Managing large classes in virtual teaching: experiences of university teachers in Ghana during COVID-19.

This research used the qualitative multiple case study and phenomenological designs to explore how, without training, university teachers in Ghana managed large student numbers in the virtual environment during COVID-19. The study examined further the challenges the teachers faced in their virtual instructional delivery. Twelve participants drawn purposively from four large Ghanaian universities participated in individual interviews and follow-up virtual class observations. The findings revealed that the participants employed two management techniques in their virtual teaching-regulating the behaviour of learners and controlling instructional content. The research further uncovered that, although the teachers' complaints generally centred on environmental constraints and inadequate institutional support, those whose difficulties included using virtual tools did not have virtual teaching experience before the COVID period. The study supports the clarion call on university teachers involved in virtual teaching to personally seek a continual update of skills and competency in virtual delivery because it is an approach hinged on evolving technology.

University teachers' profiles based on digital innovativeness and instructional adaptation to COVID-19: Association with learning patterns and teacher demographics.

The purpose of this study was to understand the factors behind university teachers' ability to implement instructional changes during the COVID-19 pandemic. An online questionnaire comprised of open-ended and Likert-scale questions was administered to teachers at a Finnish university in April 2020. The sample consisted of 378 university teachers who were categorised into four groups based on their digital innovativeness and the extent to which they implemented changes to adapt their teaching practices to COVID-19 restrictions: Avoider Survival Adapters, Avoider Ambitious Adapters, Embracer Survival Adapters, and Embracer Ambitious Adapters. We examined the association between the teacher groups and their learning patterns and background characteristics. The findings showed that Embracer Ambitious Adapters have significantly more meaning-oriented and application-oriented learning patterns than Embracer Survival Adapters, though Avoider Survival Adapters have more problematic learning patterns. Furthermore, the results indicated that pedagogical training and having more teaching experience helped innovative teachers embrace more changes in their teaching practices during the COVID-19 pandemic. In terms of discipline, the results showed that teachers working in hard disciplines (e.g., physics) were more likely to belong to the Embracer Survival Adapters group, while teachers working in soft disciplines (e.g., history) were more likely to belong to the Embracer Ambitious Adapters group. Possible interpretations of these findings and perspectives for further research are discussed.

University Teachers During the First Lockdown Due to SARS-CoV-2 in Italy: Stress, Issues and Perceptions of Misconduct.

With the spread of the pandemic and the introduction of measures aimed at its containment, it is necessary to understand in specific national contexts how home quarantine has affected the psychophysical well-being of academics, and their ability to maintain integrity. To this end we constructed an online questionnaire to investigate the levels of stress, well-being, and work-life balance in relationship with living and working conditions. Moreover, the questionnaire was designed to obtain information about the perceived occurrence, increase or decrease of misconduct in research (e.g., research misconduct by colleagues) and professional relationships (e.g., misbehaviors between colleagues, from students and toward students). The questionnaire was administered online by contacting faculty at three universities in Tuscany, Italy, asking them to relate their experience during the first lockdown (March-May 2020). Faculty members were invited to complete the questionnaire by their institutional e-mail account. The final sample consisted of 581 respondents. The results showed that inadequacies of the equipment, and particularly poor internet connection, were significantly correlated with main issues reported, such as relationships with students and research activities. Female teachers primarily suffered from stressful conditions, lacked well-being, and experienced work-life imbalance. Stress levels were related to perceptions of the frequency of misconduct and of an increase in their frequency during the period of home quarantine. Female professors, when compared to their male counterparts, perceived misconduct from students as increased and more frequent in the period of quarantine. Results point to a gender issue that is likely to arise from conditions of domestic activities imbalance and that increases stress and misconduct perception.

Distance education during COVID 19: an Italian survey on the university teachers' perspectives and their emotional conditions.

BACKGROUND: Following the COVID-19 pandemic, distance education (DE) replaced traditional "face-to-face" teaching and has become the main method of teaching. The aim of this study was to 1) evaluate the impact of DE by teachers in our department during the second semester of the 2019-20 academic year following the March-May 2020 Italian national lockdown and 2) evaluate the relationship between DE and the emotional well-being of teachers during the period of home confinement. METHODS: Ninety-seven university teachers (51.5% women; most represented age group 60-69 years range, 40.2%) responded to an anonymous online cross-sectional survey between July 15 - September 30, 2020, on the advantages and disadvantages of DE, developed by one online teacher focus group. The emotional conditions were assessed by a short version of the Beck Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II). The internal consistency reliability survey and the 10-item BDI-II were measured by Cronbach's alpha. A correlation analysis (r-Pearson) was conducted between the overall evaluation of the experience of DE and the variables included in the study. RESULTS: Teachers reported difficulties in technical aspects, and in psychological factors, as the discomfort of "speaking in the void" (64.7%). The absence of "face-to-face" eye contact with the students was complained by 81% of teachers. Significant impairments in sleep patterns and loss of energy were reported, with female teachers having greater difficulty concentrating than their male colleagues. A quarter of teachers showed depressive symptoms of varying severity. The most satisfied teachers were those most stimulated by DE (r = 0.752, p < 0.000), who showed a lower impact of depressive symptoms (r = - 0.289, p = 0.005). The teaching load in hours influenced the perception of disadvantages (r = 0.214, p = 0.035) and contributed to a lower appreciation of the challenges of DE. The more significant the manifestation of depressive symptoms during the lockdown was, the greater the subjective recovery of a good emotional condition once the domestic confinement was over (r = 0.344, p = 0.001), despite maintaining DE. CONCLUSIONS: Our study highlights the impact of technical, didactic, and psychological difficulties of DE, reported by our teachers. The appreciation of their new learning promoted by DE seemed related to better emotional well-being of university teachers accepting this "challenge" in their important role in the high-education system, influencing good learning and promoting students' professional success.

[Working ability of elderly university teachers under the combined influence of breathing exercises and peptide bioregulator «Cortexin¼.]

The two-week use of special breathing exercises in combination with the Cortexin peptide bioregulator optimizes the functional state and increases the professional performance of older teachers more effectively compared to the single use of a pharmacological preparation. The maximum effect is noted immediately after the end of the course use of special breathing exercises and the peptide bioregulator and lasts for two months. The results obtained open up prospects for the use of breathing exercises to enhance and prolong the nootropic drugs and antihypoxants antistress and geroprotective effects.

[Occupational mental health and job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, China].

Objective: To investigate the current status of occupational mental health and job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, China and related influencing factors. Methods: A total of 1500 teachers from 6 universities in Shenyang were randomly selected as study subjects from November 2013 to January 2014. Self-administered questionnaires were used to investigate mental health, including effort-reward imbalance questionnaire, Minnesota Satisfaction Questionnaire, Center for Epidemiological Survey-Depression Scale, and Psychological Capital Questionnaire. Results: Of all teachers, 58.9% had depressive symptoms. Depressive symptoms in university teachers were negatively correlated with the scores of psychological capital, supervisory commitment, and perceived organizational support (r=-0.461, -0.306, and -0.366, all P<0.01) and were positively correlated with the score of occupational stress (r=0.414, P<0.01) . Job satisfaction was positively correlated with psychological capital, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment (r=0.650, 0.715, and 0.636, all P<0.01) and negatively correlated with occupational stress (r=-0.475, P<0.01) . The direct effects of occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment on job satisfaction were -0.30, 0.26, and 0.14, respectively, and their indirect effects were -0.0176, 0.0656, and 0.0368, respectively. The direct effects of occupational stress, perceived organizational support, and supervisory commitment on depressive symptoms were 0.20, -0.08, and -0.05, respectively, and their indirect effects was 0.033, -0.123, and -0.069, respectively. Conclusion: Occupational mental health is closely associated with job satisfaction in university teachers in Shenyang, and psychological capital has a mediating effect on perceived organizational support, supervisory commitment, occupational stress, job satisfaction, and depressive symptoms.

The influence of existence-relatedness-growth need satisfaction and job burnout of young university teachers: the mediating role of job satisfaction.

Job burnout among young university teachers is a serious issue that can have negative consequences for their well-being and job performance, as well as students' learning outcomes. To identify protective factors for job burnout, this study examined the impacts and mechanism of satisfying existence, relatedness, and growth need on job burnout among 968 young university teachers, using the ERG needs theory framework. The results of the regression analysis and mediation analysis showed that ERG needs satisfaction significantly and negatively predicted job burnout, and job satisfaction mediated this relationship. Besides, the total effect of existence need satisfaction on job burnout was significantly smaller than that of relatedness need satisfaction and growth need satisfaction. These findings contribute to our understanding of the antecedents of young university teachers' job burnout and provide a theoretical basis for practical action to protect them from burnout by enhancing their need satisfaction and job satisfaction.

Professional learning activities in the higher education institution of Ethiopia.

Ample studies have evidenced that the professional development of teachers significantly increases the quality of teaching and improves educational institutions. Nevertheless, adequate studies have not been carried out on the professional development of higher education teachers. Most studies focus on school teachers. Hence, this study investigated the professional learning activities of university teachers in Ethiopia. A case study design was used in which twenty-four teachers participated in the study. A semi-structured interview was used to explore the learning activities used by the participants. The findings demonstrate that various learning activities are utilised, each driven by a different form of inspiration. The learning motives largely depend on incentives and are motivated by outside factors. University instructors' professional learning practices seem to require more advanced learning methodologies to maintain their learning that is underpinned by self-motivated learning.

Work Stress, Work-Related Rumination, and Depressive Symptoms in University Teachers: Buffering Effect of Self-Compassion.

Purpose: The association between work stress and depressive symptoms has been well documented. More research is still needed to further investigate the underlying explanatory process mechanism and the potential protective function of personal resource in attenuating the negative effect of work stress on mental health. To address this gap and informed by the stress process model and emotion regulation theory,the present study examined the indirect role of work-related rumination and the buffering effect of self-compassion in university teachers, a population with increased vulnerabilities for both work stress and mental health issues. Methods: This study collected data from 727 university teachers (M age = 37.65 ± 7.77 years, 61.5% women) through an online survey. Indirect effect analysis and moderation effect analysis were implemented using structural equation modeling via Mplus. Results: Work stress was directly and indirectly associated with depressive symptoms through work-related rumination, and self-compassion moderated the associations between (a) work stress and depressive symptoms and (b) work-related rumination and depressive symptoms. The direct and indirect effects of work stress on depressive symptoms were weaker in university teachers with high levels of self-compassion than in those with low levels of self-compassion. Conclusion: Work stress was associated with depressive symptoms through a cognitive pathway. The findings deepen our understanding of the link between work stress and mental health outcomes by revealing the indirect role of cognitive processes, the protective function of emotion regulation strategies, and their interplay. Reducing work-related rumination and strengthening self-compassion may constitute effective interventions to alleviate the negative effects of work stress on mental health.

The challenge of education for sustainability in higher education: key themes and competences within the University of the Basque Country.

Introduction: One of the major challenges for higher education institutions in the last decade has been (and will continue to be) the integration of sustainability into their curricula and the development of sustainability competences in students. Education for Sustainability (ES) can help prepare students to meet the challenges of making societies more sustainable. However, as a first step toward this goal, teachers need to incorporate ES into their teaching. In this regard, this research aimed to analyze if members of the teaching staff have started this integration and, if so, which sustainability-related topics have been introduced and which skills do they consider contribute to the development of future graduates. Methods: A questionnaire was administered to teaching staff at the University of the Basque Country in 2022. A total of 403 teachers completed the questionnaire, expressing their perceptions through open-ended questions. Results: In general terms teachers incorporate ES into their teaching (71.22%). However, they do this mainly within the framework of two general themes: "Environmental awareness and energy" - most used by teachers of experimental sciences and engineering - and "Social commitment," most used by teachers of social sciences and those who are familiar with the UN 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. Regarding the key competences that ES provides for future graduates, those most frequently mentioned were "training of professionals committed to society" and "critical thinking and ethics." These competences were particularly notable in the discourse of teachers who were aware of the 2030 Agenda and who use active methodologies in their classrooms. Finally, the opinion that sustainability has little to do with their teaching (28.78%) was notably expressed by teachers less familiar with the 2030 Agenda. Discussion: Thus, it can be concluded that, aside from knowledge of the 2030 Agenda, factors such as the sustainability policy of the institution, area of teaching expertise, and the use of active methodologies all play a significant role in determining whether competences for sustainable development are integrated into higher education teaching.

Psychometric Properties of the Spanish Burnout Inventory in University Teachers in Hybrid Education.

Introduction: The scientific literature argues the urgent need for adequate tools to assess burnout in human service professionals, however, little progress has been made on this in university teachers in hybrid environments, even though after the pandemic, these work scenarios are predominant. Objective: To determine the psychometric properties of invariance between male and female teachers of hybrid education in the Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI). Method: The anonymous, self-administered SBI was administered to 1060 university teachers in Lima, Peru, from online random sampling. Of the total number of participants, 626 were women (59.1%) and 434 were men (40.9%), with an age range of 22 to 76 years, with a mean of 46.97 and a standard deviation of 10.256. It should be noted that 74.5% of the teachers worked full time. The analysis used the statistical programs AMOS v24, SPSS v26 and R-Project v4.1.2. First, a descriptive analysis of the data was performed, as well as a multivariate normality test of the data. Secondly, confirmatory factor analysis was performed; finally, a factorial invariance test was performed. Results: Cronbach's alpha of the SBI was 0.827, and for each subscale: Enthusiasm toward the job (0.742), Psychological exhaustion (0.889), Indolence (0.819), Guilt (0.816). According to the fit indicators, the confirmatory factor model is adequate. The results supported configural invariance, metric invariance, scalar invariance, and strict invariance in the male and female groups, although further investigation of some items specific to the indolence factor is needed. Conclusion: The SBI is a valid instrument to assess burnout in university teachers in hybrid environments. Studies associated with the SBI focus on its psychometric properties, burnout prevalence, related variables, and literature reviews. The validation of the SBI in various countries and service areas is discussed, as well as future implications for intervention in burnout prevention and mastery.

Multivariate data analysis: Validation of an instrument for the evaluation of teaching digital competence.

Background: Technology plays a fundamental role to achieve higher education key learning objectives. Digital competence (DC) is defined as a set of skills, knowledge, abilities, and attitudes in technological aspects. It is necessary to employ an effective training action plan in higher education institutions to advance towards a level of teaching digital competence (TDC). The objective of this study was to validate the COMDID A instrument to assess Teaching Digital Competence (TDC) of active teachers, through a confirmatory factor and internal reliability analysis. Methods: The research was developed within a descriptive-correlational scope and a non-experimental-cross-sectional design to validate the dimensionality and reliability of the COMDID A instrument and evaluate the self-perceived digital competence of active teachers. The population was made up of 690 professors who were part of the teaching staff of the National University of Chimborazo, Ecuador, in the first academic period of the year 2021. The sample was probabilistic, in a simple random scheme, the percentage of potential error admitted was 3%. The representativeness of the sample was 50%, and the confidence level was 97%. A total of 511 teachers completed the questionnaire compared to the 452 individuals needed. Results: The instrument was robust, and it was reliable for the calculated sample. There were correlations between the variables, and the statistical calculation ensured the development of the multivariate analysis to validate the dimensionality of the instrument. Moreover, the correct dimensionality was determined through a confirmatory analysis and high reliability of the instrument. Conclusions: The calculated factorial scores were defined in order for further studies to be carried out. It is important to apply confirmatory factor analysis in educational technology research to validate the dimensionality of data collection instruments.

Teacher Well-Being in Chinese Universities: Examining the Relationship between Challenge-Hindrance Stressors, Job Satisfaction, and Teaching Engagement.

Improving teacher well-being at work is a great challenge worldwide. Understanding the stressors of Chinese university teachers in teaching activities is critical for shedding light on well-being in the midst of the rapid expansion of the higher education system and the quest to rise in world rankings. This study integrates the well-being perspective and the transactional model of stress and coping to investigate the mechanisms underlying the effect of challenge-hindrance stressors on teacher engagement. Data were collected through the online platform SoJump in mainland China (N = 7743), and structural equation modeling was used to test the relationship between challenge-hindrance stressors and teaching engagement. The statistical results revealed the following: (1) challenge stressors had a significant positive effect on teaching engagement, while hindrance stressors were negatively related to teaching engagement; (2) challenge and hindrance stressors were significant negative predictors of teacher job satisfaction; (3) teacher job satisfaction suppressed the impact of challenge stressors on teaching engagement and partially mediated the process by which hindrance stressors impact teaching engagement. The findings suggest that the theoretically opposing effects of the two stressors are not absolute and that special consideration should be given to teachers' job satisfaction in relation to stress management for university teachers.

The use of ICT during lockdown in higher education and the effects on university instructors.

During the pandemic, the Higher Education Institutions of Greece used Information and Communications Technologies (ICT) to an unprecedented degree to respond to the requirements of distance education and research work. The aim of this article is to present the main results of a nationwide quantitative survey that involved 1183 participating university instructors, to capture the impact of the use of ICT and its effects. Results show that, whereas the overall assessment of emergency remote teaching is positive, it seems that instructors have been challenged by the extreme use of technology. Women were mostly influenced, while age didn't have an impact. Significant differences among the participating university institutions were also discovered.

The Role of Ambiguity Tolerance and Enthusiasm on Chinese University Teachers' Burnout.

Educators face numerous vague conditions in their daily practice and they must manage students with diverse characters that lead to burnout. In addition, tolerance of ambiguity is a term used by educators as the capability to control new, complicated or insoluble situations. Moreover, educator enthusiasm and its effect on instruction was neglected. And due to the essential function that teachers' burnout plays in the efficiency of their achievement in the scholastic cycle, the present study inspected whether the above-mentioned constructs such as teachers' ambiguity tolerance and enthusiasm can influence their burnout on one hand and on the other hand if these constructs can predict the teachers' burnout or not. For the objective of the study, a group of 495 female and male Chinese university teachers in 18 provinces of China were asked to fill out the three scales, namely, teacher enthusiasm, ambiguity tolerance, and burnout. The primary results of the research, achieved through running Spearman Rho, specify that there are constructive relationships between ambiguity tolerance, enthusiasm and by employing multiple regression analysis; it is revealed that both variables, namely ambiguity tolerance, enthusiasm were the predictors of teachers' burnout, while ambiguity tolerance was a better predictor. Accordingly, based on these findings, it can be concluded that both of these factors affect teachers' burnout in the teaching process. In addition, this study can provide additional implications for academic scholars and experts in academic settings.

Prevalence and Related Factors of Anxiety Among University Teachers 1 Year After the COVID-19 Pandemic Outbreak in China: A Multicenter Study.

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate the prevalence of anxiety among university teachers 1 year after the onset of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic and provide empirical evidence of psychological intervention. Methods: A multicenter study was conducted to examine the prevalence of anxiety among 10,302 teachers in 21 Chinese universities from February 12 to April 23, 2021. The generalized Anxiety Disorder 7-item Scale (GAD-7) was used to assess symptoms of anxiety. Multivariate logistic regression models were used to analyze the relationship between potential influence and anxiety symptoms. Results: The overall prevalence of anxiety was 40.0% 1 year after the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic, which was found to be higher in women than in men (41.32% vs. 38.22%; p < 0.0001). The multivariate logistic regression showed that being the female (OR = 1.207; 95%CI: 1.103-1.318), age ≥60 years (OR = 2.004; 95%CI: 1.128-3.560), being married (OR = 1.319; 95%CI: 1.150-1.513), and poor family economic status (OR = 1.580; 95%CI: 1.321-1.891) were significantly associated with anxiety. Participants with moderate, slight, or no impact of COVID-19 on life (OR for moderate, 0.557; 95%CI, 0.508-0.611; OR for slight/no, 0.377; 95%CI, 0.323-0.439) showed a reduced risk of anxiety compared to those who reported a significant effect. Conclusions: Symptoms of anxiety were found in about two-fifths of Chinese university teachers 1 year after the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic. Our findings suggest that the government should improve the dynamic tracking of mental health and adopt long-term intervention strategies.

Supporting the well-being of new university teachers through teacher professional development.

Over the last decades, changes within higher education have created increased pressure and uncertainty for academics, increasing their risk for cognitive, behavioral, physical, as well as psychological issues due to high job demands. Specifically, for new academics in teaching roles, their lack of knowledge and skills can contribute to a negative effect of these job demands on their well-being. This study therefore explored how teaching-related professional development programs can enhance new university teachers' well-being, through semi-structured interviews with 10 university teachers participating in such a program at a mid-sized Dutch university. We pay special attention to the relationship between specific learning activities integrated in the program (such as learning communities, formal workshops, and reflecting) and various dimensions of the psychological model of well-being by Ryff and Keyes (such as self-acceptance, autonomy, environmental mastery, and positive relationships). Using co-occurrence analysis and content analysis, we found that different learning activities had distinct relationships with different well-being facets. For example, formal workshops were mainly related to environmental mastery, a purpose in life and personal growth, while reflecting seemed to be especially connected to teachers' self-acceptance, and participating in a learning community was mainly related to positive relations with others and personal growth. Our findings have implications for research on teacher well-being as well as for the design of professional development programs for higher education teaching staff.

Analysis of the Turnover Tendency of College Teachers From the Perspective of Psychology.

University teachers are the core of university teaching and scientific research construction and an important link of double first-class construction. With the increasingly fierce academic competition among colleges and universities, the resignation behavior of college teachers is increasing, which has brought great impact on the construction of talents and discipline development in colleges and universities. The survey found that the departure of college teachers is not an isolated phenomenon, but a time-consuming process. Although the turnover tendency of college teachers has not evolved into resignation behavior in most cases, the resignation tendency of college teachers is always accompanied by negative psychology, complaints, and perfunctory work. These bad phenomena have brought double negative effects to colleges and universities and teachers themselves. According to this, psychological analysis of the turnover tendency of college teachers is conducive to building a benign flow mechanism for college teachers, thus supporting the long-term development of colleges and universities.

Personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence as predictors for teacher subjective wellbeing.

The coronavirus pandemic has significantly reshaped the way teaching activities are carried out, thus intensifying the stress felt by teachers. The teacher-student relationship has also changed under the influence of social constraints. Together, these have affected teachers' work efficiency and redefined their connection with the school. The present study aims to examine the extent to which personality traits, role ambiguity, and relational competence predict teacher subjective wellbeing. The study sample consisted of 105 university teachers. Three hierarchical multiple regression analyses were conducted separately for each of the three criterion variables used in this research: teaching efficacy, school connectedness, and teacher subjective wellbeing. The results indicated that the personality traits emotionality, extraversion, and conscientiousness are significant predictors for all three variables, while honesty-humility, agreeableness, and openness to experience are not predictors for any of the variables. However, in the third step of the regression analysis, conscientiousness was found to lose its predictive quality for the variables school connectedness and teacher subjective wellbeing, its place being taken by emotionality. Both role ambiguity and relational competence are significant predictors for teaching efficacy, for school connectedness, and for teacher subjective wellbeing. Based on these results, universities can design some measures to reduce role ambiguity of teachers and can identify areas of training needed to increase their relational competence, while simultaneously reducing the costs associated with wellbeing and productivity problems. Several training modules and courses are proposed to be designed and included in the curriculum of initial and in-service teacher training programs, in order to contribute to increasing teachers' performance.

When workaholism is negatively associated with burnout: A moderated mediation.

Aim: Previous theory and research postulate that workaholism is one of the important factors that contribute to burnout. The present study aimed to analyze the role of psychological capital as a mediator between the two. Moreover, the study examined the moderating role in the stated mediated relationship. Methods: The researchers approached a sample of university teachers (N = 1,008) including both male (n = 531) and female (n = 477) university teachers by using a multi-stage random sampling technique. For this purpose, DUWAS-10 Oldenburg Burnout Inventory, Challenging Job Demands Scale, and Anila PsyCap Scale were applied to measure workaholism, burnout, challenging job demands, and PsyCap, respectively. The data obtained from the sample was subjected to analysis by using Model 14 of Process Macro by Hayes. Results: The results confirmed the mediating role of PsyCap and moderating role of time pressure and cognitive demands in the relationship of the two variables. The results concluded that workaholism is not directly related to burnout rather the negative relationship existed through psychological capital, and the mediated relationship was stronger for the university employees who were to face a higher level of challenging job demands including cognitive demands and time pressure. Conclusion: Burnout is an occupational health problem that causes devastating effects on both the employees as well as to the organizational economy. Improving personal resources might help the negative relationship between workaholism and burnout in higher education institutions in the country.