Teacher well-being: A complementary variable- and person-centered approach harnessing Job Demands-Resources theory

Abstract

Teachers and the provision of quality education are widely recognised as being key foundations for a successful society (Schleicher, 2019). However, teachers are leaving the profession at disproportionately high rates (Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development [OECD], 2021), which bears significant implications for broader school and student outcomes. Recent work has highlighted the need to focus on teachers’ positive psychological functioning as a means to these concerns. Accordingly, we applied Job Demands-Resources theory (Demerouti et al., 2001) to a sample of Australian elementary teachers. In Phase 1 (variable-centered), we adopted structural equation modeling to examine how job demands and job and personal resources were associated with well-being and retention-related outcomes. In Phase 2 (person-centered), we identified profiles of demands and resources, and the association between these profiles and the outcomes. Phase 1 results revealed significant predictive paths among the substantive factors and evidence of a buffering process. In Phase 2, four unique profiles were identified. Taken together, the findings yield important implications for conceptualizing and fostering teachers’ well-being.