Teachers in urban school districts report lower states of mental wellbeing and self-efficacy compared to their suburban and rural counterparts. Poor mental wellbeing is notably pervasive among induction year teachers, defined as those in their first two or three years of teaching, which is frequently cited as a driving force behind high turnover in urban schools. This literature review synthesizes research on the factors behind poor mental wellbeing in induction year urban teachers, as well as the characteristics of induction programs that promote high mental wellbeing of teachers. Google Scholar and the Miami University Libraries’s databases were used to find relevant literature. Keywords used include, but are not limited to: “induction”, “teacher mental wellbeing”, and “urban.” Common stressors for urban teachers include insufficient funding and resources, a lack of mutual support from teachers and the administration, and the cultural/identity differences between teachers and their students. The current literature suggests that no induction program explicitly addresses teachers’ mental wellbeing in its design. Conversely, teacher mentoring programs, a strong teacher and administrative support system, multicultural education, and co-teaching indirectly improves the mental wellbeing of new urban teachers. These characteristics ameliorate the various stressors that urban teachers encounter and subsequently allow for mental flourishing.
Evidence and investigation are foundational for public health. While literature reviews are not frequently written, the process of researching, hewing irrelevant articles and data, and incorporating the work of others into one’s own is always good practice. This particular project, being a semester’s worth of work, is especially pertinent practice as my career ambitions in public health include creating initiatives from the ground up for disenfranchised populations. If I’m going to create a successful program, I have to do my homework on who I’m working with and what does/doesn’t seem to work.
Author: Kyle Smith
Faculty Advisors: Dr. Tammy Schwartz, Dept. of Teacher Education, and Dr. Paul Flaspohler, Dept. of Psychology
You must be logged in to post a comment.