Researching Teacher Well-Being in Protracted Crisis A Multiscalar Cultural Political Economy Perspective

Research on teacher well-being that works from a localized socioeconomic perspectivetends to neglect the nestedness of teacher well-being within wider systems. Randomizedcontrolled trials are illustrative of such decontextualized ontological and epistemologicalfoundations. In this article, we demonstrate the benefits of a system dynamics culturalpolitical economy–informed analysis for research on teacher well-being in protractedcrises. Zooming into teacher contract and salary policies in the Democratic Republic ofCongo, we compare our largely qualitative research with two randomized controlled trials.Our article yields two insights for future systemic analyses of teacher well-being in pro-tracted crises. First, such research necessitates a methodological design that captures themultiscalar systems in which teacher well-being is embedded. Second, such research re-quires an exploration of cultural, political, and economic dynamics that affect teachersand establish boundaries for teacher well-being.