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Background: Understanding teachers' experiences throughout the school closures and reopenings that have characterized large periods of the COVID-19 pandemic provides us with unique insights into what it means to be a teacher during a global public health crisis. Aim and Method: To investigate teachers' narratives of their experiences, we conducted 95 semi-structured interviews with 24 teachers in England across four time points between April and November 2020. We used a longitudinal qualitative trajectory analysis of participants' stories of their high-, low- and turning-points. Results: We derived four themes that were evident at each time point and developed over time. The themes were: (1) "growing frustration at uncertainties caused by poor government leadership," (2) "expanding concern for pupil learning and well-being," (3) "an increasingly labour-intensive and exhausting job" and (4) "declining pleasure and pride in being a teacher." Conclusions: The findings shed light on the impact of COVID-19 on the professional identity of these teachers and we propose ways in which teachers can be supported now and in the future.

Background: Teaching and caring for pupils during the COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenge for many teachers, and its impact on teachers' mental health and well-being (MHWB) should be of great national and international concern. Aim and participants: This study examines 24 primary and secondary school teachers' MHWB experiences across three time points (April, July, and November 2020) using longitudinal qualitative trajectory analysis. Method: We used a mixture of inductive and deductive coding, based on the Job Demands-Resources Model, to identify the job demands (aspects of the job that can be physically or psychologically costly) and job resources (aspects of the job that can buffer the effects of job demands and promote achievement and growth) teachers reported experiencing across the three time points. Results: Generally, teachers' MHWB seemed to have declined throughout the pandemic, especially for primary school leaders. Six job demands contributed negatively to teachers' MHWB (i.e., uncertainty, workload, negative perception of the profession, concern for others' well-being, health struggles, and multiple roles) and three job resources contributed positively to their MHWB (i.e., social support, work autonomy, and coping strategies). Conclusions: Policymakers and practitioners can support teachers' MHWB by engaging in more collaborative communication and ensuring greater accessibility to sources of social support. These discussions and provisions will be crucial in supporting teachers, and thereby the educational system, both during and after the pandemic.

Research indicates that teachers perform emotional labor daily. However, previous studies have mostly used a variable-centered approach that examines the associations of emotional labor strategies with particular outcome variables. This approach did not consider the possibility that teachers use different emotional labor strategies simultaneously. Therefore, in this study we took a person-centered approach and explored the emotional labor profiles in a large sample of Croatian teachers (N = 2,002) employed across educational levels (i.e., elementary, middle, and high school levels) by using latent profile analysis. In addition, we examined differences among profiles regarding teachers' positive affect, self-efficacy, work engagement, and job satisfaction. Results indicated the existence of six emotional labor profiles that were characterized by different combinations of deep acting, hiding feelings, and faking emotions. Profiles of teachers who dominantly rely on deep acting had the most adaptive patterns of analyzed outcomes, whereas profiles of teachers who reported higher levels of hiding feelings, regardless the level of deep acting, exhibited less desirable levels of positive affect, self-efficacy, work engagement, and job satisfaction.

Background: Many countries around the world imposed nationwide school closures to manage the spread of COVID-19. England closed its schools for most pupils in March 2020 and prepared to reopen schools to certain year groups in June 2020. Understanding teachers' lived experiences at this time of educational disruption is important, shedding light on challenges faced and support needed by schools and teachers in the event of further disruption. Purpose: The research reported here represents the second timepoint in a longitudinal study investigating what it was like being a teacher in England during the pandemic. Our aim was to better understand teachers' experiences at a time of partial reopening of schools in mid-June 2020. Method: We used the framework of Self-Determination Theory to explore challenges to teachers' basic psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness. A total of 24 primary and secondary state school teachers from 20 schools across England were interviewed and asked to tell stories of a low point, a high point and a turning point. A reflexive thematic analysis, using a mix of inductive and deductive coding, was conducted. Findings: Six themes were identified in the data: "uncertainty," "practical concerns," "worry for pupils," "importance of relationships," "teacher identity," and "reflections." Challenging their basic need for autonomy and competence, teachers were anxious about current and future uncertainties while navigating school reopenings. Challenging their basic need for relatedness, teachers described the importance of connecting with pupils and their families, and with colleagues. Lastly, teachers searched for holistic meaning, evaluating what it means to be a teacher and reflecting on how these circumstances have affected their personal and professional lives. Conclusions: Our analysis of teachers' experiences provides insight into how teachers' psychological needs for autonomy, competence and relatedness have been challenged. It highlights the importance of supporting teachers to feel autonomous, competent and connected with colleagues, pupils and their families. Such support is likely to be beneficial to teachers' wellbeing and their commitment to the profession, now and in the future.

Background: On 20 March 2020, in response to COVID-19, UK schools were closed to most pupils. Teachers were required to put remote teaching and learning in place with only two days' notice from the government. Aims: The current study explores teachers' experiences of this abrupt change to their working practices, and during the 5-6 weeks that followed. Sample: Twenty-four teachers from English state schools were interviewed, representing mainstream primary and secondary schools and a range of years of experience and seniority. Methods: Participants were asked to tell stories of three key scenes during the first 5-6 weeks of lockdown: a low point, a high point, and a turning point. A reflexive thematic analysis of their narratives was conducted. Results and Conclusions: Six themes were identified: "uncertainty," "finding a way," "worry for the vulnerable," "importance of relationships," "teacher identity," and "reflections." Teachers' narratives suggest that, after an initial period of uncertainty they settled into the situation and found a way forward, supported by strong relationships. However, they remain extremely worried about the most vulnerable pupils and want more joined-up thinking from the government on how to support them effectively, along with clarity from policymakers to enable planning ahead. Teachers reflected on how to use their learning during this period to improve pupils' experiences of education post-COVID-19, and on how aspects of shared teacher identity have worked as stressors and coping mechanisms. These initial interviews form the baseline for a longitudinal interview study of teachers' experiences of COVID-19 in England.

It is often assumed that low levels of teacher self-efficacy (TSE) leads to negative outcomes, including burnout; however, the temporal order of the construct predictions has rarely been examined. We used an autoregressive cross-lagged panel design to examine whether TSE and burnout are concurrently associated with each other, whether TSE predicts future burnout levels, and/or whether burnout predicts future TSE levels. An initial sample of 3,002 Croatian teachers (82% female) from across three educational levels (i.e., elementary, middle, and secondary schools) with varying years of teaching experiences (M=15.28, SD=10.50) completed questionnaires on their levels of TSE and burnout (exhaustion and disengagement) at 3 time points (at approximately 6-month intervals). We found that burnout has a more prominent role in predicting future levels of TSE than TSE does in predicting future levels of burnout. These findings challenge the theoretical and empirical conceptualizations assuming that TSE is a predictor of burnout. Policies and interventions that focus on decreasing teacher burnout rather than increasing TSE levels may be best.

The COVID-19 pandemic has challenged many assumptions underlying education, including those related to the qualities that are most essential to being an effective teacher. We interviewed 23 state primary and secondary school teachers about what makes a great teacher during a pandemic. Two themes were identified: "caring for pupil wellbeing," and "dealing with uncertainty." Teachers reported that the need to demonstrate these qualities, while always important, has intensified during COVID-19. These findings indicate that teacher education and professional development programmes may benefit from recognising and assisting teachers to develop these qualities.

School closures due to COVID-19 have been predicted to have a large impact on pupils' learning and wellbeing. Systematic evidence about teachers' perceptions of what challenges their pupils have faced, and how they have been addressing these challenges, will be important for post-pandemic planning. We interviewed 24 teachers from English state mainstream primary and secondary schools in June 2020 and asked them to describe the impact of partial school closures on their pupils' learning and wellbeing, and how they had been addressing challenges as individual teachers and at the whole school level. Data were analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Six themes were identified: (a) pedagogy and process, (b) communication with pupils and families, (c) life at home, (d) the role of parents, (e) a COVID-19 curriculum, and (f) moving forwards and making plans. Teachers reported difficulties in navigating the new form of education and finding the most effective way to teach and engage with the pupils. Pupils' lack of routine and their home environment were seen as influencing their learning and wellbeing. Parents' differing levels of involvement raised concerns about inequality. We discuss the practical implications of how to support pupils' learning and wellbeing both during and after COVID-19. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The question of what makes a good teacher has been asked by practitioners, policymakers, and researchers for decades. However, there is no guiding framework about which qualities are important for teachers. Thus, it is necessary to examine these qualities using a recognized framework and to summarize the previous literature on this topic. We conducted a meta-analysis on the 25 studies (total N = 6294) reporting the relationships between teacher Big Five personality domains (openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, and emotional stability) and two teacher job-related outcomes (i.e., teacher effectiveness and burnout). Furthermore, the influence of three moderators was assessed, namely, the type of teacher effectiveness measure (i.e., evaluations of teaching, student performance self-efficacy, classroom observation, and academic achievement), source of personality report (i.e., self-report vs other-report), and the instructed educational level (i.e., elementary, secondary, and tertiary). Overall, teacher Big Five domains (except for agreeableness) were positively associated with teacher effectiveness, especially for evaluations of teaching. Furthermore, teacher emotional stability, extraversion, and conscientiousness were negatively associated with burnout. Other-reports of teacher personality were more strongly associated with outcomes than self-reports. There were no differences in the strength of the associations between the educational levels. The need for using common descriptors in teacher research as well as practical implications of the findings for teacher personality measurement is discussed.

Background: Instructors are under pressure to produce excellent outcomes in students. Although the contribution of "student" personality on student outcomes is well established, the contribution of "instructor" personality to student outcomes is largely unknown. Aim: This study examined the influence of instructor personality (as reported by both students and instructors themselves) on student educational outcomes at university. Sample and method: Mathematics and psychology university students (N = 515) and their instructors (n = 45) reported their personality under the Big Five framework. Results: Multilevel regressions were conducted to predict each outcome from instructor personality, taking into account the effects of student gender, age, cognitive ability, and personality, as well as instructor gender and age. Student-reports of instructor personality predicted student evaluations of teaching but not performance self-efficacy or academic achievement. Instructor self-reports did not predict any of the outcomes. Stronger associations between student-reports and the outcomes than instructor self-reports could be explained by students providing information on both the predictor and the outcome variables, as well as a greater number of raters providing information on instructor personality. Different domains of the instructor Big Five were important for different element of student evaluations of teaching. Conclusions: The study highlights the importance of studying instructor personality, especially through other-reports, to understand students' educational experiences. This has implications for how tertiary institutions should use and interpret student evaluations.

Students' educational outcomes are predicted by their noncognitive characteristics, including Big Five personality domains. Although theories of teaching and learning suggest that teacher noncognitive characteristics also impact student outcomes, such characteristics are rarely studied systematically. We propose that the Big Five personality domains of teachers are associated with teacher effectiveness. Furthermore, we test two potential moderators of these relationships: (1) source of teacher personality report (student reports may show stronger effects than teacher self-reports) and (2) frame of reference (contextualized "at school" personality items for teacher self-reports may show stronger effects than noncontextualized standard personality items). Multilevel regressions were conducted on the data collected from secondary school students (N = 2,082) and their mathematics and English teachers (N = 75). We statistically controlled for student and teacher gender, student previous academic achievement, and student personality. Teacher personality predicted the subjective measures of teacher effectiveness--the strongest predictors were conscientiousness for teacher academic support, agreeableness for teacher personal support, and neuroticism for student performance self-efficacy. Teacher personality did not predict the objective measure (student academic achievement). These effects were moderated by source of personality report but not by frame of reference. The possibility of including personality as part of the initial teacher trainee selection procedure in the future is briefly discussed.

Though teacher well‐being (TWB) has been decreasing over time, there is an identified lack of awareness in schools across England on how settings can support TWB. To address this gap, this study provides teachers with a space to share their conceptualizations of well‐being, evaluate current school‐level TWB provisions, and provide recommendations for ways that existing TWB support could be enhanced. Semi‐structured interviews and focus groups were conducted with 16 primary school teachers across England. Reflexive thematic analytic findings indicated that participants defined well‐being in relation to their unique contexts, and cited some current school practices, including school and academy‐wide support and social support, as being effective for TWB. However, participants emphasized that they perceived current TWB provisions as tokenistic, which was suggested to be accentuated by poor understandings of TWB and pressures from the Office for Standards in Education (Ofsted) and COVID‐19. To address these issues, participants outlined the need for improvements in communication, the attitudes and approaches of Senior Leadership Teams toward TWB, increased provisions to both manage and decrease workload and increasing the amount of time that they have to meet expectations. Implications for policy and practice to enhance TWB are discussed. Practitioner points: Teachers' definitions of well‐being were rooted in their experiences of their school. Specifically, they explained their definition was informed by relationships with other staff and their perceptions of the organizational structures of their settings.Support from schools, academy‐wide, and social networks was identified as the most beneficial for supporting teacher well‐being (TWB) in primary schools across England.Future TWB support should include enhancing the quality of communication between teaching staff and Senior Leadership Teams, increasing provisions to both manage and decrease workload and providing sufficient time for teachers to meet demands. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the disruptions the COVID‐19 pandemic has engendered in people's professional lives, the importance and contribution of certain workforces has been under particular scrutiny. In England, the teaching profession has been under particularly close public scrutiny, with concerns that teachers' perceived social appreciation may have decreased throughout the pandemic. Thus, the current study examined the trajectory of teachers' perceptions of how much society, policymakers and the media had valued the teaching profession throughout this time. With an initial sample of 24 primary and secondary teachers in mainstream state schools in England, 54 online interviews took place at three time points: when school buildings were partially reopened for the first time (June 2020), when they were partially closed for the second time (February 2021) and when they were fully reopened for 16 months (July 2022). Three themes were identified in the data using a longitudinal trajectory analysis based on reflexive thematic analysis: 'initial admiration from local communities progressively waned', 'continuous government disrespect towards teachers' and 'initial media vitriol towards teachers was sustained'. Implications for how teachers and other stakeholders in education can most effectively work together for the benefit of the health and effectiveness of the teaching profession and the educational system are considered in the context of the associated risks when teachers have low levels of perceived social appreciation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Given the recruitment and retention crisis within the teaching profession, it is essential that the factors contributing to this are examined. Studies suggest that there has been a general decline in teacher wellbeing since the onset of the Covid‐19 pandemic, and student conduct problems are known to be a key negative contributor to poor teacher wellbeing. This study examines how student conduct problems influenced teachers' wellbeing following the onset of the Covid‐19 pandemic. Specifically, it explores the extent to which student behaviour was seen as changing during the pandemic, and how this may have had an impact on teachers' wellbeing. Nine participants took part in this study. All the participants were teachers in schools in England (four primary and five secondary; nine female). The data were collected via semi‐structured virtual interviews. Using a qualitative approach, the study undertook an in‐depth analysis of the interview data using Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. The findings suggest that the teachers experienced an increase in student conduct problems following the onset of the pandemic and that this negatively affected wellbeing for some. The teachers also reported an increased need for student support and differential needs for different groups of students. It is important that consideration is given as to how teachers can be effectively supported to manage student conduct problems and the potential impact of these on their wellbeing, particularly since the onset of the pandemic. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

During the Covid-19 pandemic, teachers in England reported that they felt the teaching profession was negatively portrayed by the media, leading to a sense that teachers were not valued in society. This perception may have contributed to a decline in teachers' wellbeing during the pandemic. We examine the extent to which teachers' perception of the media's negative portrayal of the teaching profession is supported by evidence. We conducted a content analysis of frontpage headlines in newspapers in England, related to Covid-19 and aspects of pre-16 education, between March 2020 and January 2022. The findings supported teachers' perceptions, that there was an element of negativity in headlines related to teachers during the pandemic, to some extent. However, the findings indicated that other groups (e.g. teaching unions, medical professionals, and the government) were also portrayed as responsible for the challenging situations in schools in England during the pandemic. There was no difference found in the portrayal of the teaching profession between newspapers of different political ideologies. As teachers' perceptions of the media portrayal of their profession during the pandemic has been linked to teachers' wellbeing, further research into the origins of this portrayal of teachers could be beneficial to prevent the exacerbation of this issue. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]