Objectives: Research in recent years has shown that mindfulness-based interventions can enhance teachers’ mental and physical health. However, the existing studies were predominantly conducted in Western, educated, industrialized, rich, and democratic (WEIRD) societies. As a randomized controlled trial in a non-WEIRD society, the present study examined the effectiveness and mechanisms of mindfulness training for Hong Kong teachers in difficult times. Methods: Teachers from primary and secondary schools (n = 186) were randomly assigned to mindfulness training (eight-week .b Foundations) or waitlist control condition. They completed online self-report surveys on measures of well-being, emotion management, and mindfulness in teaching at baseline, post-intervention, and two-month follow-up. Results: The intervention group reported significantly higher levels of life satisfaction, positive affect, general health, along with significantly lower levels of insomnia, stress, and negative affect than the control group at post-test and two-month follow-up. The effect sizes were medium to large (ηp2 = 0.06 to 0.14). More importantly, teachers’ baseline well-being had a significant moderating effect on the intervention effectiveness. Those with a lower baseline in well-being benefitted more than their counterparts with a higher baseline. In addition, teachers’ emotion management was found to be the mediator through which mindfulness training enhanced teachers’ well-being. Such improvement in well-being also predicted higher levels of mindfulness in teaching. Conclusions: This study provides evidence on the efficacy of mindfulness training for teachers beyond WEIRD societies. It suggests the universality and practicality of mindfulness training in enhancing teachers’ well-being and reducing their distress in difficult times. Copyright © 2021 The Author(s), under exclusive licence to Springer Science+Business Media, LLC, part of Springer Nature.

With the increasing concern in school teachers’ well-being and growing focus on the early childhood education sector in recent years, the present study explored the factors that contribute to the psychological well-being of kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong. Based on a sample of 459 kindergarten teachers in Hong Kong, the authors demonstrated that teachers’ psychological well-being was strongly determined by their self-belief, which were contributed by their relationship with colleagues, and their positivity in attitude towards life and work. The authors further demonstrated that teachers’ self-belief was influenced by their perception of the school culture. Implications for establishing a positive attitude in kindergarten teachers and enhancing their psychological well-being were discussed. Copyright © 2021 The International Society for Quality-of-Life Studies (ISQOLS) and Springer Nature B.V.

The present research was designed to examine the psychometric properties of a Chinese version of the MLQ using a construct validation approach in 1,089 Hong Kong secondary school students. Confirmatory factor analyses were used to examine the structural validity of MLQ. Correlational analyses were done to assess how meaning in life dimensions relate to life satisfaction, self-reported duration of daily sleep, and connectedness to social agents. Confirmatory factor analysis showed that the modified two-factor model of meaning in life with presence of meaning and search for meaning as key dimensions, was valid and reliable in the current sample. Evidence for configural, metric, and scalar invariance was found across boys and girls. Meaning in life dimensions was differentially associated with connectedness to various social agents, life satisfaction, and average daily sleep. MLQ is a psychometrically valid tool to measure meaning in life among Hong Kong Chinese students. Copyright © 2021 Informa UK Limited, trading as Taylor & Francis Group.

The stress that negatively affects teachers has been found to influence the turnover rate in the teaching profession. Recent research has shown that mindfulness-based programmes effectively promote well-being while addressing psychological distress. In this study, the authors investigated the effects of a six-week mindfulness-based programme on pre-service teachers in Hong Kong (N = 70). The authors hypothesised that a six-week mindfulness-based programme would increase mindfulness and well-being while reducing stress and symptoms of depression. Both intervention and control groups were assessed at baseline and post-intervention. A univariate analysis revealed a significant increase in mindfulness and well-being. A regression analysis indicated that mindfulness was a significant predictor of well-being, stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. Qualitative data reflected that the mindfulness programme was beneficial to and feasible for pre-service teachers. Such a programme could be implemented in teaching education to promote well-being and stress management while preventing burnout among teaching professionals.
[Copyright © 2015 Teacher Development.]

Background: Kindergarten education in Hong Kong serves children aged 32–68 months. However, there is no extant scale that measures kindergarten teachers’ perceived work environment, an important influence on their well-being. Aims: To develop a new instrument, the Teachers’ Perceived Work Environment (TPWE) scale, and to assess whether kindergarten teachers with higher TPWE ratings had higher scores for job satisfaction, self-esteem and mental health. Methods: A 25-item rating scale was developed and used with a sample of in-service kindergarten teachers. Their perceived work environment was represented by five factors (ergonomics, staffing, teaching space, work hours and social space). These teachers also completed three well-being inventories: the Job Satisfaction Survey, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Inventory and the General Health Questionnaire-12. In a second stage, a new sample of in-service kindergarten teachers was used to cross-validate the findings from the earlier assessment. Results: In the first sample of 141 teachers and the second of 125, social space, staffing and work hours were associated with job satisfaction, while ergonomics was a significant negative predictor of mental health complaints. Conclusions: The TPWE exhibited satisfactory reliability and validity. Some factors were differentially associated with specific types of well-being. The results may inform future studies of the working conditions of kindergarten teachers.
[Copyright © 2015 The Author.]