Social-Emotional Learning and the Personal Well-Being of Kindergarten Teachers
Abstract
The 21st century has brought many technological, social, and educational changes. These changes affected teachers, including kindergarten teachers. Today, resilience and social-emotional skills adapted to the 21st century are required besides cognitive skills and knowledge. These skills must be integrated from early childhood education into the learning process of students and teachers alike, so graduates of the educational system will successfully cope with life's challenges and the variety of professions. Social-emotional learning is a theory that meets these requirements and enables educators' and students' personal and cognitive growth. Its principles can be learned and applied at any age, from childhood to adulthood. The theory is based on positive psychology and the five-factor personality model (FFM). It presents a systemic approach that develops a learning, egalitarian and participatory environment for students, families, and the community. Only trained educators who will advance the educational processes can create optimal change. The discussion in this article will focus on kindergarten teachers as educators. It will review recent studies on how social-emotional learning skills contribute to kindergarten teachers' well-being and reduce stress levels. Maintaining kindergarten teachers' good personal and professional well-being is essential for good relationships with children and improving self-perception, which is also related to physical and mental health. It was found that the mental resilience and personal well-being of kindergarten teachers directly affect the management of the kindergarten and the ability to respond to the children's emotional needs and thus affect the kindergarten climate, the children's behavior, and academic achievements.
Keywords: COVID-19, kindergarten teachers, personal well-being, professional well-being, social-emotional learning
Introduction
A graduate of the education systems in the modern world today should have mastery of skills adapted to the 21st century, such as cooperation, communication, information processing, and technology. These skills are acquired and developed over the graduate's years in the education systems by the learning process and the interactions with teachers and peers (Urbani et al., 2017). These skills mainly focus on educational, cognitive, and measurable products, and only recently they have started to address the emotional and social aspects of the students, which are expressed in the process. In the educational sciences literature, various educational programs and theories try to improve and promote students' social and emotional skills in the direction of enhancing their personal well-being. In the educational sciences literature, various educational programs and theories try to improve and promote students' social and emotional skills in the direction of enhancing their personal well-being.
One of these theories is the Social-Emotional Learning Theory (SEL). This theory deals with the skills necessary for optimal functioning, such as self-awareness, self-management, social skills, and responsible decision-making (CASEL, 2020). The theory emphasizes the importance of imparting personal and interpersonal skills simultaneously and in combination with cognitive learning processes. To date, studies reviewed have found that most programs focus on student well-being and its advancement. However, Urbani et al. (2017) note that for educators to become role models for students and develop assessment tools, they must develop themselves the SEL skills. The authors argue that teachers' training and their experience in the assimilation processes of SEL skills are of tremendous importance in this regard. Even though the review of Jeon et al. (2018) identified only a small number of studies on the personal well-being of kindergarten teachers, the results of the studies on the personal and professional well-being of school teachers can also be inferred to kindergarten teachers.
In this paper, the literature review will focus on kindergarten teachers as educators, their personal and professional well-being, the levels of stress and burnout unique to their role, and how social-emotional learning skills can contribute to kindergarten teachers' personal well-being and reduce their professional stress level.
Definitions of the key concepts: Personal well-being, professional well-being, SEL, COVID-19 plague
Personal well-being
Dealing with stress and crises accompanies most people throughout their lives. Cohen et al. (2016) address environmental, psychological, and biological factors of challenges that lead to stress due to life events, which are often expressed in negative emotional responses and impaired behaviors. Lahad et al. (2013) claim that most people who experience a form of crisis will tend to deal with that situation optimally and return to their daily routine after a while (i.e., this refers to the resilience process). They also found in their studies conducted retrospectively for many years that people use different coping strategies for dealing with stress and crisis to maintain their personal well-being. Lahad et al. (2013) categorized the strategies in the BASIC Ph model that contains six potential characteristics as follows: B – belief (faith or shared belief), A – affect (awareness and emotion management), S – Social (use of support systems), I – imagination (creativity), C – cognitive (use of problem-solving skills), and Ph – physical (physical activity). The authors argue that focusing on personal and professional well-being helps with emotional, behavioral, and thinking changes (Cohen et al., 2016; Lahad et al., 2013). The contribution of personal well-being is not only to the individual functioning but also to society functioning, in terms of lowering the level of crime and high social capital and promoting health. In 2013, OECD published a guide to measuring personal well-being. The organization researched the field and published the guide after realizing personal well-being's positive and optimal potential for human society. The definition of personal well-being has developed from the 1980s until today. This article will review five related main definitions.
Diener (1984) defined subjective well-being (SWB) as a personal assessment of general life satisfaction and is affected by the balance between positive and negative emotions and feelings a person has. In his view, personal well-being increases as the ratio between positive and negative emotions and feelings increases.
Robinson and Compton (2008) claim that personal WB represents the general satisfaction in life. It implies a subjective perception and assesses various areas of life, such as health, work, and family. They found that assessing the various areas of life can be done in three main cognitive ways: 1. Selective attention - paying attention to specific details and less to others; 2. Categorization - giving meaning to stimuli; 3. Self-regulation - the ability of a person to change his behaviors to achieve desired goals, track the behaviors, and learn from mistakes. Zimmerman (2010) found that the formation of a person's subjective personal WB can be influenced by cultural perception and processes of comparison to accepted perceptions, other people, and desirable images.
Ryff (1989) and Ryff and Singer (2003, 2008) address the concept of personal WB from the point of view of psychology and argue that personal well-being is reflected in a person's optimal functioning in the context of challenges during personal life. According to them, personal WB can be valued in six dimensions: self-acceptance, positive relations with others, autonomy, environmental mastery (choosing an environment that suits the person's needs according to his situation), purpose in life, and personal growth. Keyes (2002) adds to the definitions of personal well-being the idea of the social aspects that include: social interactions, social coherence, social self-realization, social acceptance, and social contribution. Keyes (2002) addresses three characteristics of the mentally healthy person that can lead to personal flourishing: a positive feeling about life according to the definition of SWB, optimal psychological functioning according to the definition of personal well-being, and optimal social functioning.
The multiplicity of definitions of the concept of subjective personal WB, and its practice over the years, reflects the complexity of the concept and the recognition of its importance as a generator of change in the world. Fourteen thousand publications discuss the topic annually (Diener et al., 2017).
Professional well-being
Work is considered a major part of human life and occupies a significant part of waking hours, providing a livelihood for subsistence and enjoyment. Work can develop identity, provide a social framework, meaning, goals, and challenges and form the basis for development and growth. Zimmerman (2010) found a direct link between job satisfaction and personal well-being. Many studies refer to professional WB in the concept of satisfaction which includes a positive emotional state (Inandi et al., 2013), positive experiences at work (Gursel et al., 2002), and a positive perception of work (Yorulmaz et al., 2017). Aziri (2011) argues that job satisfaction ensures positive feelings, increased productivity, and a sense of well-being and is composed of psychological, physiological, and environmental conditions and factors.
Educators and personal and professional well-being
The role of the teacher is considered to be critical in constructing the classroom's learning environment that influences the growth and development of children (Eccles & Roeser, 1999; Hamre & Pianta, 2007). Therefore, many studies in the field of educational sciences deal with the professional well-being of the teachers. Johnson et al. (2005) found that teachers who suffer from professional insecurity also suffer from emotional symptoms, such as depression and stress diseases. Goddard et al. (2004) argue that these symptoms impair the effectiveness of teachers' professional performance. These teachers' symptoms can also directly affect children's development in the context of their academic achievement, behavior manifestations, and personal well-being (Gross et al., 1995).
The issue of teachers' well-being is also troubling regarding their commitment to work. Job commitment predictors are evolving over the years. Previous studies have mainly dealt with the employment conditions of kindergarten teachers, such as salaries, education levels, age, and gender (Gross et al., 1995; Jorde-Bloom, 1988). Over the years, studies have found that working conditions, demands, peer relationships, access to resources, and support systems affect the WB of kindergarten teachers. These factors define a kindergarten climate (Pauley Reffett, 2010). A positive kindergarten climate, according to Burns and Machin (2013), can affect teacher's satisfaction, professional development (Collie et al., 2012), and the desire to promote high-quality teaching (McGinty et al., 2008).
Despite all that is known from the literature (e.g., Jeon & Ardeleanu, 2020), early childhood educators were not included in too many studies regarding their professional well-being. The well-being of kindergarten teachers includes models for improving their personal and professional well-being since their mental health is at risk, and their personal, professional, and other relationships are also threatened (Spilt et al., 2011).
Social-Emotional Learning approach
Social-Emotional Learning approaches are described by the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL, 2020) as process types of learning. These diverse approaches allow people to develop skills and attitudes that can help them better manage their emotions, form positive relationships, maintain good mental health and positive well-being, and learn strategies to navigate the world optimally according to their choice (Durlak et al., 2011).
CASEL (2020) indicates five essential skills developed and learned through SEL: self-awareness, social awareness, self-management, responsible decision-making, and relationship skills. These skills can affect all life cycles of the person: the person, class, school, family, and the community.
COVID-19 pandemic
The COVID pandemic increased the sense of uncertainty and the feelings of stress and tension that affected both the personal and professional well-being of people, including teachers (Jeon et al., 2021). The COVID pandemic period brought additional stress factors to kindergarten teachers, such as remote learning, social distance, wearing masks, and responsibility for cleaning and disinfecting the kindergarten without compensation (Porter et al., 2020; Tarrant & Nagasawa, 2020). These factors are known to increase feelings of distress, dissatisfaction, and depression and decrease the sense of control (Sandilos et al., 2015). Prolonged exposure to stressful situations may lead to inefficiency at work and emotional exhaustion (Maslach, 2003; Maslach & Leiter, 2016).
Problem Statement
Teaching is physically and emotionally demanding work (Sahbaz & Koyutürk Koçer, 2017; Sutcher et al., 2016). Kindergarten teachers have many tasks that aim to meet the needs of young children. They are required to advance students physically, motorically, cognitively, and socio-emotionally (Whitebook et al., 2018). Researchers have found that combining kindergarten multiple work requirements that have not changed over the years with limited resources can negatively affect kindergarten teachers' personal and professional well-being (Jeon et al., 2018; Kwon et al., 2021; Robinson et al., 2019). As mentioned above, it has been found that kindergarten teachers with optimal personal and professional WB are more available to the needs of the children and advance their development in the best possible way (Jeon et al., 2018).
Kwon et al. (2021) claim that early childhood educators have been neglected regarding their personal and professional well-being. However, it is known (Jeon et al., 2021) that personal and professional internal resources significantly affect coping with stressful situations and lack of work support. In line with this, we consider that it is vital to continue to research, develop and implement programs to foster and enhance personal and professional internal resources.
Research Questions
Data indicate that a percentage of 46% of kindergarten teachers reported low personal well-being due to daily stress arising from the work environment before the COVID pandemic (Jeon et al., 2021). The poor personal and professional well-being manifested in anxiety attacks, depression, and difficulty sleeping, significantly exacerbated during the pandemic (Crawford et al., 2021). People with SEL skills functioned better during the pandemic and the following times (Yoder et al., 2020). The question arises whether this was applied to the kindergarten teachers, too.
In light of the information mentioned above about kindergarten teachers' personal and professional well-being before and after the pandemic, and the positive impact of SEL skills, the question arises whether SEL skills promote the personal and professional well-being of kindergarten teachers?
Purpose of the Study
Children's emotional and social skills are acquired through social interactions at home and kindergarten. Alongside the family members, kindergarten teachers are important agents for developing these skills (Denham et al., 2012; Horner & Wallace, 2013). However, studies have found that kindergarten teachers' training which focuses on acquiring SEL skills, so far only addressed the impact on children without reference to the process that kindergarten teachers went through (Oberle et al., 2016). However, it was found that kindergarten teachers who applied SEL approaches in their teaching process were more satisfied with their work, felt support in dealing with challenging children, and experienced their workplace as a positive place (Zinsser et al., 2016).
Research Methods
This article is an up-to-date literature review on SEL interventions conducted on kindergarten teachers and kindergartens and the impact on their personal and professional well-being with the mention of the COVID pandemic that has increased the motivation of researchers to investigate these topics.
Findings
This qualitative literature review revealed that emotionally stressed kindergarten teachers are likely to experience a state of burnout in which they lack the emotional resources to deal with teaching challenges, and their work quality is degraded (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009). Increased professional burnout includes three characteristics according to Maslach and Leiter (2016):
Emotional Exhaustion – Develops first in the process of burnout
Depersonalization - can manifest in distance, alienation from self and others, cynical reactions, and negative attitudes toward students and the work environment.
Feelings of diminished ability and lack of self-fulfillment.
Early childhood education often sees the kindergarten teacher as solely responsible for advancing the children in all respects. In recent decades at the core of kindergarten education, there has been an emphasis on learning traditional skills and children's academic achievement (Hall-Kenyon et al., 2014). In addition, kindergarten teachers deal with daily stress regarding kindergarten management and children's behaviour. They point out that even the low income often puts kindergarten teachers at high risk for burnout (Jeon et al., 2014; Roberts et al., 2019). This burnout is manifested in physical and mental health problems such as depression, hypertension, and migraines (Whitaker et al., 2013).
Jennings and Greenberg (2009) found that SEL skills strengthen the educators’ interaction with themselves and their work. Specifically, kindergarten teachers with high personal well-being and emotional and social abilities conduct themselves proactively, create quality interactions with the children, are attentive, respond to their emotional needs, and manage the kindergarten effectively. The authors emphasize the importance of the professional training and guidance of teachers and children alike for mutual fertilization and increasing the social-emotional skills of kindergarten teachers and children. As a result of this insight, Jennings and Greenberg (2009) have developed a model where there is a system of professional support on SEL issues that includes guidance and professional support to optimize and improve the social-emotional capacity of teachers and children.
The review of the articles shows that many educational systems see the child at the center of educational activity. As a result, teachers' training, which also includes learning SEL skills, refers exclusively to student achievements and does not investigate the impact of these studies on teachers' achievements and feelings (Oberle et al., 2016). Sandilos et al. (2020) add that the effects of training programs that develop SEL skills on kindergarten teachers' burnout have not been studied. They found that teachers who train students on SEL programs internalize the knowledge themselves, and thereby they tend to improve their well-being and the quality of their teaching.
SEL provides tools for cultivating self-regulation, coping skills, and other protective factors that can confer various adverse effects (Reyes et al., 2013). Quality emotional interactions between kindergarten teachers and children include fostering mutual respect, positive communication, and sensitivity to children's feelings (Denham et al., 2012). Morris et al. (2013) found that the interactions between kindergarten teachers trained in SEL skills and children were of better quality and supported the personal and professional well-being of kindergarten teachers.
COVID pandemic has put adults to the test of coping with increased stress and the effect of this stress on children (Chafouleas & Marcy, 2020). Humankind as a whole has faced a state of uncertainty. In addition to dealing with the situation, kindergarten teachers also dealt with remote learning, which is not always properly adapted to early childhood education, and with the expectation of instilling calm and optimism in children (Minkos & Gelbar, 2021).
Following the pandemic, the research of Minkos and Gelbar (2021) raises the need to consider strategies to support educators themselves in regard to their well-being. Educators are at high risk for physical and mental burnout; therefore, it is essential to provide them with a space for processing, support, and self-care in a personal context (Crosby et al., 2020). Yoder et al. (2020) add that it is not enough to provide the space but also to allocate resources and support to kindergarten teachers to continue engaging in the professional learning of SEL skills. These resources include time and space to process the kindergarten teachers' issues, feelings, emotions, and insights. The purpose of this support is to create full involvement of the kindergarten teachers over time. Tait (2008) states that kindergarten teachers' well-being is related to kindergarten teacher retention.
This review found several professional training and development programs that promote SEL skills (PATHS, Tools of the Mind, Mindfulness and Incredible Years). These programs have been shown to positively affect kindergarten climate, self-regulation, and behavioural regulation (Barnett et al., 2008; Domitrovich et al., 2007; Hutchings et al., 2013).
PATHS
This is a program that promotes alternative thinking strategies. Its purpose is to promote emotional and social abilities and reduce early childhood aggression problems and violent behaviour. The program consists of structural arrays that teach children about emotions and communication with their peers in the best possible way (Greenberg, 2006). The program proved to be efficient in increasing the kindergarten teachers' sense of closeness to children, the frequency of contact between them, and their awareness of children's feelings (Arda & Ocak, 2012; Fishbein et al., 2016; Hamre et al., 2012).
Incredible Years
This is a training program for kindergarten teachers that focuses on supporting kindergarten teachers to create an optimal climate in the kindergarten (Webster-Stratton et al., 2004). The program promotes children's educational, social and emotional abilities to reduce emotional and behavioural problems. The program proved efficient in reducing the conflicts between kindergarten teachers and children, as demonstrated in the studies of Aasheim et al. (2018), Murray et al. (2018), and in improving kindergarten management (Webster-Stratton et al., 2004).
Tools of the Mind-Play (Bodrova et al., 2001)
This is a program that promotes cognitive skills in children through a socio-dramatic game shared by kindergarten teachers and children to strengthen memory, self-regulation, and attention. The results of the studies on this program are not unequivocal, and there is potential for improving the interactions between kindergarten teachers and children. Teachers who participated in these programs improved their interaction with children, their feelings of burnout decreased, and their ability to identify and regulate emotions and use tools to deal with children's behavioural problems increased. As a result, so was their support for children. In addition, the program's support system provided kindergarten teachers with another source of growth (Pianta et al., 2008).
Mindfulness
Mindfulness is a translation of a Buddhist term that means an observing presence-consciousness (Bodhi, 2000). Mindfulness programs seek to develop the practitioner's ability to be intentionally attentive to the present tense without judgment (Kabat-Zinn, 1994). The way to develop it is by learning and practicing breathing and awareness of thoughts and feelings resulting from experiences and giving (Hwang et al., 2017). Mindfulness-promoting programs have focused primarily on promoting the personal WB of kindergarten teachers by reducing stress and burnout. In these studies, three main areas of improvement were investigated: the well-being of kindergarten teachers, the performance of kindergarten teachers in the kindergarten, and the experiences of kindergarten teachers as a result of learning and practicing mindfulness (Hwang et al., 2017). Mindfulness intervention programs for kindergarten teachers usually include a sequence of weekly sessions in which learning of several methods, such as group discussions and self-practice in and between sessions (Kabat-Zinn, 2015).
Positive effects of Mindfulness training for kindergarten teachers have been reported in all the studies reviewed (Hwang et al., 2017). Among the effects that were found was a reduction in kindergarten teachers' stress and burnout, a decrease in physiological symptoms of stress, a decrease in anxiety, and manifestations of psychological distress (Mansfield et al., 2016). Following the practice of mindfulness, kindergarten teachers became more sensitive to themselves, their perceptions, and perspectives, thus separating their feelings from themselves and their thoughts and creating an opening for response and action (Hwang et al., 2017). The kindergarten teachers expressed a desire to generalize the mindfulness practice to their environment and emphasized the importance of the commitment to regular and continuous practice, the importance of having a support group, and practicing and developing communities of practicing kindergarten teachers. This desire was expressed despite the pressures and conditions at work (Brunetti, 2006).
Conclusion
In this review, the studies indicate how significant social and emotional learning is for kindergarten teachers who are required in their essential work to manifest patience, tolerance, acceptance, compassion, sensitivity, listening, calmness, positivity, and empathy. They are also required to deal with various systems tangent to kindergarten, with parents, with challenging children, and with their own lives. As reviewed, kindergarten teachers' work can be perceived as an abrasive, stressful, responsible job, often without sufficient support for their personal and professional well-being. The review has shown that kindergarten teachers can suffer from various symptoms of expressions of stress and burnout, which cause them to be mentally and physically ill.
The COVID pandemic has accelerated technological learning, and countries have invested in it to reduce gaps and continue learning as usual as much as possible. The goal was to fulfill the students' academic and social-emotional needs best. However, the COVID pandemic has challenged the kindergarten teachers' coping strategies with emotional and technological pressures. Emotionally, they faced situations of uncertainty, as did the whole society, while conducting remote learning in parallel with taking care of their children at home and dealing with technological tools which were not adapted to early childhood education (Goagoses et al., 2020). Studies have shown that kindergarten teachers with strong personal and professional well-being function better in the kindergarten, interact better with children, and retain their jobs in the education system.
Based on the increasing awareness towards the importance of the professional and personal WB of the teachers, following the COVID pandemic and the abandonment of the education systems by many kindergarten teachers, we consider that it is more important than ever to provide training, support, and coping tools based on the SEL theory, as indicated by the studies reviewed in this article.
References
Aasheim, M., Drugli, M.-B., Reedtz, C., Handegård, B. H., & Martinussen, M. (2018). Change in Teacher-Student Relationships and Parent Involvement after Implementation of the Incredible Years Teacher Classroom Management Programme in a Regular Norwegian School Setting. British Educational Research Journal, 44(6), 1064–1083.
Arda, T. B., & Ocak, S. (2012). Social Competence and Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies--PATHS Preschool Curriculum. Educational Sciences: Theory and Practice, 12(4), 2691–2698.
Aziri, B. (2011). Job satisfaction: A literature review. Management Research & Practice, 3(4). 77–86.
Barnett, W. S., Jung, K., Yarosz, D. J., Thomas, J., Hornbeck, A., Stechuk, R., & Burns, S. (2008). Educational effects of the Tools of the Mind curriculum: A randomized trial. Early Childhood Research Quarterly, 23(3), 299–313.
Bodhi. (2000). The Connected Discourses of the Buddha : A New Translation of the Samyutta Nikaya. Wisdom Publications.
Bodrova, E., Leong, D. J., & International Bureau of Education, G. (Switzerland). (2001). Tools of the Mind: A Case Study of Implementing the Vygotskian Approach in American Early Childhood and Primary Classrooms. Innodata Monographs - 7.
Brunetti, G. J. (2006). Resilience under fire: Perspectives on the work of experienced, inner city high school teachers in the United States. Teaching and Teacher Education, 22(7), 812–825.
Burns, R. A., & Machin, M. A. (2013). Psychological wellbeing and the diathesis-stress hypothesis model: The role of psychological functioning and quality of relations in promoting subjective well-being in a life events study. Personality and Individual Differences, 54(3), 321-326.
CASEL. (2020). CASEL's SEL Framework: What Are the Core Competence Areas and Where Are They Promoted?. https://casel.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/12/CASEL-SEL-Framework-11.2020.pdf
Chafouleas, S. M., & Marcy, H. M. (2020). Responding to COVID‐19: Planning for trauma‐informed assessment in schools. University of Connecticut.
Cohen, S., Gianaros, P. J., & Manuck, S. B. (2016). A stage model of stress and disease. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 11(4), 456-463.
Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2012). School climate and social-emotional learning: Predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1189-1204.
Crawford, A., Vaughn, K. A., Guttentag, C. L., Varghese, C., Oh, Y., & Zucker, T. A. (2021). "Doing What I can, but I got no Magic Wand:" A Snapshot of Early Childhood Educator Experiences and Efforts to Ensure Quality During the COVID-19 Pandemic. Early Childhood Education Journal, 49(5), 829-840. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10643-021-01215-z
Crosby, S. D., Howell, P. B., & Thomas, S. (2020). Teaching through Collective Trauma in the Era of COVID-19: Trauma-Informed Practices for Middle Level Learners. Middle Grades Review, 6(2).
Denham, S. A., Bassett, H. H., & Zinsser, K. (2012). Early Childhood Teachers as Socializers of Young Children's Emotional Competence. Early Childhood Education Journal, 40(3), 137–143.
Diener, E. (1984). Subjective well-being. Psychological Bulletin, 95(3), 542–575. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.95.3.542
Diener, E., Heintzelman, S. J., Kushlev, K., Tay, L., Wirtz, D., Lutes, L. D., & Oishi, S. (2017). Findings all psychologists should know from the new science on subjective well-being. Canadian Psychology / Psychologie canadienne, 58(2), 87-104.
Domitrovich, C. E., Cortes, R. C., & Greenberg, M. T. (2007). Improving Young Children's Social and Emotional Competence: A Randomized Trial of the Preschool "PATHS" Curriculum. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 28(2), 67–91.
Durlak, J. A., Weissberg, R. P., Dymnicki, A. B., Taylor, R. D., & Schellinger, K. B. (2011). The Impact of Enhancing Students' Social and Emotional Learning: A Meta-Analysis of School-Based Universal Interventions: Social and Emotional Learning. Child Development, 82(1), 405-432.
Eccles, J. S., & Roeser, R. W. (1999). School and community influences on human development. In M. H. Bornstein, & M. E. Lamb, (Eds.), Developmental psychology: An advanced textbook (4th ed., pp. 503–554). Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Fishbein, D. H., Domitrovich, C., Williams, J., Gitukui, S., Guthrie, C., Shapiro, D., & Greenberg, M. (2016). Short-Term Intervention Effects of the PATHS Curriculum in Young Low-Income Children: Capitalizing on Plasticity. The Journal of Primary Prevention, 37(6), 493–511.
Goagoses, N., Winschiers-Theophilus, H., & Chamunorwa, M. B. (2020). The (Potential) Role of Technology for Young Children's Social-Emotional Learning : During and Beyond the COVID-19 Pandemic. Digital Government: Research and Practice - COVID-19 Commentaries, 2(1), 1–6. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Goddard, R. D., Hoy, W. K., & Hoy, A. W. (2004). Collective Efficacy Beliefs: Theoretical Developments, Empirical Evidence, and Future Directions. Educational Researcher, 33(3), 3–13.
Greenberg, M. T. (2006). Promoting Resilience in Children and Youth: Preventive Interventions and Their Interface with Neuroscience. Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 1094(1), 139-150.
Gross, D., Conrad, B., Fogg, L., Willis, L., & Garvey, C. (1995). A longitudinal study of maternal depression and preschool children's mental health. Nursing Research, 44(2), 96–101. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Gursel, M., Sunbul, A. M., & Sari, H. (2002). An analysis of burnout and job satisfaction between Turkish headteachers and teachers. European Journal of Psychology of Education, 17(1), 35-45.
Hall-Kenyon, K., Bullough, R., MacKay, K., & Marshall, E. (2014). Preschool Teacher Well-Being: A Review of the Literature. Early Childhood Education Journal, 42(3), 153–162. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Hamre, B. K., & Pianta, R. C. (2007). Learning opportunities in preschool and early elementary classrooms. In R. C. Pianta, M. J. Cox, & K. L. Snow, (Eds.), School readiness and the transition to kindergarten in the era of accountability (pp. 49–83). Paul H Brookes Publishing.
Hamre, B. K., Pianta, R. C., Mashburn, A. J., & Downer, J. T. (2012). Promoting Young Children's Social Competence through the Preschool PATHS Curriculum and MyTeachingPartner Professional Development Resources. Early Education and Development, 23(6), 809–832.
Horner, C. G., & Wallace, T. L. (2013). Measuring Emotion Socialization in Schools. Journal of School Health, 83(10), 697–703.
Hutchings, J., Martin-Forbes, P., Daley, D., & Williams, M. E. (2013). A randomized controlled trial of the impact of a teacher classroom management program on the classroom behaviour of children with and without behaviour problems. Journal of School Psychology, 51(5), 571–585. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Hwang, Y.-S., Bartlett, B., Greben, M., & Hand, K. (2017). A systematic review of mindfulness interventions for in-service teachers: A tool to enhance teacher wellbeing and performance. Teaching and Teacher Education, 64, 26-42.
Inandi, Y., Tunc, B., & Uslu, F. (2013). Relationship between job satisfaction and career barriers for the academic staff of the education faculties. Journal of Educational Sciences Research, 3(1), 221-238.
Jennings, P. A., & Greenberg, M. T. (2009). The Prosocial Classroom: Teacher Social and Emotional Competence in Relation to Student and Classroom Outcomes. Review of Educational Research, 79(1), 491–525.
Jeon, H.-J., Diamond, L., McCartney, C., & Kwon, K.-A. (2021). Early Childhood Special Education Teachers' Job Burnout and Psychological Stress. Early Education and Development, 33(8), 1364-1382.
Jeon, L., & Ardeleanu, K. (2020). Work Climate in Early Care and Education and Teachers' Stress: Indirect Associations through Emotion Regulation. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1031–1051.
Jeon, L., Buettner, C. K., & Grant, A. A. (2018). Early childhood teachers' psychological well-being: Exploring potential predictors of depression, stress, and emotional exhaustion. Early education and development, 29(1), 53-69.
Jeon, L., Buettner, C. K., & Snyder, A. R. (2014). Pathways from teacher depression and child-care quality to child behavioral problems. Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, 82(2), 225–235. https://doi-org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Johnson, S., Cooper, C., Cartwright, S., Donald, I., Taylor, P., & Millet, C. (2005). The experience of work-related stress across occupations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20(2), 178–187. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Jorde-Bloom, P. (1988). Factors Influencing Overall Job Satisfaction and Organizational Commitment in Early Childhood Work Environments. Journal of Research in Childhood Education, 3(2), 107–122. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Kabat-Zinn, J. (1994). Wherever You Go, There You Are : Mindfulness Meditation In Everyday Life: (Vol. 1). Hachette Books.
Kabat-Zinn, J. (2015). Mindfulness. Mindfulness, 6(6), 1481–1483.
Keyes, C. L. M. (2002). The Mental Health Continuum: From Languishing to Flourishing in Life. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 43(2), 207. https://doi.org/10.2307/3090197
Kwon, K.-A., Ford, T. G., Jeon, L., Malek-Lasater, A., Ellis, N., Randall, K., Kile, M., & Salvatore, A. L. (2021). Testing a holistic conceptual framework for early childhood teacher well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 86, 178–197. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Lahad, M., Ayalon, O., & Shacham, M. (2013). The "BASIC Ph" Model of Coping and Resiliency: Theory, Research and Cross-Cultural Application. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Mansfield, C. F., Beltman, S., Broadley, T., & Weatherby-Fell, N. (2016). Building resilience in teacher education: An evidenced informed framework. Teaching and Teacher Education, 54, 77–87. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Maslach, C. (2003). Job Burnout: New Directions in Research and Intervention. Current Directions in Psychological Science, 12(5), 189–192.
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry: Official Journal of the World Psychiatric Association (WPA), 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org.elib.openu.ac.il/
McGinty, A. S., Justice, L., & Rimm-Kaufman, S. E. (2008). Sense of School Community for Preschool Teachers Serving At-Risk Children. Early Education and Development, 19(2), 361–384.
Minkos, M. L., & Gelbar, N. W. (2021). Considerations for Educators in Supporting Student Learning in the Midst of COVID-19. Psychology in the Schools, 58(2), 416–426.
Morris, P., Millenky, M., Raver, C. C., & Jones, S. M. (2013). Does a Preschool Social and Emotional Learning Intervention Pay Off for Classroom Instruction and Children's Behavior and Academic Skills? Evidence from the Foundations of Learning Project. Early Education and Development, 24(7), 1020–1042.
Murray, D. W., Rabiner, D. L., Kuhn, L., Pan, Y., & Sabet, R. F. (2018). Investigating teacher and student effects of the Incredible Years Classroom Management Program in early elementary school. Journal of School Psychology, 67, 119–133.
Oberle, E., Domitrovich, C. E., Meyers, D. C., & Weissberg, R. P. (2016). Establishing systemic social and emotional learning approaches in schools: a framework for schoolwide implementation. Cambridge Journal of Education, 46(3), 277–297.
OECD. (2013). OECD guidelines on measuring subjective well-being. OECD.
Pauley Reffett, A. D. (2010). Exploring sources of teacher stress in head start [ProQuest Information & Learning]. In Dissertation Abstracts International: Section B: The Sciences and Engineering, 70(7B), 4493.
Pianta, R. C., La Paro, K. M., & Hamre, B. K. (2008). Classroom Assessment Scoring System™: Manual K-3. Paul H Brookes Publishing.
Porter, T., Bromer, J., Ragonese-Barnes, M., & Molloy, P. (2020). Family child care providers: Unsung heroes in the COVID-19 crisis. Herr Research Center, Erikson Institute.
Reyes, J. A., Elias, M. J., Parker, S. J., & Rosenblatt, J. L. (2013). Promoting educational equity in disadvantaged youth: The role of resilience and social-emotional learning. In S. Goldstein & R. B. Brooks (Eds.), Handbook of resilience in children. (2nd ed., pp. 349–370). Springer Science + Business Media. https://doi-org.elib.openu.ac.il/
Roberts, A. M., Gallagher, K. C., Daro, A. M., Iruka, I. U., & Sarver, S. L. (2019). Workforce well-being: Personal and workplace contributions to early educators' depression across settings. Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology, 61, 4–12.
Robinson, M. D., & Compton, R. J. (2008). The Happy Mind in Action. The Cognitive Basis of Subjective Well-Being. S, 220-238.
Robinson, O. P., Bridges, S. A., Rollins, L. H., & Schumacker, R. E. (2019). A study of the relation between special education burnout and job satisfaction. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 19(4), 295–303.
Ryff, C. D. (1989). Happiness is everything, or is it? Explorations on the meaning of psychological well-being. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 57(6), 1069-1081.
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2003). The role of emotion on pathways to positive health. In R. J. Davidson, K. R. Scherer, & H. H. Goldsmith (Eds.), Handbook of affective sciences (pp. 1083–1104). Oxford University Press.
Ryff, C. D., & Singer, B. H. (2008). Know thyself and become what you are: A eudaimonic approach to psychological well-being. Journal of happiness studies, 9(1), 13-39.
Sahbaz, Ü., & Koyutürk Koçer, N. (2017). A Comparison of Burnout Levels of Preschool Teachers in Terms of Having Integration Students in Their Classes or Not. Educational Research and Reviews, 12(6), 350–355.
Sandilos, L. E., Cycyk, L. M., Scheffner Hammer, C., Sawyer, B. E., López, L., & Blair, C. (2015). Depression, Control, and Climate: An Examination of Factors Impacting Teaching Quality in Preschool Classrooms. Early Education and Development, 26(8), 1111–1127.
Sandilos, L., Goble, P., & Schwartz, S. (2020). Burnout and teacher–child interactions: The moderating influence of SEL interventions in Head Start classrooms. Early Education and Development, 31(7), 1169–1185.
Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Thijs, J. T. (2011). Teacher Wellbeing: The Importance of Teacher-Student Relationships. Educational Psychology Review, 23(4), 457-477.
Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., Carver-Thomas, D., & Learning Policy Institute. (2016). A Coming Crisis in Teaching? Teacher Supply, Demand, and Shortages in the U.S. In Learning Policy Institute. Learning Policy Institute.
Tait, M. (2008). Resilience as a Contributor to Novice Teacher Success, Commitment, and Retention. Teacher Education Quarterly, 35(4), 57–75.
Tarrant, K., & Nagasawa, M. (2020). New York Early care and education survey: Understanding the impact of COVID-19 on New York early childhood system. Professional Development Institute, CUNY. https://educate.bankstreet.edu/sc/2
Urbani, J. M., Roshandel, S., Michaels, R., & Truesdell, E. (2017). Developing and modeling 21st-century skills with preservice teachers. Teacher Education Quarterly, 44(4), 27-50.
Webster-Stratton, C., Reid, M. J., & Hammond, M. (2004). Treating Children With Early-Onset Conduct Problems: Intervention Outcomes for Parent, Child, and Teacher Training. Journal of Clinical Child & Adolescent Psychology, 33(1), 105-124.
Whitaker, R. C., Becker, B. D., Herman, A. N., & Gooze, R. A. (2013). The physical and mental health of Head Start staff: the Pennsylvania Head Start staff wellness survey, 2012. Preventing Chronic Disease, 10, E181.
Whitebook, M., McLean, C., Austin, L. J. E., Edwards, B., & University of California, B. C. for the S. of C. C. E. (2018). Early Childhood Workforce Index 2018. Center for the Study of Child Care Employment, University of California at Berkeley.
Yoder, N., Posamentier, J., Godek, D., Seibel, K., Dusenbury, L., Collaborative for Academic, S. E. L. (CASEL)., & Committee for Children. (2020). From Response to Reopening: State Efforts to Elevate Social and Emotional Learning during the Pandemic. In Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning. Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning.
Yorulmaz, Y. I., Çolak, İ., & Altinkurt, Y. (2017). A meta-analysis of the relationship between teachers' job satisfaction and burnout. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 17(71), 175-192.
Zimmerman, S. (2010). Mental well-being as reflected in positive psychology. Ach. (Hebrew).
Zinsser, K. M., Christensen, C. G., & Torres, L. (2016). She's supporting them; who's supporting her? Preschool center-level social-emotional supports and teacher well-being. Journal of School Psychology, 59, 55–66. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2016.09.001
Copyright information
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.
About this article
Publication Date
31 May 2023
Article Doi
eBook ISBN
978-1-80296-962-7
Publisher
European Publisher
Volume
6
Print ISBN (optional)
-
Edition Number
1st Edition
Pages
1-710
Subjects
Education, reflection, development
Cite this article as:
Armoza-Levi, D., & Rusu, A. S. (2023). Social-Emotional Learning and the Personal Well-Being of Kindergarten Teachers. In I. Albulescu, & C. Stan (Eds.), Education, Reflection, Development - ERD 2022, vol 6. European Proceedings of Educational Sciences (pp. 176-189). European Publisher. https://doi.org/10.15405/epes.23056.17