Building a Swiss–Asia–Pacific Research Network on Pre-Service Teacher Well-Being: Cross-Cultural Validation, Application and Extension (SWAP)

Globally, concerns about teacher well-being are growing. International evidence documents high levels of stress and burnout alongside persistent shortages of qualified teachers in classrooms. This combination carries substantial societal costs, as it threatens the quality of education and the learning opportunities of future generations. To date, much of the literature has remained reactive, focusing on in-service teachers once well-being challenges are already established. Initial teacher education represents a crucial stage during which well-being patterns and career intentions begin to take shape, highlighting the importance of a preventive and culturally responsive focus on pre-service teachers.

Through a Swiss-led collaboration with partners from Australia, China, Malaysia, and Thailand, this project establishes the Swiss–Asia–Pacific Research Network on Pre-Service Teacher Well-Being (SWAP), combining complementary disciplinary and methodological expertise with strong institutional anchoring in initial teacher education across partner countries. The project follows a structured Validation–Application–Extension approach. In the validation phase, the project adapts and validates a Swiss-developed questionnaire on pre-service teacher well-being for Asia-Pacific contexts. In the application phase, the validated instrument will be applied to conduct cross-cultural comparisons across Switzerland and the Asia-Pacific region. In the extension phase, empirical findings will be synthesised into a culturally responsive, evidence-informed policy framework. Symposia in Thailand, Malaysia, and Switzerland will facilitate structured exchange with researchers and key stakeholders in initial teacher education, including policy actors, programme coordinators, teacher educators, school mentors, and pre-service teachers. Feedback from these symposia will inform the iterative refinement of the policy framework.

Within two years, the SWAP network will deliver a cross-culturally validated instrument, joint high-impact publications, and a concise policy framework. Crucially, the project will generate the pilot data and consortium structure required to submit a large-scale multilateral funding proposal in 2028, ensuring the network’s long-term sustainability.

Project duration

September 2026–August 2028

Funding

Research Network Grant, Leading House Asia Pacific