Staying positive among negativities: strategies employed by teachers in Sri Lankan state universities to manage their wellbeing

Abstract

PurposeTeacher wellbeing is critical given its impact on students’ experience and achievement. This qualitative study provides insights into teacher wellbeing in Sri Lankan state universities. The study occurs during the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic, where institutions are stretched for resources and teachers sought better work–life balance while working from home.Design/methodology/approachThe study uses semi-structured interviews of teachers from four state universities in Sri Lanka to discover their strategies for managing teacher wellbeing and staying positive among negativities.FindingsIt concludes that the strategies can be expounded to existing research and categorized under four overarching themes: Versatility and Devotion, Pillars of Support, Conformity over Individualism, and Avoidance and Detachment. Sri Lankan university teachers, like many of their global counterparts, believe in staying positive.Research limitations/implicationsLike most qualitative research studies, if not all, this research studies the specific phenomenon of teacher wellbeing among university teachers in Sri Lanka. The findings, though supported, has its limitation to only public universities teachers thus cannot be generalized and may not apply to teacher wellbeing in private universities in Sri Lanka. Nevertheless, the application of the themes developed forms a valuable framework to support any future study of teacher wellbeing. The conceptual robustness of the findings will make this framework particularly useful for Sri Lanka and other South Asian countries.Practical implicationsThe findings will inform future studies on teacher wellbeing, particularly in other South Asian countries. This study may also be the impetus for starting a discourse on related policies in Sri Lanka.Social implicationsTeacher wellbeing positively impacts teacher relations with peers and leadership, which has direct implications on student wellbeing. Happy teachers make happy students.Originality/valueThe findings revealed eight strategies employed by Sri Lankan state university teachers. These strategies were framed under four overarching themes: Versatility and Devotion, Pillars of Support, Conformity over Individualism, and Avoidance and Detachment.