Get to know » Teachers » Self-reflection:
Teacher well-being
Teachers were asked to indicate how frequently they experienced specific challenges regarding their own well-being in their role. They could respond with ‘Never’, ‘Rarely’, ‘Sometimes’, or ‘Often’.
The responses in the sections below are from teachers who reported experiencing the listed challenges either ‘Sometimes’ or ‘Often’.
Students with teachers experiencing well-being challenges
The results in Table TT2.11 show the percentage of students who have a teacher who is either ‘Sometimes’ or ‘Often’ experiencing well-being challenges in their role.
In Marshall Islands, on average, 73% of students had teachers who ‘Often’ or ‘Sometimes’ experienced stress in their role, while 45% had teachers who ‘Often’ or ‘Sometimes’ felt overwhelmed by their role. Across the PILNA countries, the proportions of students with teachers who ‘Often’ or ‘Sometimes’ experienced stress ranged from between 52% to 100%. Most teachers in Marshall Islands are experiencing work-related stress and a substantial minority have feelings of being overwhelmed due to their role and that these feelings are relatively frequent.
Approximately four out of ten students have a teacher who believes their job is having an adverse effect on their mental health (40%), and their physical health (38%).
Beyond these key findings, an average of about half the students in Marshall Islands have a teacher who has difficulty sleeping because they think about work-related issues (48%). Approximately four out of ten students have teachers who reported they do not have time for their personal life (41%), to eat healthily (38%), or to exercise (42%) because of their job.
What does this mean?
The results are worrying for teacher well-being. A high proportion of students in Marshall Islands have teachers who are experiencing stress in their job. About four out of ten students have teachers who reported not having enough time for managing their well-being through their personal life – eating healthily and exercising – due to their job, and who believe their job is having an adverse effect on their physical and mental health. High proportions of students in Marshall Islands are being taught by teachers who are experiencing well-being challenges in their job. It is important that the reasons for this are understood and that the appropriate support mechanisms are put in place to increase teacher well-being.
Some demographic factors may also be associated with teacher well-being. More experienced and male teachers tended to have better well-being than less experienced and female teachers. The reasons for this are unclear but it suggests that older teachers may have higher levels of resilience in coping with the stresses of the occupation. Male teachers may also be more resilient or could be less willing to report when they are experiencing well-being challenges.
