Subjective well-being of teachers in modern Russian universities

Southern Federal University, 344006, Rostov-on-Don, Russia

^* Corresponding author: lucl@yandex.ru

Abstract

Based on applied research, the article analyzes the indicators of subjective well-being of scientific and pedagogical workers of leading Russian universities. The empirical basis of the study is the results of 8 focus groups with the participation of over 60 university employees and the data of a mass survey of 246 teachers from federal universities. The concept of research on subjective well-being includes the study of a person's cognitive affective assessment of various aspects of his life. The results of the study show that among the university staff surveyed, situational positive emotions prevail over negative feelings, and the level of happiness is slightly higher than the average for the Russian population as a whole. At the level of the cognitive component, quite critical assessments by university teachers of their socio-economic status and working conditions are recorded. However, the importance of economic well-being for university staff is inferior to the values of interesting work, realization of abilities, and recognition of colleagues and students. At the same time, modern education reforms can negatively affect the professional well-being of university employees, as the workload is growing the risks are increasing with the risks of switching to a part-time job or job loss.