Examination of Educational and Contextual Factors Associated With Secondary Teachers' Risk for Occupational Stress

• In Event: 32.078 - Stress, Coping, and Resilience Among Teachers

Abstract

The current study examined how secondary teachers’ appraisals of the classroom environment contribute to their risk for stress in the context of individual, classroom, and school characteristics. Participants in this study were 13,680 full time, public school secondary teachers in 1,740 schools who responded to the 2007- 2008 Schools and Staffing Survey (SASS). Results from this study suggest that a substantial portion of teachers’ risk for stress, burnout, and subsequent teacher commitment can be attributed to contextual (school) factors. Teachers who exhibit greater average risk of stress are associated with diverse, less affluent schools. Moreover, schools with more teachers in the Demands group (at-risk for stress teachers) were associated with increased average burnout.

Authors

• Richard G. Lambert, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Paul G. Fitchett, University of North Carolina - Charlotte

• Christopher J. Mccarthy, The University of Texas - Austin

• Lauren Helena Boyle, The University of Texas - Austin

• Maytal Eyal, The University of Texas - Austin

• Thomas Fisher, University of North Carolina - Charlotte