The Role of Compassion during the Shift to Online Teaching for Language Teacher Wellbeing
Abstract
Research on compassion has received increasing attention over the past decades (Seppälä et al., 2017). However, empirical studies focusing on the role of compassion for teachers still remain sparse to date. This paper reports on a study designed to investigate the wellbeing of 21 language teachers across the globe during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic crisis. In particular, the study sought out to examine the ways in which compassion and self-compassion contributed to the wellbeing of language teachers during this time. Data were generated through in-depth, semi-structured individual online interviews and were analyzed from
a Grounded Theory perspective (Charmaz, 2006). Findings revealed that acts of compassion in the workplace and in the private lives of the teachers played a crucial role in shaping our participants’ wellbeing during this time of crisis. Furthermore, self-compassion emerged as an important factor influencing the wellbeing of teachers during the pandemic crisis. Indeed, compassion and self-compassion served as core elements in their teaching and appeared to affect their relationships with their students, colleagues, and headteachers. In the absence of compassion, the stressful and challenging situation they were already experiencing was exacerbated. These findings imply the potential benefits of compassion and self-compassion training for teachers, administrators, and policymakers to support and promote wellbeing in the educational workplace.
Keywords
compassion; self-compassion; language teacher wellbeing; education; COVID-19 pandemic crisis
References
Armstrong, K. (2008, November 14). Do unto others. The Guardian. https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2008/nov/14/religion
Bluth, K., & Eisenlohr-Moul, T. A. (2017). Response to a mindful self-compassion intervention in teens: A within-person association of mindfulness, self-compassion, and emotional well-being outcomes. Journal of Adolescence, 57, 108–118. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.adolescence.2017.04.001
Borg, S. (2006). The distinctive characteristics of foreign language teachers. Language Teaching Research, 10(1), 3–31.
Brady, J., & Wilson, E. (2021). Teacher wellbeing in England: Teacher responses to school-level initiatives. Cambridge Journal of Education, 51(1), 45–63. https://doi.org/10.1080/0305764X.2020.1775789
Butler, J., & Kern, M. L. (2016). The PERMA-Profiler: A brief multidimensional measure of flourishing. International Journal of Wellbeing, 6(3). https://doi.org/10.5502/ijw.v6i3.526
Cameron, K. (2017). Organizational compassion manifestations through organizations. In E. Seppälä, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline, C. D. Cameron, & J. R. Doty (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of compassion science (pp. 541–559). Oxford University Press.
Carter, C. S., Bartal, I., & Porges, E. (2017). The roots of compassion: An evolutionary and neurobiological perspective. In E. Seppälä, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline,
C. D. Cameron, & J. R. Doty (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of compassion science (pp. 234–252). Oxford University Press.
Carver, C. S. (1997). You want to measure coping but your protocol’s too long: Consider the Brief COPE. International Journal of Behavioral Medicine, 4(1), 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327558ijbm0401_6
Charmaz, K. (2006). Constructing grounded theory: A practical guide through qualitative analysis. Sage.
Cosley, B., McCoy, S. K., Saslow, L. R., & Epel, E. S. (2010). Is compassion for others stress buffering? Consequences of compassion and social support for physiological reactivity to stress. Journal of Experimental Social Psychology, 46(5), 816–823. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jesp.2010.04.008
Davis, M. H. (2017). Empathy, compassion, and social relationships. In E. Seppälä, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline, C. D. Cameron, & J. R. Doty (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of compassion science (pp. 387–408). Oxford University Press.
De Stasio, S., Benevene, P., Pepe, A., & Buonomo, I. (2020). The interplay of compassion, subjective happiness and proactive strategies on kindergarten teachers’ work engagement and perceived working environment fit. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 17(13), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17134869
De Stasio, S., Fiorilli, C., Benevene, P., Boldrini, F., Ragni, B., Pepe, A., & Maldonado Briegas, J. J. (2019). Subjective happiness and compassion are enough to increase teachers’ work engagement? Frontiers in Psychology, 10, 2268. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.02268
Dewaele, J. M., & Wu, A. (2021). Predicting the emotional labor strategies of Chinese English Foreign Language teachers. System, 103, 102660. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102660
De Zulueta P. C. (2015). Developing compassionate leadership in health care: An integrative review. Journal of Healthcare Leadership, 8, 1–10. https://doi.org/10.2147/JHL.S93724
Dörnyei, Z. (2007). Research methods in Applied Linguistics: Quantitative, qualitative, and mixed methodologies. Oxford University Press.
Dreer, B. (2021). Teachers’ well-being and job satisfaction: The important role of positive emotions in the workplace. Educational Studies, 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/03055698.2021.1940872
Dundas, I., Binder, P.-E., Hansen, T., & Stige, S. H. (2017). Does a short self-compassion intervention for students increase healthy self-regulation? A randomized control trial. Scandinavian Journal of Psychology, 58, 443–450. https://doi.org/10.1111/sjop.12385
Dutton, J., Workman, K. M., & Hardin, A. E. (2014). Compassion at work. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 1, 277–304. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-031413-091221
Dutton, J., & Worline, M. (2020, April 3). Educators, it’s time to put on your compassion hats. Harvard Business Publishing Education. https://hbsp.harvard.edu/inspiring-minds/educators-its-time-to-put-on-your-compassion-hats
Eldor, L., & Shoshani, A. (2016). Caring relationships in school staff: Exploring the link between compassion and teacher work engagement. Teaching and Teacher Education, 59, 126–136. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2016.06.001
Ergün, A. L. P., & Dewaele, J. M. (2021). Do well-being and resilience predict the foreign language teaching enjoyment of teachers of Italian? System, 99, 102506. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2021.102506
Galea, S. (2020). Compassion in a time of COVID-19. The Lancet, 395(10241), 1897–1898. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0140-6736(20)31202-2
Gates, T. G., Ross, D., Bennett, B., & Jonathan, K. (2021). Teaching mental health and well-being online in a crisis: Fostering love and self-compassion in clinical social work education. Clinical Social Work Journal. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10615-021-00786-z
Gerber, Z., Tolmacz, R., & Doron, Y. (2015). Self-compassion and forms of concern for others. Personality and Individual Differences, 86, 394–400. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2015.06.052
Gilbert, P. (2010). An introduction to compassion focused therapy in cognitive behavior therapy. International Journal of Cognitive Therapy, 3(2), 97–112. https://doi.org/10.1521/ijct.2010.3.2.97
Gkonou, C. Dewaele, J.-M., & King J. (Eds.). (2020). The emotional rollercoaster of language teaching. Multilingual Matters.
Goetz, J. L., Keltner, D., Simon-Thomas, E. (2010). Compassion: An evolutionary analysis and empirical review. Psychological Bulletin, 136(3), 351–374. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0018807
Griffith, M., Dubow, E., & Ippolito, M. (2000). Developmental and cross-situational differences in adolescents’ coping strategies. Journal of Youth and Adolescence, 29, 183–204.
Han, J., Yin, H., Wang, J., & Bai, Y. (2020). Challenge job demands and job resources to university teacher well-being: The mediation of teacher efficacy. Studies in Higher Education, 45(8), 1771–1785. https://doi.org/10.1080/03075079.2019.1594180
Horwitz, E. K. (1996). Even teachers get the blues: Recognizing and alleviating non-native teachers’ feelings of foreign language anxiety. Foreign Language Annals, 29, 365–372.
Kotera, Y., & Van Gordon, W. (2021). Effects of self-compassion training on work-related well-being: A systematic review. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, 1–13. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.630798
Kudo, I., & Hartley, J. (n.d.). Teaching (with) empathy and compassion in schools. Unesco. https://mgiep.unesco.org/article/teaching-with-empathy-and-compassion-in-schools
Lavelle, B. D. (2017). Compassion in context: Tracing the Buddhist roots of secular, compassion-based contemplative programs. In E. Seppälä, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline, C. D. Cameron, & J. R. Doty (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of compassion science (pp. 44–55). Oxford University Press
Lepp, L., Aaviku, T., Leijen, Ä., Pedaste, M., Saks, K. (2021). Teaching during COVID-19: The decisions made in teaching. Education Sciences, 11(2), 1–21. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11020047
Luthans, F., Avolio, B. J., Avey, J. B., & Norman, S. M. (2007). Positive psychological capital: Measurement and relationship with performance and satisfaction. Personnel Psychology, 60, 541–572. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1744-6570.2007.00083.x
Lyubomirsky, S., & Layous, K. (2013). How do simple positive activities increase well-being? Current Directions in Psychological Science, 22(1), 57–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/0963721412469809
MacBeth, A., & Gumley, A. (2012). Exploring compassion: A meta-analysis of the association between self-compassion and psychopathology. Clinical Psychology Review, 32(6), 545–552. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cpr.2012.06.003
MacIntyre, P., Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (2019). Setting an agenda for positive psychology in SLA: Theory, practice, and research. The Modern Language Journal, 103(1), 262–274. https://doi.org/10.1111/modl.12544
MacIntyre, P., Gregersen, T., & Mercer, S. (2020). Language teachers’ coping strategies during the Covid-19 conversion to online teaching: Correlations with stress, wellbeing and negative emotions. System, 94(102352), 1–14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.system.2020.102352
Malti, T. (2020). Kindness: A perspective from developmental psychology. European Journal of Developmental Psychology. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/17405629.2020.1837617
Mercer, S., Oberdorfer, P., & Saleem, M. (2016). Helping language teachers to thrive: Using positive psychology to promote teachers’ professional well-being. In D. Gabryś-Barker & D. Gałajda (Eds.), Positive psychology perspectives on foreign language learning and teaching (pp. 213–229). Springer.
Mercer, S. (2020). The well-being of language teachers in the private sector: An ecological perspective. Language Teaching Research. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362168820973510
Mercer, S., & Gregersen, T. (2020). Teacher wellbeing. Oxford University Press.
Neff, K. D. (2003). Self-compassion: An alternative conceptualization of a healthy attitude toward oneself. Self and Identity, 2(2), 85–101. https://doi.org/10.1080/15298860309032
Neff, K. D. (2011). Self-compassion, self-esteem, and well-being. Social and Personality Psychology Compass, 5(1), 1–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1751-9004.2010.00330.x
Neff, K. D., & Germer, C. (2017). Self-compassion and psychological well-being. In E. Seppälä, E. Simon-Thomas, S. L. Brown, M. C. Worline, C. D. Cameron, & J. R. Doty (Eds.), The Oxford handbook of compassion science (pp. 478–497). Oxford University Press.
Neff, K. D. (2021). Fierce self-compassion: How women can harness kindness to speak up, claim their power, and thrive. Harper Collins.
Nyanamoli, B. (1964). The Path of Purification (Visuddhimagga) by Buddhaghosa. A. Semage Publications.
O’Leary, Z. (2021). The essential guide to doing your research project. Sage.
Peterson, A. (2017). Compassion and education: Cultivating compassionate children, schools and communities. Palgrave Macmillan.
Prilleltensky, I., Neff, M., & Bessell, A. (2016). Teacher stress: What it is, why it’s important, how it can be alleviated. Theory into Practice, 55(2), 104–111. https://doi.org/10.1080/00405841.2016.1148986
Raes, F. (2010). Rumination and worry as mediators of the relationship between self-compassion and depression and anxiety. Personality and Individual Differences, 48(6), 757–761. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paid.2010.01.023
Reimers, F., Schleicher, A., Saavedra, J., & Tuominen, S. (2020). Supporting the continuation of teaching and learning during the COVID-19 pandemic. Annotated resources for online learning. OECD. https://www.oecd.org/education/Supporting-the-continuation-of-teachingand-learning-during-the-COVID-19-pandemic.pdf
Roffey, S. (2012). Pupil wellbeing–teacher wellbeing: Two sides of the same coin? Educational and Child Psychology, 29, 8–17.
Saltzman, L. Y., Hansel, T. C., & Bordnick, P. S. (2020). Loneliness, isolation, and social support factors in post-COVID-19 mental health. Psychological Trauma: Theory, Research, Practice, and Policy, 12(1), 55–57. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/tra0000703
Schaufeli, W. B., Bakker, A. B., & Salanova, M. (2006). The measurement of work engagement with a short questionnaire: A cross-national study. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 66(4), 701–716. https://doi.org/10.1177/0013164405282471
Seligman, M. E. (2018). PERMA and the building blocks of well-being. The Journal of Positive Psychology, 13, 333e335. https://doi.org/10.1080/17439760.2018.1437466
Seppälä, E. M., Simon-Thomas, E., Brown, S. L., Worline, M. C., Cameron, C. D., & Doty, J. R. (Eds.). (2017). The Oxford handbook of compassion science. Oxford University Press.
Sinclair, S., Beamer, K., Hack, T., McClement, S., Raffin Bouchal, S., Chochinov, H., & Hagen, N. (2017). Sympathy, empathy, and compassion: A grounded theory study of palliative care patients’ understandings, experiences, and preferences. Palliative Medicine, 31(5), 437–447. https://doi.org/10.1177/0269216316663499
Singer, T., & Klimecki, O. M. (2014). Empathy and compassion. Current Biology, 24(18), 875–878. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2014.06.054
Sohrabi, C., Alsafi, Z., O’Neill, N., Khan, M., Kerwan, A., Al-Jabir, A., Iosifidis, C., & Aghad, R. (2020). World Health Organization declares global emergency: A review of the 2019 novel coronavirus (COVID-19). International Journal of Surgery, 76, 71–76. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijsu.2020.02.034
Spilt, J. L., Koomen, H. M. Y., & Thijs, J. T. (2011). Teacher wellbeing: The importance of teacher-student relationships. Educational Psychology Review, 23, 457e477. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-011-9170-y
Sprecher, S., & Fehr, B. (2005). Compassionate love for close others and humanity. Journal of Social and Personal Relationships, 22, 629–651. https://doi.org/10.1177/0265407505056439
Troman, G. (2000). Teacher stress in the low-trust society. British Journal of Sociology of Education, 21(3), 331e353. https://doi.org/10.1080/713655357
Vollhardt, J. R. (2009). Altruism born of suffering and prosocial behavior following adverse life events: A review and conceptualization. Social Justice Research, 22, 53–97. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11211-009-0088-1
Watson, D., Clark, L. A., & Tellegen, A. (1988). Development and validation of brief measures of positive and negative affect: The PANAS scales. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 54(6), 1063–1070. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.54.6.1063
World Health Organization (WHO). (2020, March 11). WHO Director-general’s opening remarks at the media briefing on COVID-19 – 11 March 2020. https://www.who.int/director-general/speeches/detail/who-director-general-s-opening-remarks-at-the-media-briefing-on-covid-19---11-march-2020
Zaki, J. (2020). Catastrophe compassion: Understanding and extending prosociality under crisis. Trends in Cognitive Sciences, 24(8), 587–589. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tics.2020.05.006
Zessin, U., Dickhäuser, O., & Garbade, S. (2015). The relationship between self-compassion and well-being: A meta-analysis. Applied Psychology: Health and Well-being, 7(3), 340–364. https://doi.org/10.1111/aphw.12051
University of Graz Austria
https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9885-3399
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
The Copyright Holders of the submitted texts are the Authors. The Reader is granted the rights to use the material available in the TAPSLA websites and pdf documents under the provisions of the Creative Commons 4.0 International License: Attribution - Share Alike (CC BY-SA 4.0). The user is free to copy and redistribute the material in any medium or format, and to remix, transform, and build upon the material for any purpose, even commercially.
1. License
The University of Silesia Press provides immediate open access to journal’s content under the Creative Commons BY-SA 4.0 license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Authors who publish with this journal retain all copyrights and agree to the terms of the above-mentioned CC BY-SA 4.0 license.
2. Author’s Warranties
The author warrants that the article is original, written by stated author/s, has not been published before, contains no unlawful statements, does not infringe the rights of others, is subject to copyright that is vested exclusively in the author and free of any third party rights, and that any necessary written permissions to quote from other sources have been obtained by the author/s.
If the article contains illustrative material (drawings, photos, graphs, maps), the author declares that the said works are of his authorship, they do not infringe the rights of the third party (including personal rights, i.a. the authorization to reproduce physical likeness) and the author holds exclusive proprietary copyrights. The author publishes the above works as part of the article under the licence "Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International".
ATTENTION! When the legal situation of the illustrative material has not been determined and the necessary consent has not been granted by the proprietary copyrights holders, the submitted material will not be accepted for editorial process. At the same time the author takes full responsibility for providing false data (this also regards covering the costs incurred by the University of Silesia Press and financial claims of the third party).
3. User Rights
Under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license, the users are free to share (copy, distribute and transmit the contribution) and adapt (remix, transform, and build upon the material) the article for any purpose, provided they attribute the contribution in the manner specified by the author or licensor.
4. Co-Authorship
If the article was prepared jointly with other authors, the signatory of this form warrants that he/she has been authorized by all co-authors to sign this agreement on their behalf, and agrees to inform his/her co-authors of the terms of this agreement.
I hereby declare that in the event of withdrawal of the text from the publishing process or submitting it to another publisher without agreement from the editorial office, I agree to cover all costs incurred by the University of Silesia in connection with my application.
