Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being

Lisa Kiltz; Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma; Esmee Kamp-Bolks; Marieke Pillen

Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being

Abstract

By studying seven Dutch teacher education initiatives, developed during the COVID-19 pandemic to promote pre-service teachers’ well-being and resilience, the current research aims to specify which designs and mechanisms might be most useful. The results of semi-structured interviews with 41 stakeholders, including pre-service teachers, staff, and policy experts, reveal key differences in the widely varying initiatives, including whether they pursue well-being and resilience goals directly or indirectly, which groups they target, and their content. Four design elements emerge as critical: designing innovative education, embedding initiatives in theory and practice, clear communication, and the professionalization of teacher educators. The mechanisms that facilitate well-being and resilience outcomes reflect three overarching themes: beliefs about well-being and resilience (e.g. roles and responsibility), collaborative learning communities (e.g. importance of social networks), and reflective and resilient mindsets (e.g. creating opportunities for reflection). In summary, the findings suggest that by increasing awareness of the importance of well-being and resilience, fostering reflective and resilient mindsets, and creating supportive learning communities, teacher education programs can better equip pre-service teachers and educators to thrive, even in challenging situations.

Keywords

Supporting Institution

University of Groningen

Project Number

40.5.22957.004

Ethical Statement

The authors’ university ethical committee approved the study in advance (TED-2223-S-0029), and participants completed informed consent forms prior to the data collection.

Thanks

The study data were collected as part of the project ‘Welbevinden en veerkracht van aanstaande leraren’ (40.5.22957.004), funded by the Netherlands Initiative for Education Research (NRO). We acknowledge the support of all the consortium members.

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Details

Primary Language

English

Subjects

Teacher and Student Wellbeing

Journal Section

Research Article

Authors

Lisa Kiltz
0000-0003-3026-8203
The Netherlands

Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma ^*
0000-0001-7551-6843
The Netherlands

Esmee Kamp-Bolks
0009-0008-5201-8575
The Netherlands

Marieke Pillen
0009-0001-3724-6376
The Netherlands

Publication Date

August 31, 2026

Submission Date

December 19, 2025

Acceptance Date

July 21, 2026

Published in Issue

Year 2026 Volume: 15 Number: 2

IZ

https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD

Cite

RIS / Bibtex

APA

Kiltz, L., Fokkens-Bruinsma, M., Kamp-Bolks, E., & Pillen, M. (2026). Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, 15(2), 103-119. https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD

AMA

1.Kiltz L, Fokkens-Bruinsma M, Kamp-Bolks E, Pillen M. Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators. 2026;15(2):103-119. https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD

Chicago

Kiltz, Lisa, Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma, Esmee Kamp-Bolks, and Marieke Pillen. 2026. “Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15 (2): 103-19. https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD.

EndNote

Kiltz L, Fokkens-Bruinsma M, Kamp-Bolks E, Pillen M (August 1, 2026) Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15 2 103–119.

IEEE

[1]L. Kiltz, M. Fokkens-Bruinsma, E. Kamp-Bolks, and M. Pillen, “Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being”, Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, vol. 15, no. 2, pp. 103–119, Aug. 2026, [Online]. Available: https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD

ISNAD

Kiltz, Lisa - Fokkens-Bruinsma, Marjon - Kamp-Bolks, Esmee - Pillen, Marieke. “Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators 15/2 (August 1, 2026): 103-119. https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD.

JAMA

1.Kiltz L, Fokkens-Bruinsma M, Kamp-Bolks E, Pillen M. Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators. 2026;15:103–119.

MLA

Kiltz, Lisa, et al. “Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being”. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators, vol. 15, no. 2, Aug. 2026, pp. 103-19, https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD.

Vancouver

1.Lisa Kiltz, Marjon Fokkens-Bruinsma, Esmee Kamp-Bolks, Marieke Pillen. Enhancing Dutch Pre-Service Teachers’ Resilience and Positive Well-Being. Journal of Teacher Education and Educators [Internet]. 2026 Aug. 1;15(2):103-19. Available from: https://izlik.org/JA23JE49DD