SWAP: Swiss–Asia–Pacific Research Network on Pre-Service Teacher Well-Being

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.

Swiss Project Team

Manuela Haldimann, PhD, Swiss Project Lead, University of Bern

Tina Hascher, PhD, Swiss Project Partner, University of Bern

Doreen Flick-Holtsch, PhD, Swiss Project Partner, University of Zurich

Daniel Steiner, PhD, Swiss Project Partner, Bern University of Teacher Education

Asia-Pacific Project Team

• Helena Granziera, PhD, Australian Co-Lead, University of New South Wales
• Xiaoyu Yu, PhD, Chinese Co-Lead, North China University of Science and Technology
• Melissa Ng Lee Yen Abdullah, PhD, Malaysian Co-Lead, Universiti Sains Malaysia
• Nanthaka Supreeyaporn, PhD, Thai Co-Lead, Chiang Mai University
• Chaiyun Sakulsriprasert, PhD, Thai Project Partner, Chiang Mai University