Date of Graduation

Spring 2026

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Education (EdD)

Department

Education Policy, Planning, and Administration

Committee Chairperson

Mimi Staulters, PhD

Committee Member

Melissa Reed, PhD

Committee Member

James Brenner, PhD

Abstract

This study examines the relationship between student-serving staff’s wellness engagement and overall well-being, their job satisfaction, and their perceived support for students. A convergent mixed-methods approach was applied while maintaining a theoretical framework rooted in Self-Determination Theory (Deci & Ryan, 1985), integrating the concepts of Hettler’s Six Dimensions of Wellness (1976). Forty-one student-serving staff across universities in a public university system in Pennsylvania participated in this study. A quantitative survey was used to measure overall well-being, wellness engagement, and support to students, while concurrent focus groups were conducted to gather insight on work-life well-being and staff’s perceived support to their students. The findings suggest that the support staff provide to their students is substantially impacted when their own well-being is deficient. The primary barriers of workload and time, and facilitators of supervisors and coworkers to wellness participation, are critical factors defining the underpinnings of staff’s work-life well-being and ability to prioritize their wellness.

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