Teachers’ Well-being and Work Performance

Abstract

This study investigated the levels of well-being, and work performance among public school teachers in one district of a medium-sized division in a highly urbanized city in Negros Island Region, Philippines, during the School Year 2023–2024. Anchored on Seligman’s PERMA model, the study examined teachers’ positive emotion, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment, alongside the reported performance ratings. A descriptive research design was employed, involving 223 teachers across seven elementary and six secondary schools representing both urban and semi urban contexts. Findings revealed very high levels of well-being in positive emotion, engagement, and meaning, and high levels in relationships and accomplishment.  Teachers’ performance for the preceding year was rated outstanding across groups. No significant relationships were found between well-being and work performance, suggesting that teachers maintain strong performance regardless of their personal well-being levels. Significant differences were observed only in the well-being domains of relationships and meaning when grouped by teaching level, and in work performance when grouped by level handled. Overall, the results underscore the resilience of Filipino public school teachers, who sustain high motivation and strong performance despite systemic challenges such as large class sizes, resource limitations, and administrative demands. While performance remains consistently high, the absence of direct links between well being, and performance highlights the need for institutional interventions that nurture relational well being, strengthen meaning-making, and prevent long-term burnout.