ERIC Number: EJ1412946
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2023
Pages: 15
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0002-4805
EISSN: EISSN-1923-1857
Available Date: N/A
Educator Understandings of Wellness: Barriers and Supports in Northern Alberta First Nations Schools
Elaine Greidanus; Dawn Burleigh; Daphne Mai'Stonia
Alberta Journal of Educational Research, v69 n4 p514-528 2023
School communities thrive when educators actively foster wellness. Educators working in First Nations communities conceptualize wellness in unique ways and are active agents in creating opportunities to meet their own wellness needs. This research explores conceptions, supports, and challenges related to wellness from the perspectives of teachers and educational assistants from three First Nation schools in northern Alberta. This qualitative case study includes interviews with 19 educators, and preliminary understandings revealed that educators situate their own wellness within the context of the school and larger community. They prioritize physical wellness and understand that emotional and psychological wellness are also often important. Finally, factors such as isolation, land, access, distance, and cost are seen as barriers to wellness by many. These same factors also represent opportunities to engage in wellness in ways that are less accessible to educators working and living in urban centers. We conclude that attention must be paid to the unique educator wellness needs in First Nations community schools as wellness-promoting initiatives are explored.
Descriptors: Wellness, Barriers, Foreign Countries, Canada Natives, Teacher Attitudes, American Indian Education, Tribally Controlled Education, Psychological Patterns
University of Alberta, Faculty of Education. 845 Education Centre South, Edmonton, AB T6G 2G5, Canada. Tel: 780-492-7941; Fax: 780-492-0236; Web site: https://journalhosting.ucalgary.ca/index.php/ajer/
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A
Author Affiliations: N/A