Author Identifier (ORCID)
Abstract
Teacher wellbeing demands urgent attention given documented attrition and burnout, yet teacher education programmes often treat wellbeing as peripheral to professional preparation. Sustained teacher wellbeing is also linked to enhanced pedagogical efficacy, professional engagement, and the modelling of wellbeing for learners. This study examines how character strengths function as a scaffolding language through which wellbeing literacy, the intentional language to comprehend and compose wellbeing for self and others, is integrated within initial teacher education for pre-service teachers. Six podcast episodes from the Teachers Supporting Teachers series captured conversations between pre-service teachers and university academics exploring character strengths understanding and enactment. Three interconnected themes were constructed: understanding strengths as dynamic and relational capacities; purposeful enactment of strengths in relationship-centred practice; and connections between strengths awareness and sustainable flourishing. Relationships permeated all dimensions, serving as the medium through which character strengths were recognised, enacted, and sustained. This study positions wellbeing literacy as fundamentally dialogic, developed through articulation rather than solitary reflection. Character strengths provided a common vocabulary enabling communication across stakeholder groups. Podcasting served dual purposes as methodology and pedagogy. Findings suggest value in integrating character strengths language across programme components and preparing mentors for strengths-based feedback.
Keywords
Character strengths, podcasting as pedagogy and method, pre-service teachers, professional experience, wellbeing literacy
Document Type
Journal Article
Date of Publication
1-1-2026
E-ISSN
14701278
ISSN
13540602
Publication Title
Teachers and Teaching Theory and Practice
Publisher
Taylor & Francis
School
School of Education
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-No Derivative Works 4.0 License.
Recommended Citation
Lemon, N., Harris, M., Dass, R., Sanbrook, C., James, R., Green, T., Adkin, B., & Berman, G. (2026). From awareness to articulation: How character strengths support wellbeing literacy in pre-service teachers. Teachers and Teaching. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2026.2723337