Milestones Switzerland
August 2025
Start of the WESPA project.
October 2025
Teams from Croatia and Romania visited Switzerland. Every year, the WESPA teams meet in one of the respective countries, starting with Switzerland. The meeting is to socialize but also served to plan and finalize the questionnaire, discuss joint scales, Phd topics, plan future conferences and share experiences from the first recruiting phase.
December 2025
In the first five months of the WESPA project, the research teams in Croatia, Romania, and Switzerland focused on preparing and conducting the first data collection of Phase 1. Our start was very successful: All three countries surpassed their target of a minimum of 220 principals and their teachers participating in the first wave.
February 2026
In March, two WESPA PhD students from Croatia visited Switzerland for a two-week exchange. Below is a summary of their activities:
During our mobility period from March 16 until March 31, we visited the University of Bern. During our stay, we had the opportunity to connect with colleagues, participate in teaching activities, and engage in our regular academic work, including conducting our own classes and working on scientific papers. As part of our visit, we also contributed to a master’s seminar titled “Flourishing Schools: Promoting Teacher and School Principal Well-being,” where we presented the WESPA project, covering its theoretical background, research questions, design, differences between the Croatian and Swiss educational systems and how these affect the research, as well as key challenges and lessons learned. The session also included an interactive discussion with students, allowing for the exchange of ideas and experiences. In addition, we participated in team meetings, where we further shared knowledge and discussed ongoing work related to the second wave of data collection. In our free time, we explored Bern, enjoyed local sweets, and experienced the city’s winter atmosphere.
- Petra Đurić and Iva Miličević, PhD students from the Croatian team
April 2026
End of wave 1 in all three countries.
Mai 2026
Wave 2 has started in all three countries.
June 2026
ICM-Conference.
- Presentation; "Enlighten Job Demand-Resource Model with Stress-as-Offence-to-Self Theory: Demands-resources profiles and their association with wellbeing and turnover intention among Swiss teachers."
August 2026
ECER 2026 Tampere.
- Presentation; "Job Satisfaction of Swiss School Principals and Their Teachers: A Crossover Perspective."
October 2026
The next international meeting will take place this October in Timisoara, Romania.
Milestones Croatia
January 2026
- Burić, I. (2026, January 26). Teachers’ and School Principals’ Well-Being: What Determines It, Why It Matters, and How to Preserve It? [Invited Lecture]. IFS Virtual Keynote Series (VKS) 2026, Dortmund, Germany.
May 2026
- Đurić, P., Miličević, I., & Burić, I. (2026, May 21-23). Validacija hrvatske verzije Skale samovođenja na uzorku ravnatelja škola [Validation of the Croatian Version of the Self-Leadership Scale in a Sample of School Principals] [Conference presentation]. 25th Psychology Days in Zadar, Zadar, Croatia.
- Miličević, I., Đurić, P., & Burić, I. (2026, May 21-23). Validacija Revidirane skale fleksibilnosti suočavanja (CFS-R) na uzorku hrvatskih učitelja i nastavnika [Validation of the Revised Coping Flexibility Scale (CFS-R) in a Sample of Croatian Teachers] [Conference presentation]. 25th Psychology Days in Zadar, Zadar, Croatia.
- Burić, I., Miličević, I., Đurić, P., Parmač Kovačić, M., & Sorić, I. (2026, May 21-23). Capturing skills that matter with the BESSI-20: Linking social, emotional, and behavioral skills to teacher well-being and retention. [Conference presentation]. 25th Psychology Days in Zadar, Zadar, Croatia.
- Parmač Kovačeić, M., Sorić, I., Đurić, P., & Miličević, I. (2026, May 21-23). Radni zahtjevi, samopotkopavanje i sagorijevanje na poslu: proces koji vodi prema namjeri napuštanja uloge kod ravnatelja škola [Job Demands, Self-Undermining, and Burnout: A Process Leading to School Principals' Intention to Leave Their Role] [Conference presentation]. 25th Psychology Days in Zadar, Zadar, Croatia.
June 2026
- Đurić, P., Miličević, I., & Burić, I. (2026, June 22-24). Burnout and Engagement as Turnover Pathways in School Principals [Conference presentation]. International Conference on Motivation 2026, Lisbon, Portugal.
- Miličević, I., Đurić, P., & Burić, I. (2026, June 22-24). When Job Demands Lead to Burnout: The Moderating Role of Teaching Self-Efficacy [Conference presentation]. International Conference on Motivation 2026, Lisbon, Portugal.
September 2026
- Miličević, I. & Burić, I. (2026, September 22-24). From job demands to teacher turnover intentions: The mediating role of burnout and workaholism. [Paper accepted for presentation]. 46th STAR conference, Zagreb, Croatia.
Milestones Romania
March 2026
- Știopu-Șoacă, M., Vîrgă, D., & Maricuțoiu, L. (2026, March 12-15). Flexibilitatea copingului – evaluarea proprietăților psihometrice ale versiunii românești a chestionarului. [Coping Flexibility—An Evaluation of the Psychometric Properties of the Romanian Version of the Questionnaire] [Conference presentation]. 26th APIO Conference ”Horia D. Pitariu”, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
- Giurgi, M.A., Vîrgă, D., & Maricuțoiu, L. (2026, March 12-15). Validarea versiunii românești a Scalei Subminării de Sine. [Conference presentation]. 26th APIO Conference ”Horia D. Pitariu”, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
- Maricuțoiu, L.P. (2026, March 12-15). Noi dezvoltări în studiul stării de bine a angajaților: contribuții din perspectiva teoriei sistemelor. [State-of-the-Art lecture]. 26th APIO Conference ”Horia D. Pitariu”, Cluj Napoca, Romania.
April 2026
Maricuțoiu, L.P., & WESPA team (2026, April 16-17): Application of the congruence hypothesis in the JD-R theory: an examination of the predictive capabilities of teacher-school principal similarity in demands and resources, using an actor-partner response surface analysis with multilevel data. [Conference presentation]. 6th BAT Seminar, Maastricht, the Netherlands.
