Contextualising youth emotional health and wellbeing: teachers’ experiences, perceptions and views about their role working with young people, who present with emotional difficulties

Purpose: <br>This context specific action research, explores post primary school teachers’ professional experiences in their dealings with pupils’ emotional difficulties, in order to develop a conceptualised change for improved school practice, including what personal emotional support staff need, in order to meet the requirements of pupils. The theoretical framework for the study draws from Bourdieu’s theories of social reproduction and cultural capital, along with Breakwell’s theory of identity and social representations.

Identifying and understanding individual teacher positions is of crucial importance, in an area where teachers are believed to be key contributors in the wider support mechanism for pupils exhibiting a range of health and wellbeing problems. <br><br>Method: <br>This study is based on a qualitative approach. There were two phases: phase one included three focus group interviews and one individual interview with fifteen staff participating.