Sharing Student Projects

The purpose of this dissertation was to explore secondary school teaching assistants’ experiences of well-being. Specifically, the aim of the research was to explore barriers faced to maintain well-being and how secondary school environments shape their experiences. Experiences of well-being were explored from a Self-Determination Theoretical lens. This framework outlines the three basic psychological needs required for optimum well-being: autonomy, relatedness and competence (Ryan & Deci, 2000). The study was advertised on a Facebook page and by contacting secondary schools in West Yorkshire. As majority of the previous literature focuses on primary school teaching assistants, the current study recruited 11 secondary school teaching assistants to understand their experiences. The participants were informed of their ethical rights and agreed to take part in a semi-structured interview on zoom. The interview was guided by the Self-Determination Theory to explore how their experiences of well-being. Once the interviews were transcribed, Braun and Clarke’s (2006) reflexive thematic analysis were conducted to identify the patterns across the accounts. A thematic analysis involves, familiarisation of the data, breaking it down into meaningful codes, grouping the codes into broader themes that reflect their experiences, reviewing the themes and reporting the findings. Three overarching themes were identified from the data: feeling undervalued, professional strain and finally connection and meaning. Consistent with previous findings, the findings from this research showed that teaching assistants feel ignored and undervalued by school leaders as they are not acknowledged for their efforts or involved in decision-making (Holt & Birchall, 2023; Ravalier & Walsh, 2018). However, the teaching assistants revealed that they felt connected to their team and their students. These findings areconsistent with previous studies which signify the importance of teacher-student relationships (Chan et al., 2021; Sharrocks, 2014). Although the participants in the current study felt connected to their team and students, they were often disconnected from the wider school community. To enhance their well-being, the teaching assistants expressed wanting personalised well-being initiatives, opportunities to contribute towards decision making and opportunities to utilise their expertise in their role. The findings are supported by the Self-determination theory as they imply that the three basic psychological needs; autonomy, competence and relatedness must be satisfied adequately for positive well-being (Ryan & Deci, 2000). In conclusion, this dissertation provides a valuable insight about how teaching assistants perceive their experiences of working in a secondary school. By satisfying teaching assistants’ basic psychological needs, schools would support their psychological well-being. To strengthen the evidence, future research should consider recruiting participants from a wider range of schools, which would provide stronger implications for schools. Furthermore, future studies should consider investigating TA well-being using a quantitative design as it may make the findings generalisable, thus providing stronger implications for schools and policies.

The current study has significant real-world applications that would benefit educational institutions. The main beneficiaries of this study are secondary schools, school leaders and policy makers as they are involved in shaping the school environments. By outlining the barriers to well-being and revealing how teaching assistants feel about their workplace, schools can implement relevant strategies to enhance their experiences. Secondary schools can use the findings from this study to provide personalised support to teaching assistants such as offering them individualised well-being initiatives, consistent recognition and opportunities to signify their expertise. By implementing these strategies, schools can create a supportive environment for teaching assistants and provide them fulfilment of their psychological needs required for optimum well-being. Enhancing teaching assistants’ well-being will motivate them to achieve their personal best which will improve student outcomes.

School leaders can use the findings from the study to implement regular appraisal meetings with teaching assistants where they can discuss their achievements, progress and support their challenges. School leaders can also create opportunities for teaching assistants to have more control over their work by trusting them to adapt lesson resources, lead interventions and be involved in decision making regarding the students. Policymakers can use the findings of this study to advocate for changes in the policies to emphasise more on teaching assistants. Policymakers can advocate for more training for teaching assistants, include autonomous supportive practices and involve teaching assistants in decision-making processes. Local authority policies can help guide schools to foster an environment which includes teaching assistants in their standards. Overall, this dissertation has the potential to foster a supportive working environment for secondary school teaching assistants so that they feel satisfied in their job and motivated to achieve their personal best which will improve student outcomes.