Response Differences in Stress Measurement Appraisals Among Elementary and High School Teachers

• In Event: Sheraton Roundtable Session 39
  In Roundtable Session: Teacher Stress and Emotions: Lifting Burdens and Promoting Job Satisfaction

Abstract

Teaching is considered a stressful occupation. Studies have confirmed that teacher stress is associated with burnout, fatigue, and decreased workplace performance. Examining risk for stress, researchers frequently utilize procedures in which teachers appraise their environments. Analyses often fail to take into account the unique perceptions associated with teacher grade level. In this study, we used nationally representative data to examine the central hypothesis that elementary and secondary teachers appraise their risk for stress differently. Results suggest that bureaucratic demands are accentuated among elementary teachers; whereby secondary teachers are more sensitive to systemic issues affecting education. Findings have implications for how teacher education and broader policy efforts attend to the occupational health of classroom teachers.

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