Integrating the PERMA model and SWPBS approach: effects on portuguese early childhood teachers’ well-being and children’s self-regulation

Abstract

Early Childhood Education and Care (ECEC) teachers’ well-being is crucial for the adoption of educational practices that foster the development of self-regulation skills of children in their classrooms. Promoting these skills in preschool has proven to increase children’s school readiness and future academic achievement. Although interventions using Positive Psychology to address teachers’ well-being and interventions using School-Wide Positive Behaviour Support (SWPBS) to increase children’s self-regulation skills have achieved positive results, these elements have not been addressed simultaneously. In this paper, we measure the longitudinal effects of a one-year intervention, integrating the PERMA model and SWPBS approach into a ten-session training program, on 30 Portuguese ECEC teachers’ well-being and 397 children’s self-regulation skills. Using repeated measures ANOVA and a Latent Difference Score Model, we found statistically significant positive results between pre- and post-testing on teachers’ well-being levels and on children’s self-regulation skills. The results indicate that the combination of the PERMA model and the SWPBS approach can increase the effectiveness of interventions and professional development actions aiming to promote the well-being of ECEC teachers and the self-regulation skills of preschool children.