The Self-Determination of Teachers Post COVID-19 Pandemic

This paper explores teachers’ well-being with a focus on self-determination theory in this period of post COVID-19 recovery. During the COVID-19 pandemic, teachers undertook the heavy burden of educating children and young people during one of the most significant global events in living memory. They were thrust into the hybrid world of remote learning alongside teaching in school with social-distancing and they had to adapt through trial and error with little time to prepare (Bradbury et al., 2022). Uncertainty and worry for vulnerable pupils were major stressors for teachers and their mental health and well-being was demonstrated to have declined throughout the pandemic (Kim, Oxley and Asbury, 2022). This has exacerbated a global problem with high attrition rates from the profession, creating instability in the education system (Madigan and Kim, 2021).

Drawing on the bioecological theories of Bronfenbrenner (Bronfenbrenner & Morris, 2006), we present teachers’ well-being as multifaceted and shaped by various interrelated factors. Teachers’ well-being both during and post-pandemic is likely to be the product of numerous stressors that exist at various levels of teacher’s ecologies. It is a complex construct, which has been conceptualized as the absence of negative conditions such as teachers’ stress, demotivation and even burnout (García-Álvarez, Soler and Achard-Braga, 2021). It has also been studied as it relates to coping strategies and engagement and recovery from work (Pöysä et al., 2021).

The pandemic has been shown to have an undermining effect on teachers’ sense of autonomy; freedom to take ownership of initiative in their classrooms. Furthermore, the social distancing measures that forced schools into adopting new pedagogical approaches and technologies associated with distance learning, had a destabilising effect on teachers’ sense of competence and relatedness associated with feeling part of a community of educators. This has led us to focus on Self-determination theory (SDT) as an expansive theoretical framework for understanding human motivation, development, and wellness (Ryan & Deci, 2020). SDT emphasises internal motivation as a key driver for learning and development, offering insights into how people can be supported to achieve their goals. It provides a holistic theoretical lens that assumes the individual’s tendency to focus on psychological growth and connectivity.

This study utilised secondary and primary qualitative and qualitative data analysis to consider the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the state of teachers’ well-being in the UK.

Our research questions are:

1) Which aspects of teachers’ well-being were impacted during the COVID-19 pandemic?

2) How does the impact on those working in the education profession compare with the broader UK population?

3) What are teachers’ current evaluations of their self-determination in terms of autonomy, competence and relatedness?

A systematic literature review was conducted to analyse the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic in 2021 on teachers’ well-being. A broad definition of well-being was applied in the review but search criteria were narrowed by date (2021- 2023) and geographical region (UK only). This enabled us to give a holistic overview of well-being during a period where social, private and professional lives became more intertwined.

To compare this with the whole UK population, ONS Census data from 2021 was analysed using filters for profession and a focus on the measures of personal well-being and job satisfaction (ONS, 2023). Descriptive data analysis was used to produce graphical representations of the general trends.

In addition, we implemented an online questionnaire using the Aspiration Index from the Centre for Self-Determination Theory (CSDT, 2023). Participants included in the study were UK based secondary and primary school teachers. Participants were selected and approached using existing networks, databases and social media accounts associated with Liverpool John Moores University. Data collected from the questionnaire was analysed using the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS; IBM, n.d.) with descriptive data (including questionnaire item means) being presented in this paper for comparison with the literature review and census data.

Our findings show that teachers’ mental health and well-being declined during the pandemic at higher levels than the general population. This has resulted in lower-than-average job satisfaction levels and increased attrition from the profession. Teachers’ self-determination in relation to their sense of autonomy, relatedness and competence are key factors to focus on for supporting recovery in education.