The burnout warning

This chapter covers three distinct themes that encompass the concept of burnout warning: inherent adversities in the modality shift, fear and ambiguity in higher education, and attempting to work in suboptimal conditions. While thriving represents a concept that denotes success and achievement, burnout represents exhaustion and fatigue. The behavior exhibited by staff and its correlation to burnout is best explained by the works of Maslach and Leiter using the areas of worklife (AW) model entailing organizational risk factors. The AW model explains how burnout is expedited when there is a disruption to balance in the following areas: workload, control, reward, community, fairness, and values. The findings indicate that staff members at the University of Utah displayed early signs of burnout warning. The factors that contribute to early signals of burnout include resource shortages, an increase in overall workload-including persistent emotional labor-and a lack of acknowledgement. The chapter illustrates how stressors, aggravated by COVID fatigue, fostered an environment that mobilized the onset of burnout. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Loss of organic community and decentralized communications

This chapter explores the barriers and disruption to community and communication resulting from remote working during the COVID-19 pandemic. The University of Utah's decision to abruptly transition to a fully online model resulted in several communication impacts for staff. First, staff participants received little and inconsistent communication from the University. This caused uncertainty within departments, which trickled down to the students staff serve. Second, this led to staff participants feeling disconnected from the institution and increased their concerns around misinforming students. At the same time, the move to online learning and work decreased efficient communication between colleagues. Casual interactions in the office became email threads and extended feedback processes. Third, staff reported that online communications with students became less personal, which created difficulty for building and maintaining rapport. Finally, staff members' overall sense of community consistently dropped as the COVID-19 pandemic raged on and they were forced to continue to work remotely. The discontent and apprehension felt by staff members around the communication provided from University leadership was compounded by the impact of working from home. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Transforming educators' practice: How university educators learned to teach online from home during the Covid-19 pandemic

The Covid-19 pandemic triggered a large-scale change in the way university educators worked. This article examines tensions that shaped how educators adapted their teaching as they worked from home during the pandemic. The study is based on empirical data gathered at a large-scale, research-intensive UK university in the first weeks of lockdown. Activity Theory analysis is used to examine transformations in practice, how these changes were culturally and historically situated and materially and socially mediated. The themes identified are examined through a series of vignettes to pinpoint personal factors that influenced the expansion of work. This study's findings signal a call to action to support new forms of work through five policy actions related to personal factors that influence the work, life and wellbeing of educators. Going forward, there is a need for universities to develop and implement policies that take into consideration these five areas to support educators to expand how they work. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Academic rope to cope: Teachers' coping strategy to academic anxiety

The pandemic drove an abrupt global change that brought anxiety and distress to individuals. As such, the study explored the coping strategies used by higher education faculty members in dealing with academic anxiety. A concurrent triangulation mixed method was employed. Data were gathered from the faculty members of a state university using questionnaires and interviews. The faculty members primarily employed religiosity, problem-solving, cognitive reappraisal, and relaxation/recreation as their coping mechanisms. Furthermore, the females were more inclined to use emotional release, and the young adults employed social support and overactivity. Henceforth, the female faculty members may be exposed to peer counseling where they will be able to freely release their anger because of academic anxiety and the young adults may be showered with care and understanding from the people who are close to them and they may be provided with activities to do that may lessen their academic anxiety. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Which teachers were most affected in terms of mental health during the strict covid-19 lockdown in spain?

This study looks at the effect that the compulsory COVID-19 lockdown restrictions introduced by the Spanish government had on the quality of life of teachers working in the Spanish education system, i.e. those teaching at early years, primary, secondary, tertiary vocational training and university education levels. Participants completed a questionnaire that included the 7-item Generalized Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-7) along with other questions relating to their wellbeing from the European Quality of Life Survey (EQLS). A total of 668 teachers responded to the questionnaire, which was generated using Microsoft Forms and distributed in an online format. The results confirm significant levels of abnormal anxiety during prolonged lockdown. We perform a multivariate analysis that shows that, whatever the level of anxiety, two variables are always significant in all the contrast models: participants felt the effects of lockdown on a personal level and found it difficult to carry out their work. The results also indicate that teachers working in primary and secondary education were those most affected by the strict, prolonged lockdown and that female teachers suffered much higher levels of anxiety than male teachers. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

The creative container: Supervision and schools in a time of trauma

This article explores creative supervision with Headteachers and Senior Leaders following the Covid-19 pandemic. It examines the effects of a global trauma on schools and the need for effective supervision to provide a safe container for school staff. Different forms of creative supervision are considered, including the use of symbol and metaphor as well as working outdoors, in nature. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Working from home challenges: Resources, tools, and quality concerns

This chapter provides a glimpse into the conversation around the resources that university staff need to thrive in their work both on campus or through telework. The COVID-19 pandemic and shifting to working from home exposed disparities in resources for staff at the University of Utah many of which existed in the on-campus work environment as well. Institutions of higher education were no exception;most non-essential employees made the change from working on campus to a teleworking environment. Because most colleges and universities still operate from a brick-and-mortar setting and primarily offer in-person instruction, this change to serving students and carrying out job responsibilities from home was a huge and unexpected shift, and very little infrastructure was in place for addressing needs and providing essential tools and resources for employee thriving in a work-at-home environment. It is found that the move to working from home revealed a broad continuum where on one end staff had access to essential resources for thriving as new telecommuters, and on the other end staff struggled from one day to the next to maintain quality services for students and co-workers due to the lack of basic resources. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Teaching online and caring for students and colleagues

This chapter explores how the University's decision to move all courses to an online format impacted faculty members. It illustrates the challenges associated with transitioning from a brick-and-mortar, four-year university that predominantly offers in-person classes into one that operated almost completely online. The chapter focuses on faculty and how different aspects of their pedagogy were immediately impacted by the pandemic. It addresses how faculty participants expressed their concern for students and colleagues as well as the initiatives and actions participants took to assist students and colleagues. The chapter discusses the impact of COVID-19 and the transition to online learning on a traditional institution of higher education. The experience of transitioning to online teaching varied widely for faculty and was dependent on the course and content delivery, experience with online teaching and online tools, and course context. All faculty made accommodations for students, whether at the behest of the University directive to accommodate student needs or because they felt it was in the best interest of the students. Faculty participants also adjusted their expectations for assessments and grading. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Community, communication and expectations for teaching

This chapter explores how communication during the COVID-19 crisis hindered and supported faculty performance and how they interpreted institutional communication and expectations around their teaching. It addresses the importance of community to faculty, both as they adjusted to online instruction and as a source of thriving in their work. Faculty are a key element in higher education institutions, and the findings show how faculty participants acted on the frontlines of the transition to online learning. Faculty participants consistently talked about the challenges of teaching students to the best of their ability during a global pandemic, and the importance of their communities for their success in this endeavor. They expected clear communication from the University and desired guidelines specific to each college or department. In the end, faculty relied on their community as a resource of knowledge and support during the difficult transition. Professional organizations and colleagues outside of the University of Utah also served as sources of knowledge for faculty as they adjusted to online learning. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Pandemic privilege

Many felt that the challenges related to COVID-19 were more difficult for students than for faculty and expressed concern for students struggling to manage the impacts of the pandemic. Pandemic privilege is illustrated several ways. First, faculty appreciated the privilege in the fact that, generally, their employment was not at risk. This was stronger for tenure-line faculty than for contract, clinical, and adjunct faculty. However, across the board, faculty expressed that they were privileged in their ability to continue working in meaningful employment and to do so from home. Second, faculty whose children were grown and more independent felt privilege related to the extra burden on colleagues with younger children at home. Additionally, many of the White faculty recognized a racial privilege, both in terms of the virus and more generally as a result of the racial justice movements across the country. And, faculty who were relatively healthy acknowledged the different impact of the virus for those with health-related complications or risk factors. Finally, faculty talked about their privilege in comparison to students. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Socioeconomic disparities in the reopening of schools during the pandemic in Chile.

The COVID-19 pandemic produced the most significant disruption in education in history. More than 190 countries suspended in-person instruction, affecting an estimated 1.6 billion students. The reopening of schools has been unequal. Schools in more affluent areas reopened sooner than poorer ones, exacerbating preexisting inequalities. There is limited research about the reopening processes in Latin America, where schools were closed for extended periods. Using a rich administrative dataset, we investigate the gaps in the resumption of in-person instruction in Chilean schools across socioeconomic groups in the fall of 2021. Schools with lower socioeconomic status were significantly less likely to offer in-person instruction. Disparities in reopening decisions were associated with administrative factors rather than economic or local epidemiological conditions.

Preventing compassion fatigue among educators: An educator resiliency study during the COVID-19 pandemic

In this chapter, we present both quantitative and qualitative findings from the Educator Resiliency Project, which aimed to understand educators' risk and resilience during the COVID-19 pandemic and distance learning among 321 educators in a diverse and urban school district in Northern California. The quantitative findings revealed how educators' perceptions of online teaching self-efficacy, educators' social and emotional learning (SEL) competencies, and school connectedness factors concurrently and interactively influenced educators' compassion fatigue during the pandemic;and the qualitative findings illustrated the main themes of sources contributing to their compassion fatigue and other individual struggles during the distance learning. Based on the quantitative and qualitative findings, we also discussed the practical implications and strategies to prevent compassion fatigue and promote wellness among educators during and beyond the COVID-19 pandemic. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A psychologist among the school desks

The Covid-19 health emergency has helped in Italy to accelerate reflection on the importance of psychologists at school. it is essential to try to understand their role, tasks and areas of intervention, in order to promote their professional characterization as a figure who works within the educational contexts. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Supporting students during the transition to university in COVID-19: Five key considerations and recommendations for educators

As coronavirus disease of 2019 (COVID-19) continues to disrupt pretertiary education provision and examinations in the United Kingdom, urgent consideration must be given to how best to support the 2021-2022 cohort of incoming undergraduate students to higher education. In this paper, we draw upon the "Five Sense of Student Success" model to highlight five key evidence-based, psychology-informed considerations that higher education educators should be attentive to when preparing for the next academic year. These include the challenge in helping students to reacclimatize to academic work following a period of prolonged educational disruption, supporting students to access the "hidden curriculum" of higher education, negotiating mental health consequences of COVID-19, and remaining sensitive to inequalities of educational provision that students have experienced as a result of COVID-19. We provide evidence-based, psychology-informed recommendations to each of these considerations. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

School psychologist: School as an interweaving of relationship

The Coronavirus with the measures adopted by the government, have brought school psychology and the role of the psychologist in the school to the fore. The school psychologist must promote well-being in school. In pursuing this goal, attention to school relations is central. The school psychologist works for the promotion of well-being, but he must also be able to intercept and give an initial response to the discomfort. He is a figure rooted in the school with specific personal and professional skills. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Effects of parenthood and gender on well-being and work productivity among Canadian academic research faculty amidst the COVID-19 pandemic

The coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic has brought about enormous changes to all aspects of academic life. In spring 2020, we recruited faculty from Canadian universities who were asked to complete a survey about the perceived impact of the pandemic on aspects of their well-being and work productivity. Eight hundred ninety-nine academics from across Canada responded, reporting that the pandemic had had a significant negative impact on their mental health, work satisfaction, first-author publications, grants, and data collection. Overall weekly work hours dropped by 22% compared to prepandemic levels, from 45 hr/week to 35 hr. Though parents of children under the age of 13 managed to maintain an average of 30 hr/week despite juggling childcare and work duties, they nonetheless fared worse compared to nonparents and parents of older children on nearly all indicators of work productivity and well-being. Furthermore, mothers of young children reported having fewer uninterrupted work hours and spending more time as primary caregiver compared to fathers. Thus, the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable negative impact on the self-reported well-being and work productivity of Canadian academics, and even more so among parents of young children. Mothers of young children may be particularly in need of additional support. These findings highlight the importance of adopting policies at the federal and institutional levels aimed at "leveling the playing field" for these groups as well as instituting creative childcare solutions that maintain health and safety while not further disadvantaging young parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) Impact Statement Public Significance Statement: The current findings suggest that the COVID-19 pandemic has had a considerable negative impact on the self-reported well-being and work productivity of Canadian academics, and even more so among parents of young children. Mothers of young children may be particularly in need of additional support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (French) La pandemie de la maladie causee par le coronavirus (COVID-19) a suscite d'enormes changements dans tous les volets de la vie universitaire. Au printemps 2020, nous avons effectue un sondage parmi les membres du personnel d'universites canadiennes afin de connaitre les repercussions percues de la pandemie sur divers aspects de leur bien-etre et sur leur productivite. Ont repondu au questionnaire 899 personnes de partout au pays, lesquelles ont signale que la pandemie avait eu d'importantes repercussions negatives sur leur sante mentale, leur niveau de satisfaction au travail, le nombre de publications comme premier auteur, l'obtention de subventions et la collecte de donnees. Dans l'ensemble, le nombre d'heures travaillees par semaine a chute de 22 %, comparativement a celui d'avant la pandemie, passant de 45 a 35 heures. Bien que les parents d'enfants de moins de 13 ans aient reussi a maintenir un horaire moyen de 30 heures semaine, jonglant les services de garde et le travail, ils ont des resultats tres inferieurs aux personnes sans enfants ou aux parents d'enfants plus ages pour presque tous les indicateurs de productivite et de bien-etre. De plus, les meres de jeunes enfants ont rapporte avoir un nombre inferieur d'heures de travail ininterrompues et avoir consacre plus de temps comme principaux fournisseurs de soins en comparaison des peres. Ainsi, la pandemie de COVID-19 a eu d'importantes repercussions sur les niveaux autorapportes de bien-etre et de productivite des chercheurs universitaires canadiens, en particulier parmi les parents de jeunes enfants. Les meres de jeunes enfants ont peut-etre particulierement besoin de soutien supplementaire. Ces resultats mettent en relief l'importance d'adopter des politiques federales et institutionnelles visant a egaliser les chances pour ces groupes, de meme que d'etablir des solutions novatrices pour la garde d'enfants qui assurent la sante et la securite, sans desavantager les jeunes parents. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Competencies and intervention areas of the school psychologist. Invitation to a discussion

Due also to the effects of Coronavirus, there was an increase of psychological requests and interventions within Italian schools, and the government adopted specific measures. However, the entity of the presence of the school psychologist and the types of competencies and interventions vary substantially between schools. There is therefore a need of clarification on what Italian school psychologists have done and may do. The present paper, based on an analysis of the international and national situations, opens a discussion on the competences and role of psychologists in the Italian schools. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Emergency remote education and mental health of elementary school teachers

The objective was to understand the perception of teachers in the early years of elementary school about their own mental health in the context of remote teaching in the COVID-19 pandemic. Twenty professors participated, 19 female and 1 male. For data collection, an online questionnaire was used, with open and closed questions. Data were analyzed using content analysis. The results obtained in the research showed that, although emergency remote teaching has been important for the maintenance of school activities and even for expanding students' autonomy, the mental health of teachers was negatively affected, among other factors, by the overload of work. work, lack of training and institutional support. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved) (Portuguese) Objetivou-se compreender a percepcao dos professores dos anos iniciais do ensino fundamental sobre a propria saude mental no contexto do ensino remoto na pandemia COVID-19. Participaram 20 docentes, 19 do sexo feminino e 1 do sexo masculino. Na coleta de dados, utilizou-se um questionario on-line, com perguntas abertas e fechadas. Os dados foram analisados por meio da analise de conteudo. Os resultados obtidos na pesquisa mostraram que, embora o ensino remoto emergencial tenha sido importante para a manutencao das atividades escolares e, ate mesmo, para ampliar a autonomia dos estudantes, a saude mental dos professores foi afetada negativamente, entre outros fatores, pela sobrecarga de trabalho, falta de capacitacao e de apoio institucional. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

A poetic autoethnography of when poetry became my synergistic approach for pedagogy and andragogy

As an early career educator with various teaching roles in the U.S. higher education context and as an international student from India, the author's research interests are second language writing, multicultural literacy development, and equality and equity in language education. This poetic autoethnographic chapter focuses on two social identities: (1) teaching English to speakers of other languages (TESOL) scholar and (2) international multilingual student. It elaborates on the author's experiences of finding solace in poetry when there was emotional uncertainty in the author's life as an early career teacher during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter focuses on how the author managed the stress of beginning PhD studies during the same time. Throughout this poetic autoethnographic inquiry, it uses the poems the author wrote during the semester of spring 2021 as data. The poems include lilts of identities, which include the legal status that an F-1 (i.e., nonimmigrant) student visa, the race the author belongs to, the "accented" English (i.e., Indian English), the skin color, and the stress experienced related to COVID-19. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)

Promoting communal care for wellbeing in graduate education: Community building, belonging, and navigating the COVID-19 pandemic

Academia is a stressful occupation. Globally, faculty report stressors related to mounting expectations for research and scholarly productivity in the context of simultaneously increasing instructional workloads, administrative duties, and student expectations. As a result of these increased demands and expectations, faculty report experiences of intense stress, worry, depressed mood, emotional exhaustion, diminished self-care, and overall sense of compromised wellbeing. This chapter explores self-care within graduate education and argue for the inclusion of communal care practices to support wellbeing. It positions community building as a communal care practice that extends traditional notions of self-care. It also adopts reflexive ethnography to unpack the subjective experiences of wellbeing, including those incurred during the COVID-19 pandemic. The chapter utilizes Bronfenbrenner's (1994) ecological theory of human development to deconstruct the sense of belonging and efforts to build community within academia, reflecting on resulting impacts on wellbeing. It identifies microsystem, mesosystem, exosystem, macrosystem, and chronosystem factors that facilitated or impeded the efforts to build community in context of the social-cultural locations as faculty. The chapter highlights the importance of modeling self-care through community building in graduate-level practice, scholarship, and policy. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2023 APA, all rights reserved)