The Finnish Principal Barometer

The Principal barometer is an ongoing follow-up study of principals, deputy principals, vice-principals, and school leaders of primary education or upper secondary education in Finland. The principal barometer is an extensive longitudinal study aimed at investigating the occupational well-being of Finnish principals. The research is carried out in co-operation between researchers from the University of Helsinki and Suomen Rehtorit ry (Association of Finnish school principals). Our primary goal is to investigate and follow the well-being of Finnish principals and compare with international data as well as other industries and professions. This project is adjacent to the international Educator Health and Wellbeing study, led by Professor Philip Riley from Australia, and involves collaboration with Australian Catholic University’s Institute for Positive Psychology and Education. We utilise a comprehensive questionnaire to examine the principals' work situation, well-being, resources, and management practices. Additionally, we collect physiological data, such as HRV (heart rate variability) using the Firstbeat device, which tracks rest time, working time, and exercise. Our focus areas include recovery, job crafting, servant leadership, engagement, and burnout. More information about the Principal Barometer here. Note: the survey is distributed in Finnish and Swedish, some of the material are translated to english. This Zenodo record will be updated periodically. Inquiries for more information, possible collaboration and use of the dataset are welcomed. Files:Raportti Rehtoribarometri 2024.pdf - contains a report on the results of the 2024 surveyThe Finnish Principal Barometer (2019-2024).pdf - contains a short description of the project and datasetrehtoribarometri_measures_longitudinal_20250508.xlsx - contains an overview of the measures included across the waves