How Do School Psychologists Experience Flourishing? Structural Analysis of the Flourishing-At-Work Scale and Its Educational and Occupational Correlates

Abstract

This study employed the Flourishing-At-Work Scale (FAWS) to enhance understanding of school psychologists’ emotional, psychological, and social well-being at work. A national sample of 369 practicing United States school psychologists completed the FAWS via an online study. Seven confirmatory factor analysis models developed based on conceptions of flourishing at work and prior research were found to be poor fitting. Subsequent exploratory factor analysis revealed a general factor of flourishing at work was the most meaningful and parsimonious explanation of the relations across FAWS items. The FAWS total score showed positive associations with job satisfaction and negative associations with overall stress at work. School psychologists with doctoral degrees reported higher levels of flourishing than school psychologists with master’s and specialist degrees. However, flourishing at work was not associated with age in years, years of experience, or state-level school-psychologist-to-student ratios. More research with school psychologists using the Flourishing-at-Work scale is needed to examine its factor structure and its correlates. Impact Statement Although school psychologists experience stress in their day-to-day work, there are opportunities for them to flourish in their work when they enjoy the nature of their job and are not burdened by heavy workloads. This study is among the earliest studies to examine flourishing at work within a school psychologist population. A general model of flourishing appears to be congruent with their experiences.

Publication Title

School Psychology Review

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