The Wellbeing of Rural K-12 Educators: Applying PERMA in Rural Schools during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Objective: In this paper we describe the status of wellbeing for school personnel in the 2021-22 school year through the PERMA framework and the extent to which the COVID-19 pandemic adversely impacted dimensions of wellbeing. Methods: We administered the workplace wellbeing survey (a quantitative instrument based on PERMA) to school staff members in a rural/frontier region of a western state of the United States. Overall, 777 persons completed it, including 463 teachers from 23 school districts. Results: PERMA constructs of meaning and accomplishment were higher than other constructs and may serve as an anchor for wellbeing in education. Teachers showed lower levels of positive emotion, engagement, and accomplishment, when compared to nonteachers in schools. When compared with non-Hispanic personnel, Hispanic personnel had lower levels of wellbeing in the domain of relationships and reported a more severe adverse impact from the COVID-19 pandemic on both social and physical wellbeing. Conclusions: Adopting a more nuanced view of educator wellbeing, as defined by more than the mere absence of burnout and attrition is critical to fostering educational practices that promote the flourishing of school personnel.