Teacher Wellbeing in Context: A Comparative Exploration of Factors Shaping Teacher Wellbeing Across Primary and Secondary Schools.

Childs, Emily (2025) Teacher Wellbeing in Context: A Comparative Exploration of Factors Shaping Teacher Wellbeing Across Primary and Secondary Schools. Doctoral thesis, University of East Anglia.

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Abstract

Teacher wellbeing has gained growing attention in recent years due to rising concerns about retention, job satisfaction and student outcomes. Though numerous factors that impact teacher wellbeing have been identified within the literature, limited research has comparatively explored how these experiences are shaped based on educational phase, particularly within the context of the UK. This study addresses this gap by examining the complex, multi-layered nature of teacher wellbeing through a comparative lens, focusing on primary and secondary school sectors. A purposive sample of primary (n = 6) and secondary (n = 12) teachers from mainstream schools in England participated in online and in-person focus groups. Data was analysed using Reflective Thematic Analysis, generating six overarching themes and 17 subthemes that capture the distinct and overlapping dimensions of teacher wellbeing across sectors. Themes for primary school teachers included: Losing Sight of the Core Purpose, Disconnection Across the Systems and Fading Respect from Outside. Themes for secondary school teachers included: Relational Ties and Tensions, The Hidden Cost of Teaching, and The Conditions of Personal Growth. While commonalities existed among both groups of teachers such as the impact of workload and colleague relationships, their lived experiences of these were shaped by distinct organisational and systemic structures. These phase-specific dynamics not only shaped teachers’ wellbeing but also affected their sense of professional identity and purpose. By highlighting these differences, the study questions the utility of aggregated teacher wellbeing data, and emphasises the need of educational policy and intervention that is sensitive to sector-specific realities.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Faculty \ School:	Faculty of Social Sciences > School of Education and Lifelong Learning
Depositing User:	Chris White
Date Deposited:	07 Oct 2025 07:48
Last Modified:	07 Oct 2025 07:48
URI:	https://ueaeprints.uea.ac.uk/id/eprint/100654
DOI:

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