One of the research programs in the ARC Science of Learning Research Centre aims to contribute to our understanding of stress, wellbeing and emotion regulation in teachers, and to evaluate the efficacy of interventions to reduce stress and improve wellbeing in teachers. The secondary aim is to evaluate whether there are any “downstream” benefits on students’ academic performance and wellbeing when teachers participate in such interventions. In this presentation, we will firstly summarise the findings from the Teacher Stress Survey, a large online survey designed to “take the temperature” on the levels of stress, burnout and wellbeing currently experienced by Australian teachers, and understand the factors contributing to their stress. Secondly, we will present the preliminary results from the Wellbeing, Teaching and Learning Study which evaluated the efficacy of a mindfulness intervention (the Mindfulness Based Stress Reduction program) and an exercise, nutrition and music therapy intervention (the Health Enhancement Program) for a group of Brisbane teachers using brain imaging, cognitive tasks, and questionnaire measures.

Biographies:

The presenters comprise an interdisciplinary research team of educators, psychologists and neuroscientists.

Annemaree Carroll is Professor in the School of Education at the University of Queensland and Chief Investigator and Co-ordinator of Translational Outcomes at the ARC Science of Learning Research Centre.

Emma Sanders is a psychologist and a research officer in the School of Education at The University of Queensland.

Kylee Forrest is a Clinical Psychologist and also a research officer in the School of Education at The University of Queensland.

Julie Bower is a research fellow at the School of Education within The University of Queensland and an affiliated member of the Science of Learning Research Centre.

Lars Marstaller is a postdoctoral research fellow at the Centre for Advanced Imaging at The University of Queensland.

Sam Fynes-Clinton is a PhD student at the Centre for Advanced imaging and research assistant in the School of Education at The University of Queensland.

SLRC Seminar Series: Promoting Wellbeing in Teachers: Preliminary results from the Teacher Stress Survey and Wellbeing Teaching and Learning Study

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