Educators' Experiences of Stress and Coping: A Qualitative Study

• In Event: Teacher Well-Being

Abstract

Teaching is known to be a very stressful occupation and this stress burden contributes to attrition and burnout (Gallup, 2014; Klassen et al., 2010). The use of coping strategies can aid teachers with handling work stress (Botwinik, 2007; Richards, 2012). Previous literature examining teachers’ sources of stress mostly included quantitative datasets, thus this study intended to expand on these findings by examining teachers holistic experiences of stress and coping. Four focus groups at public schools were performed with PK-12 educators. The acknowledged stressors and coping strategies were assessed through inductive thematic analysis and themes were grounded in the transactional stress model and a reactive-prospective coping framework. Implications for future research and intervention will be discussed.

Authors

• Cassandra Gearhart, University of Texas at Austin

• Madison Blaydes, The University of Texas – Austin

• Moira Moran, The University of Texas

• Juliet E Goodfellow, The University of Texas at Austin

• Cami Hill, The University of Texas at Austin

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