Browsing by Author "Pellava, Sanna"

Wellbeing skills and the teaching wellbeing have already been researched to a certain extent abroad. Research results have been promising. It has been established that wellbeing can be taught to children. Teaching wellbeing has also been shown to improve children’s wellbeing, behaviour as well as academic performance. Teaching wellbeing is starting to become adopted in Finland as well. As far as I know, teachers’ views have not yet been investigated in Finland. The present study’s aim is therefore to understand teachers’ views on pupils’ wellbeing and experience on teaching wellbeing. The theory section of the thesis introduces theories of wellbeing and concepts concerning school wellbeing. I also delve into different fields of teaching of wellbeing and examine the significance on the pupils’ wellbeing of teachers’ skills, the general atmosphere and the entire school’s involvement. The study adopts a qualitative approach. The research encompasses interviews with five class teachers all of whom had many years of teaching experience. Interviews were conducted using semi-structured thematic interviews. Thematic analysis was conducted on the material. The class teachers considered the pupils’ wellbeing to be affected by several factors. Wellbeing was seen to be promoted especially by the pupils’ social and emotional skills and the teacher’s own skills and perceptions. Additionally a safe atmosphere, performing tasks together and a culture of communality, noticing strengths and good behaviour, as well as the perceived sense of meaning were seen as affecting the wellbeing of pupils. The Finnish teachers did not, however, emphasize the meaning of positive emotions that constitute one of the pillars of positive education. The class teachers had mixed experience with teaching wellbeing. The teachers perceived the resources for teaching wellbeing as partly sufficient and partly lacking. They had noticed positive effects in their pupils by teaching wellbeing. Teaching wellbeing seemed also to positively affect the teacher’s own growth and wellbeing. The teaching of wellbeing does indeed seem to be affected by many interconnected factors.