The Center for Research on Education and School Development (IFS) at the TU Dortmund University organizes the sixth IFS Virtual Keynote Series. Two keynotes will be held per date. A five-minute introduction is followed by the 45-minute keynotes. After each keynote will be 15 minutes time for moderated questions and answers.

Well-Being in the Educational Context: Understanding and Enhancing Teacher Well-Being

Teachers’ and school principals’ well-being: What determines it, why it matters, and how to preserve it?

Irena Burić (University of Zadar, Croatia)

School principals’ and teachers’ well-being is a cornerstone of high-quality education, yet it is increasingly challenged by the demands of modern schooling. This lecture examines what occupational well-being means for school principals and teachers, why it matters, and how it can be sustained. Drawing on the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) theory, it explores how job demands (e.g., work pressure, daily hassles, qualitative demands, illegitimate tasks) may undermine well-being, while personal and organizational resources—such as self-efficacy, resilience, autonomy, social support, feedback, and positive relationships with students and parents—can act as protective factors. Occupational well-being includes both positive dimensions (e.g., engagement, happiness, job satisfaction) and negative dimensions (e.g., burnout, work addiction, impaired health), and the balance between them determines whether educators thrive or struggle in their roles. The lecture also highlights the consequences of compromised well-being, including reduced motivation, strained relationships, diminished performance, and attrition. Lastly, strategies for safeguarding school principals’ and teachers’ well-being will be considered at multiple levels, including individual (e.g., stress management, recovery), school (supportive leadership, collaboration), policy (reducing demands, enhancing resources), community (respecting and protecting the profession), and research (evidence-based interventions). By integrating theory, research findings, and practical implications, the lecture will emphasize that supporting school principals’ and teachers’ well-being is essential for sustaining a motivated workforce, improving student outcomes, and ensuring the long-term success of education systems.

Leading with resilience: A journey of school well-being cascade

Junjun Chen (Education University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong)

The work of school principals has always been complex and challenging. This phenomenon has inevitably threatened principal well-being and school effectiveness. Principal resilience has therefore become a pressing line of research as principals often struggle to cope not only with professional challenges and uncertainties around building a successful school but also with their own and their school well-being. Moreover, the notion of›principal first‹has recently been placed on the agenda to cultivate principal resilience, thereby establishing a school well-being cascade. Based on the current literature on educator well-being and resilience, and meta intervention evidence in the field, this presentation will talk about essentials of resilience, science of resilience, and build school collective well-being cascade.

The conference is free of charge and you may register here.