Jaksaminen ei ole iästä kiinni! Ammatissa pitkään työskennelleiden liikunnanopettajien keinoja työhyvinvointiin

Abstract

The profession of physical education teachers (PE teachers) is physically demanding, and changes in society and school also put pressure on PE teachers to cope. Educated PE teachers leave teaching prematurely, either for other positions within the school and for positions in physical education outside school, or for early retirement. The ability to work and the perceived sense of well-being at work have a significant impact on the continuation of a career. The aim of the study was to investigate the experiences of six PE teachers and two the school principal with a physical education background with long careers, who are older and enjoying well-being at work, as to how they have experienced well-being at work at different stages of their career and what factors have influenced it. The study was carried out using qualitative methods and the underlying philosophy was the phenomenological-hermeneutic perception of the person, aiming to understand the experiences arising from reports by the subjects. As an interview method, I used a themed interview, in which my aim was for the interviewee to do the speaking. The results show that the appreciation and sense of community experienced by physical education teachers played an important role in the well-being experienced at work. Well-being at work is also strengthened by fair and inclusive managerial work, and it is also significant that a good manager listens, encourages and understands the teacher's work. According to the study, the development of professional skills during the teacher's career has a supportive effect on well-being at work. The study also found that experimenting with new things produces a sense of success for teachers, which strengthens their sense of well-being at work. The study also highlighted the fact that physical problems are not a significant factor in career change or retirement by older teachers. However, various physical limitations and chronic ailments led them to reflect on these issues. The research subjects' means of coping with the physical problems affecting their work was to adapt the teaching to their functional capacity. In supporting teachers` well-being and the opportunity to become enthusiastic about their work as they age, teachers need to have sufficient autonomy to their own work and the opportunity to develop their skills and adapt their work in the face of the challenges of aging.