New teachers and wellbeing

New teachers quit the profession at high levels, particularly in rural and urban schools. These high rates of turnover create staffing issues, particularly in high-needs areas like math and special education. High levels of stress and dissatisfaction with the profession have been cited as common reasons teachers exit the profession within the first few years. However, positive interventions from the field of positive psychology as well as mindfulness have been used in the workplace and have been found to support increasing wellbeing as well as reducing stress. This study defines workplace wellbeing as a construct of positive emotions, engagement, positive relationships, meaning/purpose, achievement and health within the workplace. In this mixed methods quasi-experimental study, 26 new teachers within a large suburban schools were sorted into experimental (n=13) and a control (n=13) groups. The experimental group was provided with a mindfulness training (in-person or virtually) as well as was asked to journal twice a week about three things that went well during the week, why those things went well, and what impact that had on students. The experimental group was invited to share their journals with their Teacher Induction and Support Program (TISP) coach in-person during their weekly confidential meetings. The control group was asked to write down any three things that occurred over the week (positive, negative, or neutral) and was also invited to share this with their TISP coach. Participants completed journals for the months of November, December, and January. All participants took a workplace wellbeing survey (developed by Peggy Kern and used with permission of Dr. Kern) at October, December, March and June. Additionally, five participants from the control group and five participants from the control group were interviewed about their experiences as new teachers and their experiences using the interventions. Participants in the control group experienced decreases in their workplace wellbeing throughout the year whereas participants in the control group experiences steady or increases to their workplace wellbeing, particularly in the areas of positive emotions, relationships, meaning, and self-efficacy. Participants in the experimental group also reported mindfulness practices increased their confidence and promoted positive emotional regulation that supported a positive classroom, despite challenging student behaviors. While this study uses a small sample size, these findings were confirmed in qualitative data, quantitative data, and are consistent with findings in related literature. While the findings are consistent with findings in related studies utilizing positive interventions and mindfulness within the workplace, these findings run counter to studies on the emotional experiences of teachers which assert that teacher’s (particularly new teachers) experience high levels of negative emotions and stress, particularly during the middle of the year. The findings from this dissertation suggest positive interventions and mindfulness may bolster new teacher’s workplace wellbeing and self-efficacy during the first year.