Middle School Teachers’ Workload, Stress, and Job Satisfaction: A Comparison Between Japan and the United States

• In Event: Navigating Teaching Profession: Cross-National Comparisons of Teacher Development and Teaching Practices

Abstract

Despite the concern over teacher workload both in Japan and the U.S., especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, little is known about how teacher work is distributed across various tasks and how these various workloads are associated with job-related stress and job satisfaction in these countries. Using nationally representative teacher survey data from the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS), we found a major difference in how teachers spend their time on various tasks. We also found that heavy administrative work was associated with greater stress and less job satisfaction in both countries. Furthermore, extra-curricular activities and professional development mattered in Japan and teamwork mattered in the U.S. in relation to these outcomes.

Authors

• Motoko Akiba, Florida State University

• Xiaonan Jiang, Florida State University