Finding Satisfaction in Belonging: Preservice Teacher Subjective Well-Being, Belonging, Social Network Churn, and Self-Efficacy

• In Event: Educator Trauma and Well-Being

Abstract

Teacher and preservice teacher (PST) well-being has been a topic extensively explored through the lens of burnout and stress. Despite its manifold benefits, few studies have explored PST well-being through the lens of subjective well-being (SWB). Grounded in a positive psychology and social network theory, we explore the relationships between SWB, program sense of belonging, self-efficacy, and social network churn in PSTs. Our participants include 63 PSTs in two cohorts in a teacher education program at a major university. We found that sense of belonging, network churn, and self-efficacy individually were all associated with SWB. A mediation analysis revealed that the relationship between network churn and SWB is mediated by program sense of belonging.

Authors

• Peter Bjorklund, University of California - San Diego

• Melissa Warstadt, University of California - San Diego

• Alan J. Daly, University of California - San Diego