Exploration of Well-Being Education for Preservice Teachers: A Case Study of a Private University in Thailand

Abstract

Aim/Purpose: The aim of this study was to investigate pre-service teachers’ engagement with well-being concepts during their learning experience in a specialized teacher well-being class. A mixed-method approach was utilised to establish an insider perspective on students’ well-being as they prepared to become future teachers, while maintaining quantitative objectivity.

Introduction/Background: Well-being is critical in the lives of teachers and their students. Teaching as a profession often demands a high level of mental exertion in the classroom and school activities. In some cases, physical exertion is also a part of teaching duties. Being in optimal physical and mental condition is therefore important to ensure an effective educational process in school. However, preparing future teachers who are equipped with knowledge and skills in well-being remains an underexplored area in the field of curriculum and instruction. While attention has been given to understanding teachers’ well-being, limited knowledge remains for preservice teachers. Current research trends have focused heavily on understanding the well-being of career teachers in the field, but not on those who are still undergoing training. Furthermore, studies on the impact of well-being education for preservice teachers remain limited. This study took place within these two contexts. At the institution where the study took place, a course in teachers’ well-being is offered as part of the education curriculum. The course is designed to provide foundational knowledge of teacher and student well-being across physical and mental health. As part of the final assessment, the students were divided into groups and assigned to create an exhibit related to wellness. The exhibit was then displayed in a mini-expo type of event at the University under the name “Calm Corner Exhibition.”

Methodology: Initial data was collected after the exhibition on feedback forms completed by students, resulting in 39 appraisals. Content analysis was conducted utilizing Cohen’s Kappa coefficients, where the level of agreement between the two researchers was utilized to measure alignment in content analysis.  Afterward, semi-structured interviews were conducted with 11 students who enrolled in the course and presented their projects at the Calm Corner Exhibition. The interview data was recorded, transcribed, and analysed. Attention was given to areas related to participants' experiences in the class, with an emphasis on their projects at the Calm Corner Exhibition. For each response related to the research question, a dedicated code was created, and the codes were then analysed to identify emerging patterns that emerged. Thematic grouping was then conducted using codes that were connected to one another.

Findings: Thematic analysis of the interviews generated three main themes, representing students’ experiences in the classroom and the Calm Corner Exhibition. The first theme revolved around the concept of learning experience, in which students reported increased knowledge as a result of attending class and completing the final project. The second theme involved the final project event itself, during which most participants mentioned the impact of the Calm Corner Exhibition on their personal growth. Lastly, the third theme expressed the hope that participants had in transferring the knowledge learned from this class to their future students. In terms of the content analysis, however, the data did not reveal which material had the most meaningful impact on students; however, the feedback from the surveys captured information about the class and the project that will be used for future reference. Both the interview and content analysis data provided a strong indication that exposure to well-being learning encouraged students to integrate well-being into their personal lives and future classrooms.

Contribution: This study provided preliminary evidence that teaching well-being benefits pre-service teachers. Integrating well-being into higher education curricula, particularly within teacher education programs, is empirically supported for preservice teachers. It also provides insight into the preservice teachers’ perspectives regarding wellness, especially regarding their intentions to disseminate the knowledge obtained from this class in their future teaching practices.

Recommendation: Integrating a well-being class into the formal training of preservice teachers is critical to better preparing them for their actual work. In terms of curriculum design, the content of the well-being class should be holistic, covering multiple aspects of wellness, including mental, physical, and spiritual health.

Limitations: This study was conducted as a case study, so replication would be needed to establish a stronger empirical basis. The population selected was limited to freshmen, and the findings were therefore limited to this population. The study did not look at the demographic profiles of participants as significant factors for consideration; therefore, cultural context could not be factored into the research.

Future Research: A quantitative approach using questionnaires is recommended, along with research on materials used in well-being courses, to strengthen the understanding of well-being education in higher educational settings.