Bowyer, Melissa (2022) Teacher Mental Health Literacy and Child Development in Australian Primary Schools: A Program Evaluation. Honours thesis, University of Southern Queensland. (Unpublished)
Abstract
Primary school teachers play a significant role in the support of children with mental health and developmental concerns, which can be comorbid or share similar symptomology. Literature suggests there is a deficiency in teacher mental health literacy (MHL), indicating that teachers often lack the knowledge and confidence to support childhood mental health. This study evaluated the success of the Mental Health Literacy for Educators Training Program for a subset of Queensland (QLD) primary school teachers, with a focus on developmental areas of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Speech and Language Disorders and Sensory Processing Disorders. The aim was to evaluate whether knowledge and confidence improved on training completion, and to evaluate satisfaction of training. This research used a longitudinal design (pre-post training) with a sample of 81 QLD primary school teaching staff over a three-year period (2013-2015). Results showed that knowledge and confidence improved on training completion and were strongly correlated. Satisfaction with training was high and positively correlated with knowledge acquisition and confidence attainment. In respect of complex effects, a moderated-mediation model showed that confidence mediated the relationship between satisfaction and knowledge, and years of teaching experience as a moderator had no effect directly on confidence or in producing a conditional indirect effect on knowledge. This study considers limitations such as ceiling effects, participant and self-selection biases, and sample representation, which limits interpretation of findings. At last, it also recommends additional longitudinal follow-up periods to assess knowledge maintenance, teacher helping behaviours and benefits to children as key directions for future research.
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| Item Type: | Thesis (Non-Research) (Honours) |
|---|---|
| Item Status: | Live Archive |
| Additional Information: | Current UniSQ staff and students can request access to this thesis. Please email research.repository@unisq.edu.au with a subject line of SEAR thesis request and provide: Name of the thesis requested and Your name and UniSQ email address |
| Faculty/School / Institute/Centre: | Current – Faculty of Health, Engineering and Sciences - School of Psychology and Wellbeing (1 Jan 2022 -) |
| Supervisors: | Erich Fein |
| Qualification: | Bachelor of Science (Honours) |
| Date Deposited: | 14 May 2025 06:28 |
| Last Modified: | 14 May 2025 06:28 |
| Uncontrolled Keywords: | teacher; professional development; mental health literacy; child development |
| Fields of Research (2008): | 17 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 1799 Other Psychology and Cognitive Sciences > 179999 Psychology and Cognitive Sciences not elsewhere classified |
| Fields of Research (2020): | 52 PSYCHOLOGY > 5299 Other psychology > 529999 Other psychology not elsewhere classified |
| URI: | https://sear.unisq.edu.au/id/eprint/52172 |
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