How do pre-service and qualified teachers define ‘teacher wellbeing’?

There is a lack of conceptual consensus around how teacher wellbeing is defined. In addition, there is a need for qualitative research exploring the lived experience of teachers around how they themselves define teacher wellbeing. Qualified (n = 10) and pre-service (n = 12) teachers were interviewed. They were asked how they define teacher wellbeing and what it means to them. Three themes were identified: boundaries, support, and sense of purpose. There were no substantial differences found between how qualified and pre-service teachers conceptualised teacher wellbeing. This finding suggests that, whilst teachers at different career stages may experience wellbeing differently, they may draw on similar conceptual frameworks to articulate their definitions of the concept.

Authors

Institutions

Publication Details

Journal
Journal of Education for Teaching International Research and Pedagogy
Published
2026-07-28
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1080/02607476.2026.2709569
Primary Topic
Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
0.00
Controls
|||
ALL TIME
JAN
FEB
MAR
APR
MAY
JUN
JUL
AUG
SEP
OCT
article

How do pre-service and qualified teachers define ‘teacher wellbeing’?

Laura Oxley
Journal of Education for Teaching International Research and Pedagogy
Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
article

How do pre-service and qualified teachers define ‘teacher wellbeing’?

Laura Oxley
article en

Abstract

There is a lack of conceptual consensus around how teacher wellbeing is defined. In addition, there is a need for qualitative research exploring the lived experience of teachers around how they themselves define teacher wellbeing. Qualified (n = 10) and pre-service (n = 12) teachers were interviewed. They were asked how they define teacher wellbeing and what it means to them. Three themes were identified: boundaries, support, and sense of purpose. There were no substantial differences found between how qualified and pre-service teachers conceptualised teacher wellbeing. This finding suggests that, whilst teachers at different career stages may experience wellbeing differently, they may draw on similar conceptual frameworks to articulate their definitions of the concept.

Journal of Education for Teaching International Research and Pedagogy
University of York (GB)
Quality Education
Openalex Percentile: Top 2%
Teacher Education and Leadership Studies
AI Navigator

Ask Laika to Summarize, Analyze, and Connect papers live on the map.

Summarize Papers & Methodologies

Extract key findings, datasets, and comparative methods across publications.

Benchmark Rankings & Visual Analytics

Rank top research institutions, authors, funders, topics, and journals by Field-Weighted Citation Impact (FWCI) and paper volume with instant charts.

Connect Distant Disciplines

Bridge topological clusters on the map to find hidden collaborative intersections.