A novel ecological model of holistic early childhood workforce well-being: The utilization of an AI-Assisted systematic review.

Abstract

A critical factor in promoting quality practices in early care and education (ECE) settings is educator well-being, a multi-dimensional construct influenced by a variety of contextual factors. There has yet to be consensus on conceptualizing early childhood workforce well-being in a way that encompasses multiple factors and complex dynamics among them. Designed by an interdisciplinary group of scholars, this study aimed to develop a novel conceptual model, the Ecological Model of Holistic ECE Workforce Well-Being, that captures multiple layers of well-being. In addition, this new model was validated using an AI-assisted systematic review that identified 345 studies published between 1990 and 2023 for inclusion. We examined four core domains of ECE workforce well-being (i.e., physical, psychological, and professional well-being and health behaviors) and how these have been studied in the literature with regards to relational well-being and contextual factors. While our systematic review covers literature published between 1990 and 2023, it is noteworthy that there has been growing attention to ECE workforce well-being since 2019. However, most studies focused on one or two indicators of well-being using descriptive or correlational methods. This study provides future directions for ECE workforce well-being research and practice by identifying gaps in the literature that could support efforts to professionalize the ECE workforce and, ultimately, enhance the quality of care and learning for young children.