Managing the Development of Psychological Capital among Public Primary School Teachers from a Positive Psychology Perspective: An Integrative Review and Implications for Educational Management in Vietnam

Author's Information:

Au Quang Hieu

Tran Nhan Tong Institute, Vietnam National University, Hanoi

Nguyễn Thị Ngọc Liên

Hanoi National University of Education, Vietnam

Vol 03 No 06 (2026):Volume 03 Issue 06 June 2026

Page No.: 514-520

Abstract:

Public primary school teachers are increasingly expected to implement curriculum reform, support diverse learners, collaborate with families, and sustain students’ socio-emotional development. These expectations require not only professional competence but also positive psychological resources that help teachers maintain motivation, adapt to change, recover from difficulty, and grow sustainably. This article provides an integrative review of literature on psychological capital, positive psychology, teacher well-being, school-based interventions, and positive school leadership. It synthesizes existing theory and evidence and adapts them into a practical management framework for developing psychological capital among public primary school teachers, with implications for educational management in Vietnam. The review draws on foundational works, recent reviews and empirical studies published mainly between 2020 and 2026, and Vietnamese policy documents. The integrative findings indicate that teachers’ psychological capital, commonly conceptualized through hope, self-efficacy, resilience, and optimism, is a developable professional resource associated with well-being, adaptive capacity, burnout reduction, work meaning, and professional commitment. The article develops a five-dimension management framework: raising awareness, setting objectives and plans, organizing development activities, directing implementation, and monitoring and using evaluation results. It argues that school principals can transform psychological support for teachers from occasional encouragement into a systematic component of teacher development and school improvement.

KeyWords:

psychological capital; positive psychology; public primary school teachers; educational management; teacher well-being; school leadership

References:

  1. Avey, J. B., Reichard, R. J., Luthans, F., & Mhatre, K. H. (2011). Meta‐analysis of the impact of positive psychological capital on employee attitudes, behaviors, and performance. Human Resource Development Quarterly, 22(2), 127–152. https://doi.org/10.1002/hrdq.20070
  2. Avola, P., Soini-Ikonen, T., Jyrkiäinen, A., & Pentikäinen, V. (2025). Interventions to teacher well-being and burnout a scoping review. Educational Psychology Review, 37(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-025-09986-2
  3. Bandura, A. (2014). Exercise of personal agency through the self-efficacy mechanism. In Self-efficacy (pp. 3–38). https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315800820-2
  4. Beames, J. R., Spanos, S., Roberts, A., McGillivray, L., Li, S., Newby, J. M., O’Dea, B., & Werner-Seidler, A. (2023). Intervention programs targeting the mental health, professional burnout, and/or wellbeing of school teachers: Systematic review and meta-analyses. Educational Psychology Review, 35(1). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-023-09720-w
  5. Bertieaux, D., Hesbois, M., Goyette, N., & Duroisin, N. (2024). Psychological capital and well-being: An opportunity for teachers’ well-being? Scoping review of the scientific literature in psychology and educational sciences. Acta Psychologica, 248, 104370. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104370
  6. Bush, T. (2020). Theories of educational leadership and management (5th ed.). SAGE.
  7. Central Committee of the Communist Party of Vietnam. (2013). Resolution No. 29-NQ/TW dated November 4, 2013 on fundamental and comprehensive reform of education and training. Hanoi, Vietnam.
  8. Namrata. (2016). Resilient teachers, resilient schools: Building and sustaining quality in testing times. Resilience, 5(3), 224–226. https://doi.org/10.1080/21693293.2016.1243691
  9. Dreer, B. (2023). On the outcomes of teacher wellbeing: A systematic review of research. Frontiers in Psychology, 14https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1205179
  10. Erden, H. (2025). The influence of teachers’ psychological capital on the quality of work life: Exploring the mediating impact of emotions. Frontiers in Psychology, 16. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1557030
  11. Fredrickson, B. L. (2001). The role of positive emotions in positive psychology: The broaden-and-build theory of positive emotions. American Psychologist, 56(3), 218–226. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.56.3.218
  12. Gámez-Genovart, M., Oliver-Trobat, M. F., & Rosselló-Ramon, M. R. (2025). Research on teacher well-being: A systematic review. Teaching and Teacher Education, 168, 105264. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2025.105264
  13. Goetz, T., Botes, E., Resch, L. M., Weiss, S., Frenzel, A. C., & Ebner, M. (2024). Teachers emotionally profit from positive school leadership: Applying the PERMA-Lead model to the control-value theory of emotions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 141, 104517. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104517
  14. Luthans, F. (2002). The need for and meaning of positive organizational behavior. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 23(6), 695–706. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.165
  15. Luthans, F., & Youssef-Morgan, C. M. (2017). Psychological capital: An evidence-based positive approach. Annual Review of Organizational Psychology and Organizational Behavior, 4(1), 339–366. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev-orgpsych-032516-113324
  16. Luthans, F., Youssef, C. M., & Avolio, B. J. (2006). Psychological capital. https://doi.org/10.1093/acprof:oso/9780195187526.001.0001
  17. Ministry of Education and Training. (2018). Circular No. 32/2018/TT-BGDĐT dated December 26, 2018 promulgating the General Education Curriculum. Hanoi, Vietnam.
  18. Ministry of Education and Training. (2026a). Circular No. 30/2026/TT-BGDĐT dated April 14, 2026 on professional standards for teachers of general education institutions. Hanoi, Vietnam. Retrieved May 26, 2026, from https://chinhphu.vn/?docid=217839&pageid=27160
  19. Ministry of Education and Training. (2026b). Circular No. 15/2026/TT-BGDĐT dated March 24, 2026 promulgating the charter of primary schools, lower secondary schools, upper secondary schools and multi-level general education schools. Hanoi, Vietnam. Retrieved May 26, 2026, from https://chinhphu.vn/?classid=1&docid=217678&pageid=27160&typegroupid=6
  20. Newman, A., Ucbasaran, D., Zhu, F., & Hirst, G. (2014). Psychological capital: A review and synthesis. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 35(S1), S120–S138. https://doi.org/10.1002/job.1916
  21. Nguyen Thi Ngoc Lien. (2025). Developing teachers’ psychological capital: A study from the perspective of building a supportive working environment. HNUE Journal of Science: Educational Science, 70(3), 27–38. https://doi.org/10.18173/2354-1075.2025-0048
  22. Ozturk, M., Wigelsworth, M., & Squires, G. (2024). A systematic review of primary school teachers’ wellbeing: Room for a holistic approach. Frontiers in Psychology, 15https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1358424
  23. Seligman, M. E. P., & Csikszentmihalyi, M. (2000). Positive psychology: An introduction. American Psychologist, 55(1), 5–14. https://doi.org/10.1037//0003-066x.55.1.5
  24. Snyder, C. R. (2002). Target article: Hope theory: Rainbows in the mind. Psychological Inquiry, 13(4), 249–275. https://doi.org/10.1207/s15327965pli1304_01
  25. Sun, B., Guo, H., Xu, L., & Ding, F. (2022). How does teachers’ psychological capital influence workplace well-being? A moderated mediation model of ego-resiliency and work-meaning cognition. International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health, 19(22), 14730. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph192214730
  26. Vo, D. T., & Allen, K.-A. (2022). A systematic review of school-based positive psychology interventions to foster teacher wellbeing. Teachers and Teaching, 28(8), 964–999. https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2022.2137138
  27. Wammerl, M., & Lichtinger, U. (2025). PERMA.teach: A study on the effectiveness of a standardized positive education training program in Austria. Frontiers in Psychology, 16https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2025.1516572
  28. Whittemore, R., & Knafl, K. (2005). The integrative review: Updated methodology. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 52(5), 546–553. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1365-2648.2005.03621.x
  29. Yeh, C. S.-H., & Barrington, R. (2023). Sustainable positive psychology interventions enhance primary teachers’ wellbeing and beyond: A qualitative case study in England. Teaching and Teacher Education, 125, 104072. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2023.104072
  30. Zhou, S., Slemp, G. R., & Vella Brodrick, D. A. (2024). Correction to: Factors associated with teacher wellbeing: A meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 36(3). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-024-09941-7