Dissertations, Theses, and Capstone Projects

Date of Degree

2-2026

Document Type

Doctoral Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy

Program

Educational Psychology

Advisor

Bixi Zhang

Committee Members

Steven J. Holochwost

Joan M. Lucariello

Jacqueline V. Lerner

Scott Marion

Subject Categories

Educational Assessment, Evaluation, and Research | Educational Psychology | Secondary Education and Teaching

Keywords

occupational well-being, mathematics teachers, mathematics performance, PISA, large-scale assessment

Abstract

This dissertation examined mathematics teachers’ occupational well-being, its cross-country variation, and its relationship with student mathematics achievement across three distinct but interconnected studies that built on one another. Using the Programme for International Student Assessment (PISA) 2022 data, the studies included more than 7,000 teachers from seven countries. Study 1 validated a four-dimensional framework of teachers’ occupational well-being (cognitive, subjective, social, and physical/mental) across these countries, supported by confirmatory factor analysis and evidence of measurement invariance. Descriptive and regression results revealed cross-country variation, with the United Arab Emirates (UAE) reporting the highest well-being scores and Korea among the lowest. Regionally, Asia and Latin America reported lower well-being, whereas the Middle East reported higher well-being compared to Europe. OECD partner countries also reported higher well-being than other countries, pointing to the influence of systemic factors.

Building on the framework from Study 1, Study 2 examined whether school-level mathematics teacher variables predicted student mathematics achievement and whether these associations varied across countries and teacher characteristics. A multilevel modeling approach was applied to the large-scale assessment data, controlling for key student and teacher covariates. Across all countries, student socioeconomic status was the strongest predictor of mathematics performance. Direct effects of school-level teacher well-being on mathematics achievement emerged in the UAE (negative) and Colombia (positive). Among the school-level teacher characteristics, mathematics subject qualification negatively moderated the well-being–achievement association in Korea, while teacher education completion showed negative moderation effects in the UAE, Colombia, and Korea. Weekly work hours displayed negative interactions in Brazil and Korea but a positive interaction in Portugal.

Study 3 investigated teacher and school contextual moderators of the school-level well-being–achievement link. A negative interaction with teachers’ openness to creativity was identified in Korea, whereas teachers’ use of creative pedagogies showed positive interactions in the UAE and Germany. Creative school climate demonstrated a negative interaction in the UAE, and teacher appraisals showed a positive interaction in Germany. Compared with public schools, private schools indicated a positive interaction in Malaysia and Colombia but a negative interaction in Portugal. Finally, professional development opportunities demonstrated a positive interaction in Colombia.

The three studies aimed to provide comprehensive comparative insights into how teachers’ occupational well-being varied internationally, how it related to student achievement, and how its influence depended on nuanced teacher and school contexts. The findings suggest that while teacher characteristics mattered, social and economic realities along with cultural and systemic factors such as workload, policy orientation, and organizational conditions may play a more critical role in supporting mathematics teacher well-being and student mathematics achievement.

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