"The Struggle Is Real": Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Well-Being During COVID

• In Event: Educator Stress, Well-Being, and Job Satisfaction

Abstract

This study examined the relationship between teaching self-efficacy and wellbeing during the 2020-2021 school year, as teachers provided remote and hybrid instruction during the Covid-19 pandemic. Using a sequential explanatory mixed methods design, researchers collected and analyzed qualitative and quantitative data to understand the relationship between teaching self-efficacy and wellbeing for a sample of K-12 teachers across a large metropolitan area. Significant correlations were found between wellbeing and teaching self-efficacy constructs. In interviews, teachers described feelings of exhaustion and stress due to increased teaching demands, adaptations to instructional delivery, and student engagement challenges. Teachers also described support mechanisms and moments of resilience. These findings document the toll of the past year on teachers and illustrate the need for continued support.

Authors

• Katherine Boice, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Justina Jackson, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Jessica Gale, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Sunni Newton, Georgia Institute of Technology

• Meltem Alemdar, Georgia Institute of Technology