Abstract
The present study investigated the effectiveness of the Early Advancement in Social–Emotional Health and Positivity (EASP) program, a positive psychological intervention promoting preschool teachers' well-being and the motivational aspect of professional competence. Participants were 273 in-service preschool teachers (Mage = 34.56 years, SD = 9.52, range = 22–58; female = 98.90%) who participated in a 2-month randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomly assigned to the intervention group (n = 143) receiving 1) four online workshops, 2) a smartphone app, and 3) an online activity, or to the wait-list control group (n = 130), which received the intervention materials after all the data collection. Participants reported their well-being dimensions, teaching self-efficacy, and autonomous motivation for teaching before and after the intervention. Results from a path analytic model exhibited excellent fit with the data, χ2 = 37.62, df = 33, CFI =.99, TLI =.98, RMSEA =.02 [90% CI = 0.00, 0.05], SRMR =.02. The intervention had direct effects on changes in well-being dimensions, including positivity, outcome, strength, engagement, and resilience (β =.14 to.26, ps =.00 to.04), and indirect intervention effects on changes in teaching self-efficacy and autonomous motivation for teaching (β =.14 to.15, ps =.00 to.01). These findings highlighted the potential value of implementing positive psychological interventions in educational settings to promote the well-being and professional competence among preschool teachers. Copyright © 2024 The Authors.
Original language | English |
---|---|
Pages (from-to) | 1626-1658 |
Journal | Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being |
Volume | 16 |
Early online date | Apr 2024 |
DOIs | |
Publication status | Published - 2024 |
Citation
Lee, A. S. Y., Fung, W. K., Chan, D. K. C., & Chung, K. K. H. (2024). The effectiveness of a positive psychological intervention for promoting preschool teachers' well-being and professional competence: EASP intervention program. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-Being, 16, 1626-1658. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12544Keywords
- Autonomous motivation for teaching
- Professional competence
- PROSPER
- Randomized controlled trial
- Teaching self-efficacy
- Well-being