Pilot Evaluation of a New Individual Worker Wellness Activity with New Jersey Teachers Supervising Work-Based Learning

Abstract

The New Jersey Safe Schools Program (NJSS) provides required training for secondary school career–technical education work-based learning (WBL) supervision, allowing certified teachers to supervise students in school-sponsored work placements. During each training’s virtual live session day, a new activity for teachers to use to connect the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration’s (SAMHSA) “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” model (8DW) to individual young workers was conducted. NJSS implemented an optional “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity with 67 volunteer participants (44% response rate) in February–November 2024. Using Mentimeter, teachers were given a student worker scenario and asked how aspects of the scenario pertained to each of the 8DW (emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, spiritual). A qualitative, inductive content analysis of open responses collected via Mentimeter was conducted. Most teachers selected emotional and social dimensions of 8DW when asked to select the two most important for young workers to incorporate into their work lives. This new NJSS activity encouraged teachers to examine different aspects of their own health, and potentially they could then apply it to the health, safety, and wellness of their students and co-workers, as a proactive approach to promote comprehensive wellness.

1. Introduction

The “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” Model (8DW), created by Dr. Margaret Swarbrick in 1997 and later adopted by the U.S. Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) [1], was designed as an alternative to a medical model for mental health practitioners to support recovery from psychiatric problems [2,3]. Historically, well-being has been assessed using a medical model emphasizing inpatient stays at a facility to aid in the treatment of mental illness and psychiatric disability [2,3]. Wellness is a holistic, multi-dimensional, intentional lifestyle promoting balance and satisfaction in major areas of a person’s life [2,3,4]. The 8DW comprises emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, physical, social, and spiritual dimensions [4]. This model promotes independence and equips individuals with improved social–emotional competencies needed to better maintain individual mental and physical health, given that wellness is subjective and self-defined [2,5].

Swarbrick previously asserted that when one chooses to use the 8DW, one assumes personal responsibility for one’s health and plays an active role in maintaining, if not improving, health [3]. Conversely, the medical model centers on illness and limitations, which can make people’s perception of their condition worse [3]. The medical model’s focus on symptom reduction rather than comprehensive recovery makes it less effective for aiding long-term health [3]. The medical model sees a person as a set of symptoms to be treated, while the 8DW considers personality, individual goals, interests, and other aspects of a person’s character [3].

A study on education/training in the hospitality sector questioned whether wellness is an individual responsibility or should be taught at work, i.e., occupational settings [6]. Occupational wellness can be defined as the fit between a job and a person’s career goals, along with the ability of a job to provide a sense of purpose in one’s life [4,6]. This dimension of wellness provides insight into how job satisfaction can enhance quality of life. Horton and Snyder argued that improved wellness in employees leads to higher retention rates, greater productivity, and a better image of the company, among other advantages [6]. However, occupational wellness alone is not responsible for these benefits [6]. Each dimension of wellness relies on the presence of the others to improve an individual’s life and subsequently influences institutions in which they spend their time, energy, and resources.

An increased focus on wellness in school and other work environments has led to adaptations of the 8DW to fit new contexts [7,8]. Many studies have indicated how a teacher’s wellness—whether positive or negative—influences student well-being, academic achievement, emotional wellness, and perceptions of success [9,10,11]. A 2023 study suggested incorporating the 8DW into all school subjects, in addition to teaching separate wellness lessons to students [7]. However, another recent study suggested it may be challenging to address the 8DW in an educational or occupational context, preferring to narrow down the original framework or create different dimensions potentially more applicable to new studies [8]. Therefore, more research is warranted in K–12 schools.

Teachers frequently report burnout, stress, and poor job satisfaction in the workplace [12]. Emotional contagion, in this case, is the propensity for students to reflect their teacher’s emotions and behaviors automatically, and could cause these unfavorable feelings and attitudes to transfer to other students unintentionally [13]. Ruttledge recommends taking a whole school approach to improving teacher and student wellness simultaneously, including promoting self-efficacy, building teacher–student relationships, and changing a teacher’s responses to challenging behavior in the classroom to promote positive behavior rather than punishing defiance and to try to understand student behaviors by taking home life and outside stressors into account [14]. In other words, enhancing teacher–student relationships can help teachers appreciate their students as individuals and encourage teachers to contribute to both personal and student wellness [14]. In addition, another study suggested that a teacher’s ability to practice emotional regulation is associated with greater student satisfaction and less emotional distress in the classroom [15].

No prior empirical descriptions exist of teacher applications of the 8DW to secondary school work-based learning (WBL) contexts—and how teachers can use the model as a tool to strive for comprehensive wellness and improved overall physical and mental health. Specifically, this study aims to (1) describe teacher interpretations of how the 8DW (see

Table 1. Eight Dimensions of Wellness, as presented to participants.

Dimension of Wellness	Definition
Emotional	Coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships.
Enivronmental	I. Good health by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being.
	II. Interactions or exposures as contact between the physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment and humans, leading to adverse health impacts.
Financial	Satisfaction with current and future financial situations.
Intellectual	Recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills.
Occupational	Personal satisfaction and enrichment derived from one’s work.
Physical	Recognizing the need for physical activity, diet, sleep, and nutrition.
Social	Developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system.
Spiritual	Expanding our sense of purpose and meaning in life.

Note: Within the present study’s Mentimeter activity, the order of the 8DW was based on figure adaptations [1,5]. The order in the activity was emotional, financial, social, spiritual, occupational, physical, intellectual, environmental I, environmental II. For the present study, the environmental dimension of wellness was split into two subcategories. Environmental I was the original 8DW definition for “environmental,” whereas environmental II was a different definition NJSS used with activity participants to elicit additional responses pertaining to different aspects of the scenario’s work environment.

) applied to a fictional student work scenario (see Box 1); (2) identify which dimensions teachers prioritize for young student workers; and (3) assess the feasibility of the Mentimeter activity as a training tool.

Box 1. Young student worker scenario used to relate to the 8DW.

A 17-year-old student works at a local pet store. The student wants to be a veterinarian, and this job seems like a good way to get the student exposed to the field. The student’s hours are 3:30 p.m.–7:30 p.m. every weekday, after school. The student’s responsibilities include stocking the shelves, assisting with the dog washing station, working the cash register at checkout, and interacting with customers when they require assistance. The student is paid the New Jersey minimum wage of USD 15.13/h (as of January 2024) and receives a paycheck every two weeks.

2. Materials and Methods

To provide additional opportunity to discuss the 8DW and how it pertains to young workers, NJSS implemented an optional “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity to end virtual live session days for the WBL supervision trainings from February through November 2024.

2.1. Participants

During the calendar year 2024 or parts of two school years 2023–2024 and 2024–2025, or for six cohorts of the NJSS WBL trainings, twelve virtual live session days were offered, two per cohort. Between February 2024 and November 2024, 154 NJ teachers (course participants) took part in the WBL trainings virtual live session days, a mandatory component of receiving the WBL supervisory course certificates. Data from 67 volunteer NJ teachers (44% response rate) were collected during the optional “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity, which was conducted after each training virtual live session day. This pilot evaluation’s participants teach in secondary schools in NJ. We did not collect additional demographic data or teaching data to maintain participant anonymity. Before taking part in the pilot activity, participating teachers provided verbal consent. Each participating teacher voluntarily provided an email address to receive a USD 15 e-gift card incentive when asked to “confirm name and email address for e-gift card purposes” at the beginning of the activity. This e-gift card amount was like other IRB-approved initiatives of NJSS at Rutgers, based on prior focus groups with career–technical education teachers about incentives for teachers and students to participate in new pilot activities and add-on voluntary research surveys.

2.2. Instrumentation

Using Mentimeter, a presentation-based digital tool that provides real-time feedback, teacher participants were given an overview of the 8DW and presented with a young student worker scenario in which a 17-year-old student works an after-school job (Box 1) related to his future career goals in veterinary care. Participants could use any device with internet capabilities to complete the activity conducted via Mentimeter.

2.3. Procedure

Once participants reviewed the example scenario, participants volunteered to submit a short explanation for how each dimension of wellness related to the scenario provided. The dimensions were presented to participants one by one (Table 1). For the present study, the environmental dimension of wellness was split into two subcategories, given its different potential meanings in relation to school climate and classic/traditional exposures to biological, chemical, physical, and/or radiological agents potentially present. Thus, in this pilot evaluation, environmental I was the original 8DW definition for “environmental,” whereas environmental II was another definition NJSS used with activity participants to elicit additional responses pertaining to different aspects of the scenario’s work environment. While the activity was being implemented, the NJSS presenter controlled the pace at which questions were presented to participants to respond to. Participants could not skip ahead or go back to previous questions, per the presenter’s discretion; however, participants were given time to answer each question, i.e., about 2–4 min, so everyone finished before the activity proceeded. Open-response questions allowed participants to elaborate on how each dimension of wellness pertained to the student work scenario (see Supplementary Materials, Table S1). The responses submitted by participants via the Mentimeter activity were anonymous and received in aggregate. If Mentimeter was not working properly for a participant, they had the opportunity to message the presenter directly via Rutgers WebEx with their answers, and these answers were then added to the downloaded Excel file (or raw database described below) as extra rows/cells or deidentified data. Per NJSS IRB approval for activities within educational trainings, results are only analyzed in aggregate.

2.4. Data Analysis

Data collected from the activity were first exported from the Mentimeter software and then managed in Microsoft Excel. A total of 590 responses were collected, with 29 responses (4.9%) directly sent to the presenters via Rutgers WebEx. There were no detected duplications. A qualitative open coding analysis was then performed using an inductive coding approach, which is exploratory and descriptive by nature since data are deidentified in aggregate, to identify themes from raw text data and capture potential concepts via a line-by-line coding method [16]. This study’s coding was performed in Excel; no other software was used. Initially, there were two coders who performed line-by-line coding to ensure reliability and validity, as well as allow for different perspectives. A third coder was additionally brought in to resolve disagreements between the initial two coders. Due to the small number of items in 8DW and participants in this pilot evaluation study, no Cohen’s Kappa procedure was conducted.

Each dimension of wellness was a parent code, with the environmental dimension having two parent codes. Key ideas were identified as grandchild codes. After initial review, connected grandchild codes were then classified as key themes, known as child codes. A code book was used to ensure consistent use of codes among researchers conducting the analysis.

3. Results

Between February and November 2024, data from 67 NJ teachers were collected during the optional “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity implemented during the WBL trainings virtual live session days. Overall, this study had representation of secondary school educational professionals from 20 of 21 counties throughout north, central, and south NJ; no participating teachers were from Somerset County (see Supplementary Materials, Table S2).

From the 67 participating teachers, 1169 references (responses) were coded from raw textual data. Seventy-three grandchild codes were created based on common themes among responses. These grandchild codes were then consolidated into twenty-four child codes, summarizing related grandchild codes, and then matched with the appropriate dimension of wellness. Duplicate grandchild codes were grouped with different child codes when they were considered pertinent to multiple dimensions.

Table 2. Participants’ responses connecting each of the “Eight Dimensions of Wellness” or 8DW model [1,2,3,4] to the work scenario.

Parent Code	Child Code/Themes	Grandchild Code/Key Ideas	n = Number of Coded References 1	% = Percent of Total References (n = 67)
Emotional	Career (n 2 = 38)	Learning About Future Careers	20	29.9%
		Job Skills	11	16.4%
		Interest	9	13.4%
		Sense of Purpose	6	9.0%
		Paid	5	7.5%
		Low Stress/Manageable Hours	4	6.0%
	Negative Effects (n 2 = 7)	Long Hours Negative	7	10.4%
	Socializing (n 2 = 31)	Interacting With People	24	35.8%
		Emotional Intelligence	11	16.4%
		Networking/Socializing	7	10.4%
	Working with Animals (n 2 = 19)	Animals	19	28.4%
Environmental I	Emotional Aspects (n 2 = 60)	Future Interest	24	35.8%
		Work–Life Balance	23	34.3%
		Experience	18	26.9%
		Animals	13	19.4%
		Enjoyment	13	19.4%
		Building Relationships	10	14.9%
		Positive Health Effects, including Emotional Well-Being	4	6.0%
	Physical Aspects (n 2 = 10)	Physical Environmental Exposure	8	11.9%
		Travel–Physical	2	3.0%
Environmental II	Hazards (n 2 = 41)	Chemical Hazards	20	29.9%
		Animal Hazard	13	19.4%
		Biological Hazards	12	17.9%
		No Hazard	11	16.4%
	Job-Based Environmental Aspects (n 2 = 15)	Training	14	20.9%
		Sustainability	2	3.0%
	Personal Safety and Health (n 2 = 16)	Mental State	8	11.9%
		Physical Movement	6	9.0%
		Personal Protective Equipment/Gear	3	4.5%
	Physical Environment (n 2 = 35)	Neat/Clean Surroundings	18	26.9%
		Safe/Positive Environment	16	23.9%
		Built Environment	10	14.9%
		Ventilation	8	11.9%
Financial	Emotional Health (n 2 = 12)	Money Reduces Anxiety	12	17.9%
	Future skills (n 2 = 17)	Future Work/Learning	15	22.4%
		Job Skills	6	9.0%
	Opportunity for Compensation and Hours (n 2 = 61)	Paid	60	89.6%
		Paid Well as a Student	15	22.4%
		Wants To Make More	8	11.9%
		Good Hours	8	11.9%
	Fiscal Planning (n 2 = 12)	Responsibility	7	10.4%
		Saving	5	7.5%
Intellectual	Learning (n 2 = 38)	Knowledge	38	56.7%
	Skills (n 2 = 58)	Skills For Future	43	64.2%
		Effective Communication/Interactions	17	25.4%
		Creativity/Problem Solving	15	22.4%
Occupational	Positive Work Aspects (n 2 = 39)	Enjoyment/Satisfaction	29	43.3%
		Working With Animals	16	23.9%
		Paid	5	7.5%
		Physically Active	1	1.5%
	Future Opportunity (n 2 = 66)	Future	35	52.2%
		Gaining Experience	30	44.8%
		Responsibility	10	14.9%
		Networking	2	3.0%
Physical	General Health and Well-Being (n 2 = 39)	Work–Life Balance	32	47.8%
		Self-Care	18	26.9%
		Rest/Sleep	13	19.4%
		Eating	10	14.9%
		Breaks	5	7.5%
	Physical Demand (n 2 = 41)	Physically Active (Positive)	34	50.7%
		Physical Stress (Negative)	8	11.9%
Social	Interacting with Peers (n 2 = 47)	Teamwork	23	34.3%
		Making Friends	20	29.9%
		Networking	14	20.9%
		Sense Of Responsibility	9	13.4%
	Interacting with Patrons (n 2 = 55)	People Skills	51	76.1%
		Interacting With Customers	42	62.7%
		Interacting With Animals	19	28.4%
Spiritual	Internal Aspects (n 2 = 53)	Self-Importance/Purpose	33	49.3%
		Prepared For Future	30	44.8%
	External Aspects (n 2 = 38)	Helping Animals	28	41.8%
		Impacting Others	21	31.3%
		Teamwork	3	4.5%

¹ The n refers to the number of coded references from data. Participants may have stated/mentioned more than one thing for a given dimension of wellness. Percentages may add up to greater than 100% due to rounding. ² The n refers to the number of people who indicated at least one grandchild code reference. It is possible that the same person in one child code could have made several references in different grandchild codes.

lists participant key ideas and themes, i.e., by parent, child, and grandchild codes.

3.1. Emotional Dimension of Wellness

The emotional dimension of wellness is defined as coping effectively with life and creating satisfying relationships [1]. The most prevalent theme mentioned for emotional was career (n = 55 responses), by 38 participants, which included the key ideas learning about future careers (n = 20 responses) and job skills (n = 11 responses). Socializing was another prevalent theme, with interacting with people having 24 responses (

Table 3. Quotes from participants. Quotes are labeled A-I to match the results.

Quote A— Emotional	“[The student] is able to gain experience giving him confidence for his future career. [The student] is working towards a desired career path which can give him positive fulfillment.”
Quote B— Environmental I	“Because [the student] wants to be a vet this seems to be a great environment … [the student] is in elements to work to best of abilities.”
Quote C— Environmental II	“Safe products should be used for washing the pets and cleaning the facilities or cleaning up spills (possibly pet waste); labels and product information should be checked.”
Quote D— Financial	“[The student] is receiving a fair wage and he knows his pay schedule. Knowing his pay schedule would allow him to budget his money and reduce anxiety.”
Quote E— Intellectual	“Recognizing potential future occupations and allowing to build skill sets that can benefit in that pursuit.”
Quote F— Occupational	“[The student] is earning money and doing what [the student] hopes to follow career path… learning various aspects of the profession as well. Enjoyment of work makes it more fun and rewarding.”
Quote G—Physical	“[The student’s] work is active. Also, working around school hours is important to balance time to take care of sleep, eat, family, studies.”
Quote H— Social	“[The student] is interacting with customers, animals, and coworkers through the various responsibilities in this position.”
Quote I— Spiritual	“Caring for animals and others, fosters empathy and understanding which will help [the student] grow as a human, and later as a medical care provider for animals.”

Quote A).

3.2. Environmental Dimension of Wellness

The environmental dimension of wellness is defined as good health by occupying pleasant, stimulating environments that support well-being [1]. This dimension of wellness was asked twice, the first time being the participants’ initial thoughts pertaining to environmental aspects, and the second time being when participants were encouraged to consider the interactions between the physical, chemical, and biological components of the environment and human impact. Emotional aspects (n = 105 responses) were the most prevalent theme when participants were asked the first time how aspects of the work scenario pertain to the environmental dimension of wellness. Future interest (n = 24 responses), work–life balance (n = 23 responses), experience (n = 18 responses), animals (n = 13 responses), enjoyment (n = 13 responses), and building relationships (n = 10 responses) were included (Table 3 Quote B).

When participants were asked the second time for thoughts pertaining to the environmental dimension, hazards (n = 56 responses) were the most prevalent theme, including chemical hazards (n = 20 responses), animal hazards (n = 13 responses), biological hazards (n = 12 responses), and no hazards (n = 11 responses). The need for various safety and health training (n = 14 responses) was also mentioned by participants (Table 3, Quote C).

3.3. Financial Dimension of Wellness

The financial dimension of wellness is defined as satisfaction with current and future financial situations [1]. The most prevalent theme mentioned for financial was opportunity for compensation and hours (n = 91 responses), including pay (n = 60) and being paid well for a high school student (n = 15 responses). The initial thought related to the financial dimension of wellness was one’s ability to make money and financially provide for oneself and/or family. Many participants also tied in the emotional dimension of wellness by mentioning that money reduces anxiety (n = 12 responses) (Table 3, Quote D).

3.4. Intellectual Dimension of Wellness

The intellectual dimension of wellness is defined as recognizing creative abilities and finding ways to expand knowledge and skills [1]. The most prevalent theme for the intellectual dimension was skills (n = 75 responses), including skills for the future (n = 43 responses), effective communication/interactions (n = 17 responses), and creativity/problem solving (n = 15 responses) (Table 3, Quote E). Skills included both soft and hard skills.

3.5. Occupational Dimension of Wellness

The occupational dimension of wellness is defined as personal satisfaction and enrichment derived from one’s work [1]. The majority of participating teachers, 66 of 67 (99%), thought the theme of future opportunity was important (n = 77 responses). Included were future (n = 35 responses), gaining experience (n = 30 responses), and responsibility (n = 10 responses). Many participants also mentioned positive work aspects, highlighting enjoyment/satisfaction (n = 29 responses) in the workplace (Table 3, Quote F).

3.6. Physical Dimension of Wellness

The physical dimension of wellness is defined as recognizing the need for physical activity, diet, sleep, and nutrition [1]. The most prevalent theme was general health and well-being (n = 78 responses), including work–life balance (n = 32 responses), self-care (n = 18 responses), rest/sleep (n = 13 responses), and eating (n = 10 responses) (Table 3, Quote G). Physical demand was also a prominent theme, with both positive physically active references (n = 34 responses) and negative physical stress references made (n = 8 responses).

3.7. Social Dimension of Wellness

The social dimension of wellness is defined as developing a sense of connection, belonging, and a well-developed support system [1]. Interactions were the most prevalent theme, with peers (n = 66 responses) as well as with patrons, both human and animal, in the specific scenario presented (n = 61 responses). Overall, people skills had the most mentions (n = 51 responses) (Table 3, Quote H).

3.8. Spiritual Dimension of Wellness

The spiritual dimension of wellness is defined as expanding our sense of purpose and meaning in life [1]. Internal (n = 63 responses) as well as external aspects (n = 52 responses) pertaining to the spiritual dimension were prevalent themes, including self-importance/purpose (n = 33 responses) and, specifically, for the work scenario presented, helping animals (n = 28 responses) (Table 3, Quote I).

3.9. Activity’s Final Summary Question

One multiple-choice question was asked at the end of the activity. Participants were asked to “Choose the two [of the 8DW] you think are most important for student workers to incorporate in their work life to help achieve total worker health.” The top two dimensions chosen by the participants were emotional (n = 45 responses) and social (n = 19 responses), followed by intellectual (n = 17 responses) (see Supplementary Materials, Table S3).

4. Discussion

The research aim addressed by this study was to describe teacher interpretations of how the 8DW (see Table 1) applied to a fictional student work scenario (see Box 1), which helped identify the emotional and social dimensions as prioritized by teachers for young student workers, and additionally affirmed the effectiveness of the Mentimeter activity as a training tool. The results of this “Eight Dimensions of Young Worker Wellness” activity revealed an overlap between dimensions in the participants’ responses, supporting the idea that wellness is multifaceted and interconnected. In this study, as shown in Table 2, several of the 8DW had at least one reference that mentioned how being paid contributed to wellness, the most prominent of which were the financial and emotional dimensions. Participants further mentioned “money reduces anxiety,” supporting previously conducted research, which indicated that money, or financial security, can significantly reduce anxiety by increasing a sense of control and life satisfaction in one’s life. Financial security can also have a protective role against anxiety, for example, when savings can act as a buffer against negative health and well-being outcomes [17]. Specifically, for teachers, another study revealed that anxiety can predict measures of job performance and retention. Teachers who were more economically anxious tended to have more negative attitudes towards their jobs, worse attendance, and a greater likelihood of leaving the job [18]. Teachers in this study recognized the importance of the financial dimension and its connection to health for their students as they join the workforce, as well as for themselves as they must make money to support themselves and their families.

Workplace environmental factors also influence health and wellness. Factors can include the physical building itself, in addition to chemical and biological hazards. For teachers working in schools, the age of the school building and associated health concerns such as air quality, ventilation, asbestos, lead, mold, lighting, noise, temperature, and physical safety hazards may all be factors to consider in effecting wellness [19]. Cleaning, sanitizing, and disinfecting products used daily in classrooms and other areas in the school building in which teachers spend time can also pose a threat to health [20]. Being mindful of environmental effects in the workplace and enforcing safety and health training can help mitigate potential health risks.

Teaching is a high-demand occupation and can take a toll on physical and mental health. For teachers to maintain a proper work–life balance and continue to effectively implement their work responsibilities, self-care must be practiced. Recent studies revealed the various self-care practices teachers adopted during the COVID-19 pandemic and should continue incorporating into their daily routines to prioritize their physical and mental health, including nutrition, sleep, exercise, and social connection habits [21,22].

Both soft or employability and hard or technical skills contribute significantly to the intellectual dimension of wellness, and specifically for teachers and their ability to manage stress, maintain a healthy work–life balance, and ultimately thrive in their profession. Soft skills for teacher wellness encompass self-awareness and regulation, such as mindfulness and resilience, as well as social awareness and relationship skills like empathy and communication. Hard skills, while often associated with technical competencies, also play a significant role in teacher wellness by improving efficiency and reducing workload stressors. These skills include time management, organizational skills, classroom management, utilizing technology effectively, and professional development [23]. The intellectual dimension also connects to the occupational dimension of wellness, where we see participants prioritizing skill development and professional advancement in their responses.

The top two dimensions chosen by participants for the most important to incorporate into work life to strive for total worker health [24] were emotional and social. These results highlight the importance of social–emotional learning for young student workers entering the workplace and the importance of social–emotional wellness for teacher well-being in the workplace. Teachers who experience burnout are often perceived as having lower socioemotional intelligence or competence by their students. Students notice when their teachers are not doing well emotionally or may be burned out [25]. Social–emotional wellness is connected to soft skills previously mentioned, such as self-awareness and social awareness. Teachers strive for a sense of purpose in their profession in working with students and shaping the future generation. A study revealed that a teacher’s professional identity is considered a social–emotional aspect and is highly correlated with teachers’ happiness [26]. Emotional wellness is commonly considered the most important dimension to nurture, followed by physical wellness [8,27]. Overall, prior studies with relevant empirical work on the 8DW in educational settings are sparse, but the current study’s findings align with prior research and emphasize the novelty of this pilot evaluation research.

4.1. Strengths

This study had known strengths. The activity questions collected primary data from teachers on their assessment of the 8DW model and how each dimension pertains to aspects of a young worker scenario. Indeed, open-response questions allowed participants to elaborate and share their thoughts in detail. Additionally, the activity was conducted in real-time with teachers. This allowed NJSS to maximize the number of teacher participants and still confirm that results were reviewed in aggregate and later analyzed as part of a deidentified database. The conducted activity introduced teachers to the 8DW and its use as a tool in thinking about personal health and comprehensive wellness in the workplace. This activity, in which the 8DW was used to assess aspects of worker health and well-being, can be replicable elsewhere.

4.2. Limitations

This study also had known limitations. First, we acknowledge potential social desirability in training contexts and potential biases from recruitment and incentives offered for participation. Additionally, data were collected in aggregate, and participants were not asked to provide identifying demographic information due to the sensitivity of the survey questions and to maintain anonymity, which may limit transferability. Another limitation is that the activity is based on a fictional, static scenario. We acknowledge this is a methodological limitation, as real-world work-based learning environments are more complex and variable. Additionally, teachers were asked to submit responses to the activity at a controlled presenter’s pace using Mentimeter. Teachers could not navigate through the activity at their own pace or go back to questions they may have missed or liked to modify their response. A final known limitation to acknowledge is that neither formal inter-rater reliability metrics nor coder counts were reported for this pilot evaluation study.

5. Conclusions

Given the roles and responsibilities teachers have in working with school-aged students, it is important for schools to prioritize the wellness of teachers and educational support professionals to create a school environment where teachers can teach and thrive professionally in a nurturing and stable environment. Teachers can therefore continue to fulfill their responsibilities in the workplace as well as in their home life with the proper support and resources in place. The 8DW is a reminder of how human health goes beyond physical and mental health and may encourage one to additionally be mindful of the emotional, environmental, financial, intellectual, occupational, social, and spiritual dimensions of wellness. Specifically, this 8DW study encouraged teachers to use this model as a tool to reflect on the responsibilities they possess and wellness practices they could implement while working in schools with students, which could serve as protective factors to teachers and students alike. As highlighted in our results, this initial pilot evaluation’s participating teachers prioritized the emotional and social dimensions when applying the 8DW to a youth work scenario. This study’s data thus helps address an important research gap in examining the well-being and health practices of teachers and their students as young workers.

This study can also provide guidance to schools and districts for how to provide essential support to teachers and better address identified needs, including promoting employee wellness and a positive social and emotional school environment, to also positively impact student health and wellness. This activity has the potential to be incorporated into teacher professional development, with follow-up assessments implemented as well. Future studies should collect participant demographics, conduct pre- and post-evaluation of knowledge/attitudes, and potentially test longitudinal effects on student outcomes. Furthermore, additional dimensions of wellness could be examined. Finally, mindfulness of these models as tools could be incorporated in schools where teachers work directly with students, the future members of the workforce.