly due to work-related issues should alarm DepEd and take necessary

steps.”

The group also added its demand for a comprehensive health care program

for teachers as mandated by Magna Carta for Teachers as early as 1966. The health

program, according to them, “should include mental wellness.”

In a statement released by ACT earlier, reasons for teachers’ overwork were

identified, such as the lack of educational support staff, shortages in classrooms and

instructional materials, the outcome-based framework for education, and the results-

based performance evaluation for teachers.

Both TDC and ACT are also asking “how many more lives of teachers must it

take before the government takes this issue seriously?”

Basilio said that as the House of Representatives deliberate on the 2019

budget, “we call on legislators to take into account the issues faced by teachers

which of late have undeniably factored in the demise of our colleagues. He explained

that with the current allocations and the proposal of Department of Budget and

35
Management (DBM) for next year, “the teachers cannot expect any relief from

oppressive working conditions.”

As the celebration of Teachers’ Month in September nears, Basilio noted that

“only real way to find a cause for celebration this year is for the government to bring

justice to our fallen colleagues by addressing the issues of teachers and by

genuinely heeding our demands.”

(https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/08/28/teachers-groupsflagalarm-on-colleagues-

deaths/

DepEd probes teacher suicides

MANILA, Philippines — The Department of Education (DepEd) will investigate recent

cases of teacher suicides following allegations that these have been caused by

heavy workload.

Education Undersecretary Annalyn Sevilla said they have created fact-finding

committees at the regional level to determine the cause of the incidents. DepEd will

also work to ensure that the mental health of teachers and other education

stakeholders are recognized and well taken care of, according to Sevilla.

“We need professional advice and (psychological and spiritual) guidance and

we will engage with external partners to provide assistance to our teachers like a

hotline for them to call when they are depressed or have anxiety,” she told The

STAR.

“We have to be responsive to needs related to this – the implementing rules

and regulations of the mental health law ongoing, support system of teachers need

to be strengthened, more de-stressing activities, find hobbies or interests she added.

36
 The Teachers’ Dignity Coalition (TDC) yesterday met with DepEd officials to

discuss concerns over the supposed workload.

It cited the heavy burden of paperworks as among the reasons of the teacher

who hanged herself in Cavite last week

The organization also cited heavy workload as a possible factor in another

teacher suicide in Leyte last month.

“Two cases of suicide in just two months purportedly due to work-related

issues should alarm the DepEd and take necessary steps. We have been raising the

issue of overburden due to clerical tasks required of teachers,” TDC chair Benjo

Basas said.

“Recently, the DepEd made things worse when it introduced the new

performance rating system that would again result in heavy workloads. We appeal to

Secretary Leonor Briones to put a halt on all of the required non-teaching related

tasks, class observations and paper works and listen to us in a dialogue,” he added.

Basas said the DepEd should stop the implementation of the results-based

performance management system and the order requiring the use of daily lesson

logs and detailed lesson plan.

For the DepEd, Sevilla said that while a single case of death is saddening, it is

very inaccurate to highlight this as representative of the situation of the more than

800,000 public school teachers in the country.

The management system has already been improved with fewer content and

formats readily available, she said.

The DepEd has also created 5,000 non-teaching, 4,000 specialized teaching

and 3,000 guidance counsellor positions to unload existing teacher workloads.

37
(Read more at https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-and-

home/2018/08/30/1846977/deped-probes-teacher-suicides#hLLsrgf5ix27WUUu.99 )

Justification of the Study

It is necessary to conduct this inquiry in order to know the factor that threatens

the teacher’s wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness. Regardless

that this study is similar to other studies done, it is still essential to continue so that

we will be able to discover whether the findings of other studies were also true with

the findings found in the present locale of the study. There may also be a need to

continue with the present investigation to affirm or negate the findings of other

inquiries about the same research problem or topic so that generalization or

principles may be formulated. These generalizations and principles would be the

contributions of the present investigation together with other studies to the fund of

knowledge. This is one of the more important purposes of research; the contribution

that it can give to the fund of knowledge.

38
 Chapter 3

This chapter focuses on the method and procedures used in this study. It also

presents the research design, locale of the study, respondents of the study, the data

gathering procedures, data gathering instruments and statistical tool used

Method of Research

The descriptive method of research was used in this study. Descriptive

method of research is a fact-finding study with adequate and accurate interpretation

of the findings. It describes what is. It describes with emphasis what actually exist

such as current conditions, practices, situations or any phenomena. In view of the

fact that the present study or investigation was concerned with the factors that

threatens the teacher’s wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness, the

descriptive method was the most suitable method to use.

Locale of the Study

This research will be conducted in one of every Public High Schools of the

Central Towns of Aurora which consists of Baler, San Luis, Maria Aurora, and

Dipaculao. The Schools were Baler National High School in Baler Aurora; Rosauro R

Tangson Memorial National High School in San Luis Aurora; Maria Aurora National

High School in Maria Aurora, Aurora and Mucdol National High School in Dipaculao,

39
Aurora.

Map of Aurora

40
Respondents of the Study

The chosen respondents of the study are the Teachers of each of the public

high school in Central Aurora. It involves 60 respondents from the four (4) chosen

public high schools. There will be 20 Teaching personnel coming from each of one of

the chosen public high schools to cover the total number of respondents.

Sampling Procedure

To gather the needed data, the researcher utilized a questionnaire. This

questionnaire is adopted by the researcher to determine the factors that threatens

the teacher’s wellbeing, how it affects their teaching effectiveness and the solutions

or intervention to be done to address the problem. The scale consisted of 15

potential factors that threaten the teacher’s wellbeing; 5 possible effect that affects

the teaching effectiveness and 10 conceivable solutions to address the problem in

teacher’s wellbeing. The questionnaire included items related to the problem stated.

The research instrument was a five (5) points Likert – scale that measured the stated

problem and possible solution. The score values converted into the factors that

threaten the teacher’s wellbeing was: 5 for Very Affective, 4 Affective, 3 for

Moderately Affective, 2 for Slightly Affective and 1 for Not affective. Likewise, for the

how it affects their teaching effectiveness was: 5 for Strongly Agree, 4 for Agree, 3

for Undecided/No Opinion, 2 for Disagree and 1 for Strongly Disagree and for the

recommendations or solution to cope the problems in teacher’s wellbeing was also 5

for Strongly Agree, 4 for Agree, 3 for Undecided/No Opinion, 2 for Disagree and 1 for

41
Strongly Disagree. The questionnaire was validated by researcher.

Data Gathering Techniques

All the data needed in this study will be gathered through a questionnaire.

Data collection will be conducted in Baler National High School, Rosauro R Tangson

Memorial National HS, Mucdol National High School and Maria Aurora National High

School.

Before the actual conduct, the researcher will ask permission to the principal of the

said schools. Upon approval, the researcher will personally hand the letters to the

teachers for them to answer the questionnaire. After collecting the answered

questionnaires, the researcher will tally, tabulate, analyse and interpret the data.

Statistical Treatment

Results will be personally checked and tallied by the researcher. Appropriate

statistical tools were used to analyse the degree of relationship among variables.

Responses of the participants were interpreted using a five point scale where five is

the highest while one is the lowest, followed by the criteria used in interpreting the

weighted mean.

Numerical Interpretation Verbal Interpretation

5 Very Affective

4 Affective

3 Moderately Affective

42
2 Slightly Affective

1 Not Affective

Numerical Interpretation Verbal Interpretation

5 Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Undecided/No Opinion

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree

And also

Numerical Interpretation Verbal Interpretation

5 Strongly Agree

4 Agree

3 Undecided/No Opinion

2 Disagree

1 Strongly Disagree

The formula used was;

WM = F x W

Whereas:

WM- weighted mean

F-frequency

43
 W-weight

N-number of respondent

The weights were multiplied by the frequency of each item under the three heading.

The product was taken and divided by the total number of respondents to get the

weighted mean.

Chapter 4

Analysis

In the study of the factors that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing and how it

affects their teaching effectiveness, the researcher have listed the possible causes of

stress or mental health problems of the teachers and also the possible outcome or

result of having the said mental health problems in relation to their teaching

performance. Likewise, the interventions or recommendations that will address their

problem have been demonstrated.

Presentation of Data

The researcher used a tabular presentation of data. A statistical table or

simply table is defined as a systematic arrangement of related data in which classes

of numerical facts or data are given each a row and their subclasses are given each

a column in order to present the relationships of the sets or numerical facts or data in

a definite, compact and understandable form or forms. The purpose of a table is to

facilitate the study and interpretation, the making of inferences and implications of

the relationships of statistical data. Also, the graph was used to show the result of

the questionnaire. A Graph is diagram showing the relationship of quantities,

44
especially such a diagram in which lines, bars, or proportional areas represent how

one quantity depends on or changes with another. In this study the tables and

graphs below shows the rank of the factors that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing,

the effect of teacher’s wellbeing to their teaching performance and the

recommendations or solutions that will be done to cope with the said problems in

teacher’s wellbeing, to wit;

Table 1 THE FACTORS that threatens the TEACHER’S WELLBEING

FACTORS RANK

1fatigue (physical and mental exhaustion caused by work 2

and life demands)

2 lack of administrative support from school 5.5

3 excessive workloads and working hours 4.5

4 poor student behaviour including lack of motivation and 11

effort, disrespect, violence, challenging authority

5 aggression from parents and students 13

6 classroom and school climate 9

7 pressures of assessment targets and inspection 3

8. conflict with management and colleagues 1

9 adapting and implementing new curriculum 4.5

10 teaching efficacy and learning new skills 5.5

11 self - esteem and status 8

45
 12 false public perceptions that teachers are perfect 10

indiividuals

13 lack of professional opportunities 12

14 lack of involvement at the decision making level of 14

educational reforms

15 feeling isolated and low morale 15

Graphical presentation of Table 1

rank
16
14
12
10
8
6
4
2
0 rank

Interpretation of Table 1 and Graph 1;

1. Conflict with management and colleagues ranked 1st, fatigue ranked 2nd and

pressures of assessment targets and inspections ranked 3rd. These factors

ranked the highest in the factors that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing.

46
 2. Aggression from parents and students rank 13th , lack of involvement at the

decision making level of educational reforms rank 14th and feeling isolated

and low morale ranked 15th . These factors ranked the lowest in the factors

that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing.

Table 2. Effects of Teacher’s wellbeing in their Teaching Effectiveness

Effects Rank

1.Poor teacher engagement impacts 3

student engagement level

2.Emotionally exhausted teachers may 4

use reactive and punitive responses that

contribute to negative classroom

climates and student-teacher

relationships

3.Quality of relationships with 5

peers/teachers and positive versus

negative school experiences-student

connectedness

4.Poor school connectedness results in 2

poorer academic and mental health

outcomes for students

5.Teacher’s unhealthy wellbeing will 1

reflect to those of his/her students

47
Graphical presentation of Table 2

rank
5
4
3
2
1
0

rank
rank

Interpretation of Table 2 and Graph 2

1. Teacher’s unhealthy wellbeing will reflect to those of his/her students ranked

the highest effect on teaching performance.

2. Quality of relationships with peers/teachers and positive versus negative

school experiences – student connectedness ranked the lowest effect on

teaching effectiveness.

Table 3 Possible solutions to the problem of teacher’s wellbeing

SOLUTIONS RANK

1.”Control measures” to deal with risks associated 1

with working time and bureaucracy

2.Policy on such areas of management as 7

consultation over decision making, team working,

delegation and feedback

48
 3.Ensure all teachers can benefit from appropriate 2

training opportunities

4.Keeping feelings under control 4

5.Taking action to deal with problems 3

6.Seeking support from colleagues and/or the 8

principal

7.Having significant adult relationships 10

8.Organizing time and prioritizing work tasks 6

9.Being competent 9

10.Be GOD-fearing 5

Interpretation of Table 3 and Graph 3;

1. The 1st , 2nd and 3rd highest in rank in possible solutions that can be

formulated to address the problem in teacher’s wellbeing were to “control

measures” to deal with the risks associated with working time and

bureaucracy, ensure all teachers can benefit from appropriate training

opportunities and taking action to deal with problems respectively.

2. The 8th, 9th and 10th lowest in rank in possible solutions that can be done

to cope with the teacher’s wellbeing problem were seeking support from

colleagues and/or the principal, being competent and having significant

adult relationships outside work respectively.

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Implication of the Findings

1. It was observed that for the factors that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing, the

conflict with management and colleagues ranked 1st, it means that the problem in

teacher’s wellbeing is because of the misunderstanding with the school management

and colleagues. This findings is unfavourable because school management and

colleagues were the ones who should help the teachers in their problem/s and not

the ones who would be the cause of it.

2. It was noted that teacher’s unhealthy wellbeing will reflect to those of his/her

students. It means that if the teacher’s wellbeing is not healthy or unstable, his/her

performance in teaching will falter and it will reflect too to the performance of his/her

students. Likewise, the mental or psychological wellbeing of the teacher will have a

great impact on his/her students’ mental or psychological wellbeing too. It is

unfavourable because students should rely to their teachers if they have a problem,

hence the teachers should have a sound and healthy wellbeing.

3. In the recommendations or possible solutions that can be formulated to

address the problem in teacher’s wellbeing, the “control measures” to deal with risks

associated with working time and bureaucracy ranked 1st. It means that this findings

is favourable because the respondents have seen that in order to cope with the said

problem, teachers should cling to each other to find the remedy. Control measures

will be made if they sit and talk together to formulate as such.

50
 Chapter 5

Summary/ Conclusions

This study was conducted for the purpose of determining the factors that

threatens the teacher’s wellbeing and how it affects their teaching effectiveness. The

descriptive method of research was utilized and the questionnaire was used for

gathering data. The total respondents were 60 teachers having 15 teachers in each

of the four (4) selected public high school in Central Aurora .

Based on the findings, the researcher found out that teacher wellbeing

matters. There is a relationship between teacher wellbeing and student outcomes.

Be aware of the indicators of poor wellbeing and act on them. Teacher workload has

been identified as needing reform, and guidance on reducing workload has been

provided to support schools, teachers and teacher training providers.

Recommendations

1. It is highly recommended that teachers have called for more targeted

specialist support to help them cope with the emotional and mental strains of

teaching.

2. Likewise, it is recommended that the promotion of mental health and

wellbeing strategies for staff, stress management programs, Cognitive Behavioural

Therapy, web-based self-help, mindfulness, and social support may offer protection

against stress.

3. It is also recommended to educate or raise the consciousness and awareness

of the parent and students concerning teacher’s wellbeing. Student behaviour policy

51
is clearly communicated to students and parents and is supportively managed by the

principals and school administrators.

4. Lastly, it is hereby recommended that teachers should have resources to

increase sense of self-efficacy, connectedness with students and colleagues,

supported by colleagues and receiving recognition for their work.

52
 APPENDICES

A. Bibliography

Books

Cefai, C., & Cavioni, V. (2013). Social and emotional education in primary school:

Integrating theory and research into practice. Springer Science & Business Media.

Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The prosocial classroom: Teacher social

and emotional competence in relation to student and classroom outcomes. Review

of educational research, 79(1), 491-525.

Leithwood, K., & Beatty, B. (Eds.). (2007). Leading with teacher emotions in mind.

Corwin Press.

Milfont, T. L., Denny, S., Ameratunga, S., Robinson, E., & Merry, S. (2008). Burnout

and wellbeing: Testing the Copenhagen burnout inventory in New Zealand teachers.

Social indicators research, 89(1), 169-177.

Mind Matters (2012). Whole School Matters. Commonwealth of Australia.

Naghieh, A., Montgomery, P., Bonell, C., Thompson, M., & Aber, J. (2013).

Organisational interventions for improving wellbeing and reducing work-related

stress in teachers. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, 4.

Roeser, R. W., Skinner, E., Beers, J., & Jennings, P. A. (2012). Mindfulness training

and teachers' professional development: An emerging area of research and practice.

Child Development Perspectives, 6(2), 167-173.

53
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A

study of relations. Teaching and teacher education, 26(4), 1059-1069.

Smith, T. M., & Ingersoll, R. M. (2004). What are the effects of induction and

mentoring on beginning teacher turnover?. American educational research journal,

41(3), 681-714.

Stansfeld, S., & Candy, B. (2006). Psychosocial work environment and mental

health—a meta-analytic review. Scandinavian journal of work, environment & health,

32(6), 443-462.

Internet

( https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/2018/apr/10/teachers-are-at-

breaking-point-its-time-to-push-wellbeing-up-the-agenda )

( https://www.teachermagazine.com.au/articles/pastoral-care-reviewing-staff-

wellbeing

https://impact.chartered.college/article/ovenden-hope-etal-teacher-wellbeing-

workload-why-work-life-balance-essential-teaching-profession/

( http://www.teacher-wellbeing.com.au/ )

( https://educationcouncil.org.nz/content/very-real-value-of-teacher-wellbeing )

( https://www.teachertoolkit.co.uk/2014/07/03/5-point-plan-for-teacher-wellbeing/

( https://www.sunstar.com.ph/article/1753622 )

( https://news.mb.com.ph/2018/08/28/teachers-groupsflagalarm-on-colleagues-

54
deaths/

( https://www.philstar.com/other-sections/education-and-
home/2018/08/30/1846977/deped-probes-teacher-suicides#hLLsrgf5ix27WUUu.99 )

55
 B. Request to Conduct the Study

Name of School

Address

Date

Dear Respondent,

The researcher is presently enrolled in Thesis Writing at the

____________________. _____________________ and is conducting a study

entitled “THE FACTORS THAT THREATENS THE TEACHER’S WELLBEING AND

HOW IT AFFECTS THEIR TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS: LIFE EXPERIENCES OF

PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN CENTRAL AURORA”.

In this regard, may I request your precious time to answer my questionnaire in the

said study. Rest assured that all your answers will be regarded with utmost

confidentiality.

Thank you very much for your support and cooperation.

----------------------------------

Researcher

56
 C. Questionnaire

Part I. Respondent’s Profile

Direction: This questionnaire has been constructed to solicit the needed data for

the research entitled “THE FACTORS THAT THREATENS THE TEACHER’S

WELLBEING AND HOW IT AFFECTS THEIR TEACHING EFFECTIVENESS: LIFE

EXPERIENCES OF PUBLIC HIGH SCHOOL TEACHER IN CENTRAL AURORA”

Please accomplish this form by answering the questions the way you best feel to

respond to them. Rest assured that your answers will be treated as confidential.

Name: _______________________________________

(optional)

Age :

____ 25- 30

____ 31- 35

____ 36- 40

____ 41- 45

____ 46- 50

____ 51 and above

57
Gender : Civil Status:

____ Male ____ Single ____ Widow/Widower

____ Female ____ Married ____ Annulled

Position: ______________________________________

Highest Educational Attainment:

____ Bachelor’s Degree

____ MPA/MBA

____ Doctoral Degree

Number of Years in the Service Level of Seminars Attended:

___ 1 – 5 years ____ InterNational Level

___ 6 – 10 years ____ National Level

___ 11 – 15 years ____ Regional Level

___ 16 – 20 years ____ Division Level

___ 21 years and above ____ School Level

58
Part II. Factors that threatens the teacher’s wellbeing

Legend: 5 – Very Affective 2 – Slightly Affective

4 – Affective 1 - Not Affective

3 – Moderately Affective

FACTORS 5 4 3 2 1

1.Fatigue (physical and mental exhaustion caused by work

and life demands

2.Lack of administrative support from school

3.Excessive workloads and working hours

4.Poor student behavior including lack of motivation and

effort, disrespect, violence, challenging authority

5. Aggression from parents and students

6.Classroom and School Climate

7. Pressures of assessment targets and inspections

8. Conflict with management and colleagues

9. Adapting and implementing new curriculum

10. Teaching efficacy and learning new skills

11. Self-esteem and status

12. False public perceptions that teachers are perfect

59
 individuals

13. Lack of professional opportunities

14. Lack of involvement at the decision making level of

educational reforms

15. Feeling isolated and low morale

Part III. Teacher’s wellbeing affective in teaching effectiveness:

Legend:

5 – Strongly Agree 2 – Disagree

4 – Agree 1 - Strongly Disagree

3 – Undecided/No Opinion

5 4 3 2 1

1.Poor teacher engagement impacts

student engagement levels

2.Emotionally exhausted teachers may

use reactive and punitive responses that

contribute to negative classroom climates

and student-teacher relationships

3.Quality of relationships with

peers/teachers and positive versus

60
 negative school experiences – student

connectedness

4.Poor school connectedness results in

poorer academic and mental health

outcomes for students

5.Teacher’s unhealthy wellbeing will

reflect to those of his/her students

IV. Recommendations or solutions that can be formulated to address the problem in

teacher’s wellbeing.

Legend:

5 – Strongly Agree 2 - Disagree

4 – Agree 1 – Strongly Disagree

3 – Undecided/No Opinion

5 4 3 2 1

1.“Control measures” to deal with risks associated with

working time and bureaucracy

2.Policy on such areas of management as consultation

over decision making, team-working, delegation and

61
feedback

3.Ensure all teachers can benefit from appropriate training

opportunities

4. keeping feelings under control

5. taking action to deal with problems

6. seeking support from colleagues and/or the principal

7. having significant adult relationships

8. organizing time and prioritizing work tasks

9. Being competent

10. Be GOD- fearing

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63