PhD, Associate Professor E.A. Izotov¹
Y.I. Novitsky¹
PhD, Associate Professor G.V. Soldatova^2
1Saint-Petersburg Mining University, Saint-Petersburg
²Saint-Petersburg Academy of Postgraduate Pedagogical Education, Saint-Petersburg

Keywords: psychological well-being, physical education teachers, students

Background. Issues of individual psychological well-being are given a growing priority by the sport science and practice [8], with many authors prone to believe that the teacher’s PWB depends on the individual psychological culture [4], competence [3] and psychological climate of the education service in general [5]. Generally the teacher’s psychological well-being is ranked by the research community among the most serious problems of the modern education system [1, 3, 5, 7, etc.] albeit special studies have arrived to quite contradictory findings so far. Some of them are relatively optimistic [5], some expressly pessimistic [1] and some yield ambivalent research data [7] that may be interpreted as indicative of the wide differences in the samples additionally complicated by the inconsistent research methods. We failed to find specific study reports on the physical educator’s psychological well-being in the available literature. Some studies consider the ways to improve the students’ psychological well-being in the context of the academic physical education service [2]. It should be mentioned that, as was found by our prior research, students highly appreciate ‘positive mindset’ of a physical education teacher (meaning the optimistic attitudes, dominant good mood and the ability to encourage the others) that cannot but be indicative of an excellent psychological well-being.
Objective of the study was to rate and analyze the academic physical education teachers’ personality well-being.
Methods and structure of the study. We sampled on a gender-unspecific basis the Saint-Petersburg Mining University physical education teachers of the both genders and different ages and academic experiences for the Experimental Group (EG, n=22); and teachers of other disciplines for the Reference Group (RG, n=25). We run a questionnaire survey using the Perrudet-Badoux-Mendelsohn-Chiche Subjective Well-being Scale adapted by A.A. Rukavichnikova to include 17 statements, with the respondents requested to score them on a 7-point scale. The method generates one integral and six specific psychological well-being test rates, with the low values generally typical for an optimal psychological well-being.
Results and discussion. The EG test rates were found indicative of the optimal psychological well-being i.e. the tension, sensitivity and mood volatility test rates were relatively low: see Table 1.

Table 1. Personality wellbeing test rates of the sample

A comparative analysis of the test data found the EG standing lower than the RG on the tension and sensitivity scale i.e. less exposed to asthenia (p≤0.01); on the psychiatric symptoms scale (although some reported minor sleeping disorders) (p≤0.05); and on the mood volatility (for undefined reasons) scale (p≤0.05). The EG was also found to stand higher on the health self-rate scale (p≤0.01). The relatively better psychological well-being in the EG may be explained by its much more intensive service-specific physical activity [6, 9, 10]. Note that the intergroup differences were found gender-unspecific.
We also analyzed the EG test data versus the practical teaching experiences to find some of the psychological well-being test rates actually falling with the experience (see Table 2). Thus the health self-rate was found to fall (p≤0.01), tension and sensitivity rate was found to grow (p≤0.05); plus we found a few minor functional mental disorders including insomnia, irritability and drowsiness (p≤0.05) – that may be due rather to the aging processes than service. It should be noted that the life satisfaction was found to grow with the experience (p≤0.05).

Table 2. EG psychological well-being test rates versus the teaching experiences

Conclusion. The physical education teachers were generally tested with the optimal psychological well-being on the tension and sensitivity, mood volatility and social standing scales, with these test rates found meaningfully different from the other teachers group – that means that the physical education teachers are less exposed to tension and sensitivity, mental disorders and mood volatility and better reported health standards. Some of the psychological well-being test rates were found to fall with age and teaching experience, although the integral test rates showed meaningless intergroup difference. Therefore, this teachers’ group is recommended a special psychological support service with a special priority to the psychological well-being optimizing service aspects.

References

1. Bannikov G.S., Pavlova T.S. Psychological well-being of specialists working in educational system of megalopolis. Psychological support for safety of school educational environment in context of introduction of new educational and professional standards. M.: MSPPU publ., 2015. pp. 84-89.
2. Gerasimova I.A., Kopylov S.I. Psychological well-being methods for academic physical education teachers. Servis Plus. 2015. v. 9.  No.  1. pp. 48-56.
3. Gutko A.V. Building psychological competency in future physical education teacher. PhD diss.. abstr. . Nizhny Novgorod, 2011. 18 p.
4. Ermolaeva M.V., Lubovskiy D.V. Teacher's psychological well-being in context of his psychological culture. Vestnik Tverskogo gosudarstvennogo universiteta. Ser. «Pedagogika i psikhologiya». 2017. no. 3. pp. 92-97.
5. Zausenko I.V. Teacher's psychological well-being. Pedagogicheskoe obrazovanie v Rossii. 2012. no. 6.pp. 14-19.
6. Ilyina N.L. Effect of physical education on psychological well-being of person. Uchenye zapiski universiteta im. P.F. Lesgafta. 2010. no. 12 (70). pp. 69-74.
7. Litvinova E.Yu., Kharchenko M.A., Pogodina A.V. Psychological well-being and emotional burnout of teachers of educational complexes at different stages of innovation process. Institut psikhologii Rossiyskoy akademii nauk. Organizatsionnaya psikhologiya i psikhologiya truda. 2018.v. 3. No. 2. pp. 96-119.
8. Pavlotskaya Ya.I. Psychological well-being and socio-psychological characteristics of individual. Volgograd: Volgograd Institute of Management – branch RANHiGS, 2016. 168 p.
9. Elmurzaev M.A., Panchenko I.A., Pakholkova N.V. Socio-psychological health/ physical recreation model. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury.  2019. no.  6. pp. 44-47.
10. Aslakhanov S-A.M., Elmurzaev M.A.. Kovalenko A.I. Physical recreation and rehabilitation model: social aspect. Teoriya i praktika fiz. kultury. 2018. no. 4. pp. 34-36.

Corresponding author: izotov_1974@mail.ru

Abstract
Objective of the study was to rate and analyze the academic physical education teachers’ personality well-being.
Methods and structure of the study. We sampled on a gender-unspecific basis the Saint-Petersburg Mining University physical education teachers of the both genders and different ages and academic experiences for the Experimental Group (EG, n=22); and teachers of other disciplines for the Reference Group (RG, n=25). We run a questionnaire survey using the Perrudet-Badoux-Mendelsohn-Chiche Subjective Well-being Scale adapted by A.A. Rukavichnikova to include 17 statements, with the respondents requested to score them on a 7-point scale. The method generates one integral and six specific psychological well-being test rates, with the low values generally typical for an optimal psychological well-being.
Results and conclusions. The university students were found to see the ideal physical education teacher as a professional, physically fit and kind person. Whereas the teachers emphasized such characteristics as: expertise, presentable appearance, sociability and a responsible attitude to the matter. Therefore, the "core" characteristics of the ideal image of a physical education teacher include professional competence and pedagogical communication.
The physical education teachers were generally tested with the optimal psychological well-being on the tension and sensitivity, mood volatility and social standing scales, with these test rates found meaningfully different from the other teachers group – that means that the physical education teachers are less exposed to tension and sensitivity, mental disorders and mood volatility and better reported health standards. Some of the psychological well-being test rates were found to fall with age and teaching experience, although the integral test rates showed meaningless intergroup difference. Therefore, this teachers’ group is recommended a special psychological support service with a special priority to the psychological well-being optimizing service aspects.