Enhancing the Well-Being of Special Education Teachers Through a PERMA-Based Positive Psychology Intervention: A Pilot Study

UZUN K., Özdemir H.

Psychology in the Schools, 2025 (SSCI) identifier

  • Publication Type: Article / Article
  • Publication Date: 2025
  • Doi Number: 10.1002/pits.70021
  • Journal Name: Psychology in the Schools
  • Journal Indexes: Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Scopus, Academic Search Premier, ASSIA, IBZ Online, PASCAL, Applied Science & Technology Source, Child Development & Adolescent Studies, EBSCO Education Source, Education Abstracts, Educational research abstracts (ERA), ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Linguistics & Language Behavior Abstracts, Psycinfo
  • Keywords: PERMA, pilot study, positive psychology, special education teachers, teacher mental health, well-being
  • Uşak University Affiliated: Yes

Abstract

Teachers' psychological well-being is essential to their professional effectiveness and the quality of support they provide to students. Special education teachers, in particular, face elevated emotional and occupational demands that can undermine their well-being. Despite this, structured interventions targeting their well-being remain scarce, and the role of positive psychology in this context is underexplored. This pilot study examined the feasibility and preliminary effects of a 7-week intervention program based on Seligman's PERMA model. Initial interviews were conducted with 24 teachers from three Special Education Practice Schools in Türkiye. Following a matching process, 14 teachers were assigned to either an experimental group (n = 7) or a control group (n = 7) based on demographic characteristics and pre-test scores. Program effectiveness was evaluated using pre-test, Posttest, and a 60-day follow-up assessment. Results indicated significant improvements in overall well-being and all five PERMA components—positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment—for the experimental group, with gains maintained at follow-up. No significant changes were observed in the control group. While the small sample size limits generalizability, findings provide preliminary support for the feasibility and potential effectiveness of PERMA-based interventions in special education settings. This study contributes to the growing literature on teacher well-being by offering early-stage evidence from an experimental, school-based application.