WITY Research
The WITY Lab is motivated by ecological systems theories, which emphasize the importance of understanding development in context. Our research centers on schools as a particularly important context for children’s development. Our work focuses on understanding the associations between teachers’ occupational health and well-being and their students’ social, emotional, and behavioral development using a variety of methodological approaches, including self-reports, peer-nominations, and observational methods.
Our work bridges research and practice by studying interventions designed to support the health and well-being of teachers and students, such as mindfulness-based wellness programs. We bring an implementation science perspective to this research by investigating conditions and factors that impede or support successful implementation of evidence-based programs.
Topics We Study
- Teachers’ Occupational Health and Well-Being
- Student Well-Being
- Mindfulness-Based Interventions
- Social and Emotional Learning
- Implementation of School-Based Interventions
Motivating Fast Facts
- Teaching is one of the most highly stressed professions (Johnson et al., 2005)
- Nearly half of all new teachers leave the profession in the first five years (NAASP.com)
- Teachers’ occupational health and well-being is thought to impact their ability to support students’ development and learning (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009)
- Supporting the development of teachers’ own social and emotional competencies is theorized to help teachers cope with the stressors of their profession (Roeser et al., 2013)
- Efforts to support teachers are likely to have positive impacts on their students