Psychological well-being of polish teachers and their attitudes towards distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic

Abstract

Teachers’ attitudes toward distance education are crucial not only for school operations during the COVID-19 pandemic but also for shaping the future educational landscape by teachers after experiencing distance education. According to the Job Demands–Resources Theory, well-being can be an essential resource in managing workplace challenges. This article aims to describe Polish teachers’ attitudes toward distance education during the COVID-19 pandemic and how these attitudes correlate with their well-being. The study also investigates the relationship between these attitudes and sociodemographic characteristics (such as gender, seniority, employment at different levels of education, and school location). The sample consisted of 447 female (87.99%) and 61 male (12.01%) teachers across various educational institutions, including primary, general secondary technical secondary, and sectoral vocational schools. The geographic distribution of these schools varied, with the smallest number in rural areas (n = 100, 19.69%), bigger in small towns (n = 164, 32.28%), and the largest in big cities (n = 226, 44.49%), whereas 18 people (3.54%) worked in more than one location. The study used Spearman’s rho and ANCOVA to assess correlations between school location and attitudes toward distance education, controlling for well-being. Although Polish teachers were initially reluctant about distance education, they recognized its potential in enhancing their professional competencies, which came as a smooth process. Teachers were confident about using remote education solutions in the future, regardless of external pressures. However, they noted that while remote learning could cover the core curriculum, it was less effective for care and upbringing tasks. An important disadvantage of distance learning, according to respondents, is that it exacerbates students’ differences. In terms of sociodemographic variables, compared to those in rural settings, teachers in large cities held more positive views on remote education. A positive correlation was found between teachers’ well-being and their attitudes toward distance learning during a pandemic, with the exception of teachers working in rural areas. However, in the cities, the higher the psychological well-being, the more positive attitudes toward online education. Well-being can be seen as a resource that helps deal with difficult situations, such as the change in teaching during the COVID-19 pandemic from traditional to distance education. Therefore, it seems important to create a climate in educational institutions that is conducive to strengthening teachers’ well-being resources. In the light of the study results devising solutions to bridge the gap between privileged and underprivileged students seems to be important, especially during a pandemic or similar crise.