Teachers’ Psychological Well-Being in Educational Organizations A Qualitative Study of Workplace Challenges Organizational Environment and Coping Strategies

Abstract

Teachers’ psychological well-being represents an important concern in educational organizations because teachers simultaneously encounter instructional responsibilities, administrative demands, emotional expectations, interpersonal interactions, and organizational pressures that may shape their psychological and professional functioning. This study aimed to explore teachers’ experiences of psychological well-being by examining workplace challenges, organizational environmental factors, and coping strategies within an educational organization. A qualitative case study design was employed to obtain an in-depth understanding of teachers’ subjective experiences within their natural professional context. Participants were selected purposively based on their professional experience and direct involvement in the educational organization. Data were collected through in-depth semi-structured interviews, non-participant observations, and organizational documents. The collected data were analyzed using thematic analysis to identify recurring patterns of meaning across workplace experiences. The findings indicate that teachers’ psychological challenges were associated with workload, administrative demands, emotional demands, role conflict, and professional expectations. Organizational conditions involving leadership, collegial relationships, organizational culture, recognition, and communication shaped how teachers interpreted and managed workplace demands. Teachers developed coping strategies through social support, professional reflection, time management, spiritual coping, and personal boundaries. The findings demonstrate that teacher psychological well-being is not exclusively an individual psychological condition but an organizational phenomenon emerging from interactions between workplace demands, organizational resources, and individual coping processes. Educational organizations therefore need integrated well-being policies addressing workload, supportive leadership, professional relationships, communication, recognition, and opportunities for sustainable psychological recovery.