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A Mixed Method Study of Teachers' Appraisals of Student Wellness Services and Supports During COVID‐19
Author(s) -
Childs Tasha M.,
Brown Elizabeth Levine,
Brown Naomi,
Iachini Aidyn L.,
Phillippo Kate,
Galib Linda,
Parker Audra,
Fujimoto Ken
Publication year - 2022
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.13186
Subject(s) - staffing , mental health , psychology , medical education , qualitative research , covid-19 , professional development , quality (philosophy) , nursing , pedagogy , medicine , sociology , social science , philosophy , disease , epistemology , pathology , infectious disease (medical specialty) , psychotherapist
BACKGROUND Understanding teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID‐19 is essential to strengthening services and improving student health outcomes. This mixed‐method study aimed to examine US PK‐12 teachers' appraisals of student wellness services and supports during COVID‐19. METHODS This study focuses on qualitative data from 291 teachers' open‐ended responses to the question: “What do you wish your school leaders knew about this (wellness support) aspect of your work?” and whose responses described wellness services and supports. A qualitative content analysis was conducted by an interdisciplinary research team using open‐ and axial coding. RESULTS Three main themes emerged. (1) insufficient access to mental health professionals and programming at schools, (2) concern about the quality of available services, and (3) a need for teacher professional development and support on student wellness. Statistically significant differences in teacher appraisals of insufficient access to mental health professionals and programming were found based on grade level taught and percentage of immigrant students in the school. CONCLUSION With amplified student wellness needs, school personnel, including school leaders, must consider ways to allocate additional resources/staffing, assess the quality of services and supports, and design professional development opportunities to support teachers' involvement in supporting student wellness needs.