Abstract:
Student wellbeing concerns are prompting increased focus on teacher professional development in wellbeing education in Australian schools. However, a gap exists between research on evidence-based wellbeing interventions and their integration into daily teaching practices to lead this change in schools. This study asks: How do teachers perceive the value of PD in wellbeing education research, and how does this influence their integration of these strategies into daily practice to support student wellbeing and learning outcomes? The study was informed by Bronfenbrenner’s ecological systems theory and a multidimensional complete state model of mental health to conceptualise wellbeing. Two hundred ninety employees from an independent school in Queensland were invited to participate in the study on their wellbeing and perception of wellbeing in schooling. One hundred twenty-three participants volunteered to commence the Qualtrics survey, and 112 complete responses were analysed. This paper considers how teachers perceive the value of wellbeing PD and how it influences integrating these strategies into daily teaching. Participants were recruited from an independent school in Queensland that prioritised wellbeing as one of the operational goals for their strategic plan. No incentives were provided to participate in the research. Quantitative and Qualitative data were collected (with open-ended questions) using Qualtrics. Data were analysed using Braun and Clarke’s reflexive thematic analysis. Preliminary findings suggest that while most teachers participated in PD, some struggled with integration. This research contributes to the need to explore further translating wellbeing research into actionable strategies for teachers, improving student outcomes.