In the contemporary educational context, increasing emphasis is placed on teachers’ personality characteristics, as these significantly influence the quality of pedagogical work, teachers’ relationships with students, and teachers’ experience of their own profession. Positive psychology provides a theoretical framework for understanding character strengths as positive personality traits that contribute to optimal individual functioning and subjective well-being. Character strengths represent fundamental positive personality characteristics that can be developed and consciously used in everyday life, including within the pedagogical context. Research indicates that certain teachers’ character strengths are associated with greater pedagogical effectiveness, higher-quality relationships with students, and higher levels of subjective well-being. The aim of this thesis was to examine the levels of character strengths among primary school teachers, the ways in which they use their character used in their pedagogical work, and teachers’ subjective well-being. Attention was devoted to identifying which character strengths are most strongly exhibited among teachers, how teachers use them in practice, and to what extent they use their strengths in their pedagogical work, i.e. too little, too much or optimally, according to the theory of the golden mean. In addition, the relationship between teachers’ character strengths and the subjective well-being of primary school teachers was examined. The empirical part of the study is based on a descriptive and causal non-experimental method, employing both quantitative and qualitative research approaches. The study was conducted as a cross-sectional study with a single measurement. The sample included 90 primary school teachers employed in elementary schools. Data were collected using internationally established questionnaires measuring character strengths and subjective well-being, as well as open-ended questions that provided insight into teachers’ subjective experiences with character strengths’ use in pedagogical work. The results of the study showed that primary school teachers exhibit certain character strengths more strongly than others. Teachers reported that they most frequently use their character strengths in their relationships with students, in classroom management, and in creating a supportive and safe learning environment. It was also found that certain character strengths are statistically significantly and positively associated with teachers’ subjective well-being. The results also showed that the levels of certain character strengths among primary school teachers differ statistically significantly according to years of service, whereas teachers’ subjective well-being does not differ significantly by years of service. Research contributes to a better understanding of the role of character strengths in the educational context and highlights the importance of their conscious use for the well-being of primary school teachers. It represents an important contribution to science in Slovenian context and internationally. The results provide a basis for further research and for the development of pedagogical practice aimed at strengthening positive personal traits and the well-being of teachers.
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