Social support as a contributor to student teachers' experienced well-being

• Published in: Research papers in education 2017-01, Vol.32 (1), p.41-55
• Main Authors: Väisänen, Sanna, Pietarinen, Janne, Pyhältö, Kirsi, Toom, Auli, Soini, Tiina
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Access to Information; Barriers; Content analysis; Emotional Response; Emotional support; Empowerment; Foreign Countries; Happiness; informational support; instrumental support; Preservice Teachers; Qualitative Research; Semi Structured Interviews; Social environment; Social support; Social Support Groups; Student Teacher Supervisors; Student teachers; Student teaching; Students; Teacher education; Teacher Educators; Teachers; Well Being
• ISSN: 0267-1522; 1470-1146
• DOI: 10.1080/02671522.2015.1129643

The aim of this study is to gain better understanding of the dynamics of the social support system adopted in teacher education and its significance for the student teachers' experienced well-being. The focus was on exploring the extent to which empowering emotional, informational or instrumental support is enabled for student teachers during their studies. Altogether, 40 student teachers were interviewed, and the data were subjected to content analysis. The results showed that the student teachers faced both empowering and burdening experiences involving social support, or lack of it. Informational support was the most frequently reported. Further, most of the informational and emotional support was appropriate and was received from both peers and teacher educators. Conversely, a lack of or inadequate support was experienced burdening. However, active efforts to develop a more supportive social environment - i.e. offering or giving social support for others - were rarely described.