A Comparative Study of Teachers’ Workload, Stress, and Job Satisfaction in Japan and the U.S.

• In Event: Supporting teachers through digital tools and frameworks

Proposal

Background and Research Questions

Teachers’ heavy workload has been a major challenge for effective education in Japan and the United States (MEXT, 2019; NEA, 2022). When teachers are overloaded with work, their well-being is affected (Hojo, 2021; Matsushita & Yamamura, 2022; Viac & Fraser, 2020), and their likelihood of considering leaving the profession increases (OECD, 2022). The global COVID-19 pandemic raised awareness of the difficult working conditions for teachers due to remote and hybrid teaching and supporting students’ learning and socioemotional well-being; this phenomenon has been observed in the United States (Diliberti et al., 2021; Pressley, 2021) and many other countries (Reimers & Schleicher, 2020; Reimers et al., 2020), creating further teacher shortages worldwide (UNESCO, 2024).

Despite the concern over teachers’ workload in Japan and the U.S., no previous research has closely examined and compared what specific tasks and responsibilities contribute to job stress or dissatisfaction. Using survey data from nationally representative samples of teachers and principals who participated in the 2018 Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) in Japan and the U.S., we asked the following questions:

1. How do teachers’ total and instructional workloads compare between Japan and the U.S?
2. How is teachers’ workload distributed across various tasks in these countries?
3. How are teachers’ total workload and task-specific workloads associated with job-related stress and job satisfaction in these countries?

Methods and Data

We used survey data from the 2018 TALIS administered by the OECD. In this study, we used: (1) teacher survey data on the number of hours they spent per week on various tasks, their levels of job-related stress and satisfaction, teacher background (gender, teaching experience) and classroom background (class size, classroom behaviors), and (2) principal survey data on school background characteristics (school location, poverty level, special education students). In Japan, 3,555 public school teachers in 196 schools participated with 98.5% participation rate. In the U.S., 2,560 public school teachers in 165 schools participated with 68.8% participation rate.

Results

Our data showed that, on average, Japanese teachers reported spending 56.9 hours per week total on job-related tasks compared to 46.6 hours per week among U.S. teachers. The figure also shows, in contrast, that Japanese teachers reported spending only 18.3 hours per week on instruction, compared to the U.S. teachers' spending 28.1 hours per week on instruction. This shows that while U.S. teachers spend most of their time on instruction, Japanese teachers spend most of their time on non-instructional work. These figures are larger than the international average of 38.0 hours per week reported by the OECD (OECD, 2019), confirming the heavy workload of both Japanese and U.S. teachers.

In addition, we found a major difference in how teachers’ work is distributed. Japanese teachers are more likely to spend time on lesson planning (8.4 hrs vs. 7.1 hrs), general administrative work including communication, paperwork, and other clerical duties (5.8 hrs vs. 2.7 hrs), school management (2.9 hrs vs. 1.6 hrs), and extracurricular activities (7.7 hrs vs. 3.0 hrs) than U.S. teachers. In contrast, U.S. teachers reported spending significantly more time on grading (5.4 hrs. vs 4.4 hrs), student counseling (3.7 hrs vs. 2.4 hrs), professional development (1.8 hrs vs. 0.6 hrs), and other tasks (7.4 hrs vs. 2.8 hrs). Other tasks were not specified in the survey, but it may include U.S. teachers’ time spent on bus or lunch duties, curriculum and assessment alignment or development work, or other requirements such as supporting students with Individualized Education Plans (IEPs) and English Language Learners (ELLs).

How is teachers’ workload associated with their job-related stress and satisfaction? Multiple regression results controlling for teacher, classroom, and school background characteristics showed that both Japanese and U.S. teachers who spent more total work hours inside and outside school reported a higher level of job-related stress. In addition, Japanese teachers with a heavier total workload are significantly less satisfied with their job than those with a lighter total workload. The total workload was not significantly associated with job satisfaction among U.S. teachers, however.

The multiple regression models further showed that there are both similarities and differences in the task-specific workloads that are significantly associated with teacher stress and job satisfaction. In both Japan and the U.S., teachers with heavier general administrative work such as paperwork and other clerical duties are significantly more stressed and less satisfied with their jobs.

In addition to these factors, in Japan, teachers who spend more time on professional development reported significantly less stress and greater job satisfaction. Japanese teachers who spend more time on extracurricular activities, on the other hand, reported significantly more stress and less satisfaction. In the U.S., teachers’ time on teamwork was found to be important. The U.S. teachers who spend more time on teamwork and dialogue with colleagues reported less stress and more satisfaction than those with limited teamwork or dialogue.

Significance

This comparative study has shown that Japanese teachers have a heavier total workload than U.S. teachers, but both groups of teachers spend a large amount of time far beyond the international average. A comparison of task-specific workloads has revealed a major difference in how their work is distributed across various tasks. These differences seem to reflect the cultural and organizational expectations for middle school teachers between these two countries. However, the finding that Japanese teachers who spend more time on supervision of extracurricular activities and administrative work report more stress and less satisfied requires policy attention.

The finding on the significant negative relationship between teamwork and teacher stress and satisfaction among U.S. teachers points to the need to ensure sufficient collaboration time. This may become difficult when teachers are assigned heavy instructional work, especially in high-poverty, ethnically diverse schools that suffer from teacher shortages. Yet, students in these schools need greater support for their learning and well-being from teachers who are free from stress and dissatisfaction. It is important for district and school leaders to reallocate resources to ensure teamwork/collaboration time among teachers so that they can collectively support their students.

 

Authors

• Motoko Akiba, Florida State University

• Xiaonan Jiang, Florida State University