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Factors affecting well-being of trainee teachers – early findings

Presenters: Jan Huyton and Emily Hillier

Huyton, J., Sanders, L. & Hillier, E. (2010-11) Trainee teachers' physical and mental wellbeing: a study of university and school experience provision. ESCalate funded study

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Purpose of Presentation

• To explain the background and purpose to the research project

• To present initial findings in relation to Fitness to Teach with a particular emphasis on mental wellbeing

• To encourage discussion about how the issues raised may be addressed in future teacher education and training provision

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Background to Study

• General interest in student mental health and well-being

• Anecdotal information about individual experiences

• Interest in the effects of ‘fitness to practise’ policies relating to professionally accredited higher education programmes

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Literature

• Fitness to Teach (DfEE, 2000) – developed in accordance with DfEE circular 4/99 Physical

and Mental Fitness to Teach of Teachers and of Entrants to Initial Teacher Training (abolished in Scotland in 2004)

• Able to Teach (TTA, 2007) – practical guidance on ADP when implementing FtT

• Maintaining Standards: Promoting Equality (DRC, 2007)– evidence that ‘good health’ and ‘physical and mental

fitness’ guidance for nurses, teachers and social workers had a negative impact on disabled people and was not protecting the public

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Summary of Literature

• Concerns about discriminatory practice in the ITET application process, especially in relation to Fitness to Teach

• ITET can be stressful for all stakeholders– Workload intensity– HE curriculum

• Support from peers and mentors is most valued by students• There may be issues that affect the supportive nature of

the mentoring experience– Mentor workload– Mentor attitude

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Our Research Sample

• Three HEIs – English Welsh and Scottish • HE tutors– Individual interviews

• Mentors in partnership schools– web-based survey

• Students– group interviews– web-based survey

• Student support professionals located at HEIs– individual interviews

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Perceptions of Fitness to Teach

• HE tutors– General awareness that the guidance existed– FtT issues get passed up the line and dealt with by

senior academics– Some examples of using FtT successfully to

achieve reasonable adjustments– Concerns about stigmatization of students with

mental health problems– Potential for confidentiality dilemmas

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Perceptions of Fitness to Teach

• Student Services/Support Staff– Awareness of Fitness to Teach but would become

involved only at the request of academic staff– Awareness of health questionnaire at application

stage, and recognition that, whilst the intention is to facilitate reasonable adjustment, fear of stigma may be a deterrent to disclosure

– Perceived dramatic improvements in implementing reasonable adjustments, but dependent on students’ willingness to disclose

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Topics for Discussion

• In relation to student mental health issues, do we:– understand fully the implications of a range of mental

health issues on someone’s suitability to teach;– have in place appropriate collaborative arrangements

with student support services regarding potential arrangements for reasonable adjustment;

– ensure we work in an anti-discriminatory manner in the application and assessment processes for ITET?

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Students’ Perceptions of Fitness to Teach

• Students aware of reason for health questionnaire, but no particular comments made about its impact, and no experiences disclosed

• Students would need to disclose they were having difficulties in order to trigger support mechanisms including Fitness to Teach/Able to Teach

• Students’ experiences of accessing support is therefore relevant to the process

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Students’ Perceptions of Accessing Support

• Departmental Support– Tutors had been allocated to all students, but

ambiguity around tutor’s role– Fear factor around requesting pastoral support

(fear of being labelled inadequate) so tended to stick to academic issues

– Tutor allocation described as ‘a lottery’ in relation to levels of support given/approachability

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What works well/less well

Students’ perceptions of communication with academic tutors

• Attempts to split the academic and the pastoral tutor roles were perceived by students as ineffective because the pastoral tutor tended to be an unfamiliar figure and students preferred to speak with someone they knew

• Students who did not have a regular university attendance day found communication with academic tutors more problematic than those who attended regularly one day per week

• If there is a need to discuss a personal issue, students are highly likely to choose a tutor with whom they are comfortable and familiar, regardless of tutoring systems or allocation of roles

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What works well/less well

Accessing specialist student services provision

• All universities offered centralized counselling and other forms of support for well-being. The hours of service were problematic, however, because students were not available to access these facilities during office hours, and out-of-hours provision was not available. The situation was exacerbated by centralized provision being located at a site some distance from the ITET campus

• Where an ITET department was offering its own services for student support and well-being, this tended to be in closer proximity and therefore more easily accessible for students

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Issues affecting student well-being

• Workload intensity recognized by HE tutors and students – Students perceived this to be volume of work rather

than academic level– Some academics thought that academic was the real

issue• Student frustration at ‘theory fatigue’• Students perceive workload inconsistencies

between subjects • Some students had difficulty with VLE

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Overall perceptions from student survey

• Students tended to be satisfied with their school placement experience, but less satisfied with the university experience

• Although most students were satisfied with the school placement experience, some expressed significant feelings of dissatisfaction

• 11 of the 113 participants found the transition from university to school placement was not easy, and these tended to rate the school experience less favourably

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Topics for Discussion

• Do we need to make the university curriculum more relevant in preparing students for school experience?

• If the majority of students seem satisfied with aspects of their study and school experience, how can we recognize and work with the minority of students who find aspects of the programme challenging?

• Should we make adjustments such as addressing workload intensity, or offering more accessible student support services?

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Topics for Discussion

•In relation to student mental health issues, do we:-understand fully the implications of a range of

mental health issues on someone’s suitability to teach;-have in place appropriate collaborative

arrangements with student support services regarding potential arrangements for reasonable adjustment;

-ensure we work in an anti-discriminatory manner in the application and assessment processes for ITET?

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Thank you for listening