From leadership research to district action: “SHIELDing” Our Educators: Comprehensive Coping Strategies for Teacher Occupational Well-Being

AI-assisted editorial implementation guide. Proposed district actions are separate from the original authors’ findings and recommendations. Independent peer review of this guide is not asserted.

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Evidence and transfer

Education-related source: verify which participants, institutions and outcomes were actually studied before district adoption. Source publication type: research-article. License and identity checks do not establish study quality or causality.

Original authors’ abstract, reproduced under the source license:

Abstract Background: Teaching is a physically and mentally challenging profession that demands high emotional involvement, often leading to stress and anxiety. Understanding how teachers cope with these demands is essential for enhancing their well-being and effectiveness. Objectives: This study aimed to (1) investigate personal and school-based well-being initiatives that teachers use for maintaining their occupational well-being, and (2) develop a coping strategy model that enhances teachers’ occupational well-being. Methods: This study utilised a qualitative phenomenological approach to explore the coping strategies of Australian primary school teachers. Results: The twenty-one participants interviewed employed ten diverse coping strategies classified into five personal and five school-based well-being-enabling initiatives. The personal strategies included setting boundaries, exercise and physical health, social support and interactions, mental health and mindfulness, and work–life balance. The school-based initiatives comprised supportive leadership, colleague support, flexibility and autonomy, resource availability, and proactive approaches to address challenges. A novel SHIELD model incorporating Support, Health, Interaction, Empathy, Leadership, and Development strategies was formulated as a holistic coping strategy for enhancing teachers’ occupational well-being. Conclusions: The findings highlight the necessity of a holistic approach to teacher well-being, integrating both personal and institutional support systems. Schools can enhance teacher well-being by fostering a supportive and empathetic culture, providing necessary resources, and encouraging healthy lifestyles. The SHIELD model offers a comprehensive framework for supporting teachers and improving educational outcomes. Keywords: coping strategies, stress, teacher well-being, collaboration, social support

Study methods

This study is part of a bigger project that investigated Australian primary school teachers’ occupational well-being that was guided by the OECD teacher well-being framework, which includes four core well-being dimensions (cognitive, subjective, physical/mental, and social) [16]. The present study adopted a phenomenological qualitative research design to explore the personal and school-based well-being-enabling initiatives that positively influence teacher occupational well-being. The approach focuses on understanding and interpreting teachers’ lived experiences within their natural contexts [51,52]. By employing this approach, this study aimed to explore teachers’ personal narratives and experiences, providing a rich, contextual understanding of how coping strategies influence teachers’ well-being [53] within the primary school educational setting. The phenomenological methodology allows for a comprehensive understanding of the ways in which teacher- and school-initiated coping strategies contribute to their well-being, and seeks to uncover the nuanced, deeply personal experiences of teachers. The focus on primary school teachers is justified by the unique challenges they face, including managing young students with diverse developmental needs, creating foundational learning experiences, and balancing heavy workloads with limited resources [23,24,25]. Primary school teachers often play a critical role in shaping children’s early educational experiences, making their well-being essential for effective teaching and long-term student success. Additionally, primary educators are particularly vulnerable to stress and burnout, which underscores the importance of identifying strategies that support their occupational well-being [27,28,29].

Limitations

This study’s qualitative approach allowed for an in-depth exploration of teachers’ personal experiences and coping strategies, providing rich, detailed insights into the specific ways teachers manage stress and maintain well-being. The development of the SHIELD model is another notable strength, providing a structured, practical framework that can be directly applied in educational settings to enhance teacher well-being and retention. However, this study was limited to a specific group of Australian primary school teachers, which may not be representative of all teachers. The findings may not be transferable to teachers in different educational contexts or geographical regions. Additionally, the self-reported data may have introduced social desirability bias, as participants may have presented themselves in a more favourable light or may not have accurately recalled their coping strategies and experiences.

A 90-day district inquiry

Days 1–15 · Appraise. Read the source methods, recruitment, comparator, outcomes and limitations. Record how the study setting differs from your district and which claim the design can support.
Days 16–30 · Design. Map one recurring source of staff workload with voluntary staff input. Agree one reversible schedule, support or task-allocation change and name its owner. Agree participation, privacy protections, baseline and stopping rules before starting.
Days 31–60 · Observe. Collect the pre-agreed measures, keep a log of implementation changes and invite confidential voluntary feedback. Preserve existing support for staff and learners.
Days 61–90 · Decide. Compare workload hours, a consistent voluntary wellbeing measure, absence and retention intentions with the pre-pilot baseline. Report response rates and avoid causal claims from an uncontrolled comparison. Make a dated decision to stop, revise or extend the inquiry.

Board decision brief

Present the local problem, source setting, evidence limits, intervention, responsible owner, total cost, measured changes and uncertainty. Separate staff perceptions, implementation measures and student learning outcomes.

Attribution and reuse

Joy C Nwoko; Emma Anderson; Oyelola A Adegboye; Aduli E O Malau-Aduli; Bunmi S Malau-Aduli. “SHIELDing” Our Educators: Comprehensive Coping Strategies for Teacher Occupational Well-Being. Behavioral Sciences (2024-10-09). https://doi.org/10.3390/bs14100918

Prepared 2026-11-07. Source authorship and DOI are preserved. The abstract and source passages are attributed extracts; this editorial guide is offered under the same CC BY 4.0 license.