Teachers' professional performance is strongly influenced by their psychological well-being, their ability to adapt to unstable and uncertain situations (especially in wartime), and their capacity to use effective strategies to manage and overcome stress. This study explored the relationships between teachers' psychological well-being, coping strategies, and intolerance of uncertainty. The Ryff Scales of Psychological Well-Being (PWB Scale), The Mental Health Continuum–Short Form (MHC-SF), The Intolerance of Uncertainty Scale–Short Form (IUS-12), Brief COPE Inventory (Brief COPE) were administered with a sample of 1936 teachers of primary and secondary school from Poland (n=927) and Ukraine (n=1009). The results showed that the psychological well-being of Polish and Ukrainian teachers is positively correlated with problem-focused coping (in particular, with active coping, positive reframing, planning, and use of instrumental support) and emotion-focused coping (such as the use of emotional support, humor, acceptance, and religion). A negative correlation was found between teachers' psychological well-being and avoidant coping (such as denial, substance use, behavioral disengagement) and intolerance of uncertainty (prospective anxiety, inhibitory anxiety). A multiple regression analysis was used to identify statistically significant predictors of psychological well-being for teachers in Poland and Ukraine. As a result, both common and distinct factors that influence teachers' psychological well-being were identified, considering the socio-cultural differences that arise from the unique characteristics of the education systems in each country and the sensitivity of teachers' well-being to various socio-political changes. The findings can be used in developing programs that support teachers' psychological well-being and create conditions conducive to enhancing their professional functioning.

This study used data from the COVID Social Mobility and Opportunities (COSMO) Study, to examine young people’s university aspirations and post-18 education expectations during COVID-19 in relation to their demographic and socio-economic position, school engagement, education disruption, and attitudes to education. Through a series of binary regression analyses, the findings showed the important role school engagement (in the form of online lesson attendance, schoolwork and teacher contact) played in young people’s university aspirations and post-18 education plans, especially at the height of the pandemic. Education disruption and locus of control were found to contribute to young people’s aspirations and post-18 expectations. The findings also highlighted the influence of gender, ethnicity and socioeconomic position regarding university aspirations and expectations, laying bare the obstacles in accessing learning faced by disadvantaged young people at a crucial time in their education. The findings contribute to continued debates about educational aspirations in the post COVID-19 world and have policy implications especially as this generation of young people are still in education. They may also contribute to discussions on ways of supporting this COVID-19 generation through fiscal changes and widening participation policies that extend to post-18 education and early career development.