Browsing by Author "Ahlvik, Gabriella"

Education is of central importance in our society. It not only ensures economic growth, but also contributes to democratic decision-making, social inclusion, and equity. Teachers there fore play a vital role in society and to ensure that there are competent, talented and committed teachers in the future, the teaching profession needs to be respected and teachers´ well being taken seriously. Previous studies show that the workload is increasing and that the well-being of teachers is declining. Some teachers feel so exhausted that they choose to leave the teaching profession. This tendency is alarming and is seen not only in Finland but in several parts of the world. The aim of this study is to identify factors that increase workload and to understand which factors have a negative impact on teachers ́ well-being. In addition, by allowing teachers to highlight suggestions for improvement, the study can contribute with knowledge about how the teaching profession could develop so that well-being could increase, and workload could be reduced. The following research questions have been posed: 1. Which factors contribute to increased workload among teachers? 2. Which factors in the teaching profession contribute to reduced well-being? 3. What changes do teachers consider essential to promote their well-being and reduce workload? This study was conducted using a qualitative method where the material was collected through semi-structured in-depth interviews. A total of five teachers who teach in grades 1–6 participated. Qualitative content analysis is used to analyze the interviews. The results show that factors that increase workload are linked to the overall increase in work load. The teachers feel that the increased bureaucracy is stressful, as is the lack of resources in the classroom. When it comes to well-being, it is mainly friction in social relations that con tributes to poorer well-being. Mistrust and lack of support in leadership are also contributing factors. Teachers emphasize that it is important to keep teaching groups small and that they need better opportunities to deal with students who disrupt teaching. Greater clarity in policy documents and more effective collaboration are also important to counteract workload. In addition, teachers would like to be more involved in decision-making processes, they want to be taken seriously and be treated with respect.