Constructing a multidimensional hierarchical model of wellbeing literacy: Reenvisioning wellbeing education research

• In Event: Realizing a new vision for wellbeing education: Driving impactful professional learning through research-practice partnerships

Abstract

Objectives: This paper examines how teacher wellbeing literacy can serve as both historical remembrance of holistic pedagogical traditions and future-making practice for educational transformation. It presents a new multidimensional hierarchical model of wellbeing literacy, integrating knowledge from across disciplines and building on current models and frameworks. The model acknowledges the importance of cognitive and noncognitive skill development alongside systematic reflection practices. Further, it emphasizes the need for a robust framework to develop rigorous measures applicable across various contexts.

Theoretical Framework: This study examines Oades et al.’s (2021) concept of wellbeing literacy and integrates perspectives from psychology, education, and sociology. It draws on theories such as Subjective Wellbeing Theory (Diener, 1985), Ryff’s Six-Factor Model (1989; Ryff & Keyes, 1995), and the PERMA model (Seligman, 2018). The study also considers literacy’s philosophical foundations, including Freire’s critical pedagogy (Freire & Macedo, 2003), framing wellbeing literacy as a complex, context-dependent construct requiring nuanced understanding.

Methods: The study employs critical analysis to examine existing literature on wellbeing and literacy. It synthesizes findings from systematic reviews and theoretical models to propose a working model of wellbeing literacy. A hypothetical framework was developed to illustrate operationalization and measurement in educational settings, using a multidimensional hierarchical model to organize constructs.
Data Sources: The study utilizes a comprehensive literature review, including systematic reviews, theoretical models, and empirical studies on wellbeing and literacy. Key sources include foundational texts on wellbeing theories by Diener, Ryff, and Seligman, and contemporary research on literacy.

Results and/or Substantiated Conclusions: The framework operates across three interconnected dimensions: foundational wellbeing knowledge, contextual classroom application, and reflective evaluation of practice and impact. By centering self-reflection as the cornerstone of wellbeing literacy, we construct a new vision for education research that honors historical wisdom while imagining equitable futures. Our stance challenges conventional approaches that equate knowledge acquisition with competence. We argue that knowing alone is insufficient. We position teacher self-reflection as essential to creating lasting educational wellbeing change.

Scholarly Significance: The 2026 AERA theme calls us to leverage disciplinary diversity in service of unforgetting histories that inform current challenges and enable thriving futures for learners. In this case, we want to focus on the wellbeing for learning for all our students Teachers require numerous characteristics and extensive knowledge to effectively support children’s wellbeing for learning. We understand that wellbeing literacy is central to teachers’ knowledge. Educators must also understand wellbeing within their specific classroom contexts and reflect continuously on their impact on student wellbeing and their own professional wellbeing. We argue that strong self-reflective skills represent the most critical capacity in relation to wellbeing literacy.

Author

• Janet M Clinton, University of Melbourne