Date

9-25-2025

Department

School of Behavioral Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Psychology (PhD)

Chair

Bethany Mims-Beliles

Keywords

Psychological safety, education, morale, well-being, trust, valued

Disciplines

Education | Psychology

Abstract

Psychological safety is a concept that has been around since 1965. Psychological safety exists when employees feel safe to share their ideas and opinions without fear of retaliation, retribution, or belittlement. Studies on psychological safety have mainly focused on businesses and corporations and work team learning behaviors. In recent years, it has become evident that psychological safety is needed in additional types of industries, including all stages of education, from primary to graduate school. In education, teachers and staff often feel isolated and have concerns about voicing their opinions which creates relational stress and conflict, thus lowering staff morale. This study examined the lived experiences of teachers and staff at TK-12 charter schools and how psychological safety impacted their morale. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with 17 teachers and staff. Thematic analysis revealed themes that were interpreted into a detailed description of teachers’ and staff’s experiences with psychological safety and how it affected their morale. The themes of the study were feeling safe within their teams, trust, and feeling valued by their supervisor. The study includes practical implications for use in educational settings, psychological practice, and in the church.

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