On 14 april Filip Van Droogenbroeck will defend his doctoral dissertation on Too Tired to Teach? Key determinants of mental health and early retirement among senior teachers: a comparative and teacher-specific perspective
Promotor: Prof. dr. Bram Spruyt
Campus: Etterbeek
Faculteit: Economische en Sociale Wetenschappen & Solvay Business School
Promotiezaal D.2.01
“The quality of an education system cannot exceed the quality of its teachers.”
Currently policy makers in Belgium are focused on making teachers and other employees work longer. Concerning teachers policy makers are faced with a dilemma. On the one hand, there is strong pressure to motivate everybody to work longer. In difficult economic times, a special justification is needed why an occupational group such as teachers should be able to exit the workforce earlier than others. On the other hand, the important societal position of teachers is recognized and nobody wants exhausted teachers teaching our children. For this, the education of children is too important for our society. In this regard, it is widely accepted in the media, political, and academic debate that teaching is a tough and demanding profession. Teachers are often portrayed to experience more stress and mental health problems than other occupations. But suprisingly little comparative research exists. Against the background of the upcoming pension reforms and the ongoing debate on tough professions, it is highly relevant for society to do an in-depth investigation of 1) the reasons why senior teachers leave the profession early and 2) the mental health of senior teachers. To investigate these topics a dual approach was followed which combined a teacher-only and a comparative perspective.
For more information about the dissertation please click here
