Predictors of classroom stress and burnout experienced by gifted and talented students

Classroom stress and burnout experienced by 121 gifted and talented students were assessed in combination with seven background variables (i.e., sex, age, IQ, etc.), five personal variables (i.e., creative personality typology, locus of control, family environment, other-rated behavioral, academic self-esteem, and self-rated self-esteem), three general anxiety and stress variables (i.e., state/trait anxiety, life change events), and two organizational variables (i.e., classroom tedium and quality of school life). The student's age, sex, birth order, IQ, and achievement level bore little relationship to either stress or burnout. Poor self-esteem, an externalized locus of control, high levels of state and trait anxiety, poor school life quality, and tedium proved to be significant predictors of classroom stress. These, plus problems in the family environment and high classroom stress levels, predicted significant levels of classroom burnout. Males reported a greater number and different types of stress and burnout sources than did females, indicating differentiated sex-related problems with stress and burnout.     

Teacher stress: An expert appraisal

Two hundred twenty-six experts on teacher stress and burnout were surveyed to determine the relevance of 49 teacher stress items to their overall concepts of teacher stress. Relevance ratings for all items fell within the relevant-to-quite-relevant range, and all items were retained for inclusion in the Teacher Stress Inventory. The most relevant items dealt with feeling unable to cope and experiencing physical exhaustion; the least were related to student motivation problems. Overall, the experts were congruent to a significant degree in the way they rated the items. When the group was compared in terms of background variables, the younger respondents, those who present stress management workshops, and those who conduct qualitative or quantitative stress research perceived some of the stress factors as being more relevant to teacher stress than did the older respondents, those not publishing, and those conducting combinations of qualitative and quantitative stress research.     

Stress, Burnout and Workload in Teachers of Children with Special Educational Needs

Whilst stress in teaching has received much attention in recent years, for teachers of children with special educational needs (SEN) specific stress-related research is relatively rare. This study sought to address this issue by investigating stress, burnout and workload in teachers of children with special educational needs. A postal questionnaire was sent to 56 ordinary schools and eight schools for children with moderate learning difficulties (MLD), eight for children with severe learning difficulties (SLD) and eight for children with emotional and behavioural difficulties (EBD). The schools were situated in inner city, urban and rural areas in the south-east of England. A total of 221 teachers responded. Results indicated that, whilst generalised claims for burnout may not be justified, within all three special school settings there was evidence of a high level of emotional exhaustion as measured by the education version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In addition, all groups were subject to long hours of work, and work overload was high for ordinary school SEN teachers and teachers working in MLD and SLD settings. Reference to sources of intense stress indicated some differences according to setting but generally implicated workload and challenging behaviour. The conclusions are that further research into stress and burnout of SEN teachers is required if effective coping and preventative strategies are to be designed.     

Work environment predictors of beginning teacher burnout

This study investigated elements of school environments that explain variance in burnout scores in a sample of university graduates from Brisbane, Australia, two years after they commenced work as teachers. Using a longitudinal survey methodology, 79 beginning teachers completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) on four occasions over a two‐year period, first, six weeks after they commenced work as teachers and finally, in the concluding term of their second year of teaching. Beginning teachers also completed the Work Environment Scale each time they were surveyed. The revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire was administered when the graduands were first surveyed. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, reports of how innovative the work environment was perceived to be added significantly to the explanation of variance in all three MBI subscales after first controlling for initial levels of burnout and the personality trait Neuroticism.     

Student “burnout” as a mediator of the stress-outcome relationship

One hundred thirty-six graduate social work students participated in a questionnaire study designed to test the mediating influence of student burnout (strain) in the impact of student-specific stress on negative consequences. Consistent with the proposed stressstrain (burnout)outcome model, burnout was significantly related to each of three stress indicators and to two outcome measures (intention to quit school and physical and psychological symptoms). In five of six tests, thedirect stress-to-outcome relationship was small and nonsignificant, consistent with the crucial mediating role of burnout. Contrary to previous model tests involving parenting, work, and student stress, there was only very limited evidence for a buffering influence of social support. Implications were drawn for stress theory and for policy focusing on assessment of student burnout and benefits arising from its alleviation.     

Burnout and Counselor Practitioner Expectations of Supervision

The authors assessed counselor expectations of supervision and counselor burnout. A sample consisting of 120 members of the Oregon Personnel and Guidance Association completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Counselor Supervision Inventory (CSI).     

Effects of support on stress and burnout in school principals

Background: More than ever before, school principals are dealing with stress and burnout, resulting from increasing role demands and decreasing decision latitude and autonomy. Following the Demand–Support–Constraints model, reasons for stress and burnout can be found in the lack of social support in the environment.

Purpose: This longitudinal study investigates whether changes in social support from colleagues, supervisors and/or the broader community affect levels of principal stress and burnout.

Sample: Approximately 26% of Australia’s school principals took part (N = 3572): primary (n = 2660) and secondary (n = 912) spread across all Australian states and territories. Age ranged between 46 and 55 years, and mean leadership experience was 12 years.

Design and methods: Since stress and burnout are psychological phenomena that develop over time, a longitudinal approach was adopted. Data were collected across four waves, spread over four years, from 2011 to 2014.

Results: It was found that social support predicts decreased stress and in turn burnout in school principals, however differences were found according to the type of social support. The data provide strong evidence for a positive effect of stress on burnout (e.g. the more stress at time 2, the more burnout in principals at time 3) and partial support for indirect negative effects of social support on burnout (e.g. the more support from colleagues at time 2, the less burnout in principals at time 3). However, we also found two instances of positive effects of social support from the broader community on burnout. This suggests that the more support principals receive from the broader community, the more likely they are to show burnout symptoms. This might be explained as the ‘the downside of empathy’, where principals who are strongly supported by their community might also feel more connected to that community. When their community is struggling, they are probably struggling as well.

Conclusions: The findings highlight the positive impact the wider school community can play in providing supplementary professional support to the principal. Unbundling or repackaging the job responsibilities with an administrative team that shares the leadership of the school, could be part of the solution.     

Classroom learning experiences and students’ perceptions of quality of school life

It is generally believed that classroom learning experiences very much influence students’ academic development. However, relatively little is known about whether classroom learning experiences have much effect on students’ affective and social development. In this study, we argued for the importance of learning experiences on students’ affective and social development. From research on Accelerated Schools Project and active learning, we conceptualised Positive Learning Experiences, Teacher Support in Learning, and Active Learning Experiences as three components of learning experiences and developed relevant measures to tap these learning experiences. Using research data from a large-scale student survey in Hong Kong (N = 19,477), we examined the construct validity of learning experiences and quality of school life. Confirmatory factor analysis provided very strong support for the measures and the underlying constructs that they tap. In two-way analysis of variance, the effects of gender and school level (secondary versus primary) on learning experiences and quality of school life were examined. Significant gender and school-level main effects, as well as gender by school-level interaction effects, were found for students’ ratings of their learning experiences and quality of school life. Female students gave more favourable ratings than male students, and primary students gave more favourable ratings than secondary students. In addition, gender differences in these ratings in secondary schools were relatively smaller than in primary schools. In subsequent multilevel modelling, learning experiences were strong predictors of quality of school life after controlling for the effects of gender, school level and average school achievement. These findings provide strong empirical support for the significance of classroom learning experiences for students’ social and affective development.

Mediating stress: Survival of the hardy

The present study explored variation in individual personality characteristics, termed “hardiness,” among female elementary teachers who had differing levels of burnout despite high levels of occupational stress. One hundred thirty-four female elementary teachers completed the Teaching Events Stress Inventory, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, The Allienation Test, and the Internal-External Control Scale. Data also were collected on demographic variables, incidence of stress-related physical and mental illness, and coping activities. Teachers with high stress and low burnout were less alienated than were teachers with high stress and high burnout. The low burnout teachers chose more active types of coping activities than did the high burnout teachers. Incidence of stress-related physical illness was significantly correlated with level of stress, emotional exhaustion (burnout), and alienation. Implications for future research and school district interventions are discussed.     

河北省中学教师职业倦怠现状的调查研究

目的：探讨河北省中学教师职业倦怠的现状和特点。方法：采用修订的MBI教师职业倦怠量表对河北省513名中学教师进行调查。结果：（1）河北省中学教师职业倦怠的总体程度不高,但情感耗竭程度相对比较严重;（2）河北省中学教师职业倦怠中三个维度随教龄增长呈现出“两头低,中间高”的趋势;（3）高中教师的职业倦怠水平显著高于初中教师;（4）5～14年教龄和15年以上教龄初中教师职业倦怠水平都显著高于0～4年教龄段的初中教师。结论：河北省中学教师职业倦怠总体不太严重,但在情感耗竭维度方面较为突出;高中教师以及教龄在5～14年的教师职业倦怠总体程度更高,因此更需要社会的关注。     

教师工作倦怠成因及应对策略分析

工作与组织特征、角色冲突与角色压力、控制感与学生问题、学校组织气氛以及教师个体的人格等因素都是影响教师工作倦怠的重要变量。针对教师工作倦怠产生的原因,社会、学校与教师个体三个方面应该联合起来、共同努力,以缓解与减少教师工作倦怠现象的产生。     

Measuring elementary teacher stress and coping in the classroom: Validity evidence for the Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands

The Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD, elementary version) was used to investigate teacher stress among a sample of elementary teachers (n = 521). The CARD measures teacher stress by examining the subjective experience of both classroom demands and resources provided by the school, and thereby attempts to capture the situationally specific nature of teacher stress. This study attempted to examine whether the CARD can provide reliable and valid information that addresses the call by experts in the field of teacher stress research for measures that consider each teacher's specific occupational circumstances. Specifically, the factor structure of the CARD was supported empirically. Further evidence was offered for the construct and concurrent validity by correlations between CARD scales scores and other measures theoretically relevant to teacher well‐being: general health, teacher efficacy, self‐critical attitudes, and burnout symptoms. © 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.     

Alternate-forms and alpha reliability of the Teacher Stress Inventory

The alternate-forms and alpha reliabilities of the Teacher Stress Inventory were investigated based on the responses of two groups of 138 teachers. Reliability estimates ranged from .43 to .94 for the TSI subscales and .71 to .94 for the TSI whole scale, indicating high stability and equivalence for the stress factors across immediate, one-day, one-week, and two-week intervals using two different TSI short forms. Between-forms correlations were larger for the immediate sample than they were for the interval samples. Short-form TSI alphas ranged from .76 to .90.     

Development of an instrument measuring student teachers’ perceived stressors about the practicum

The Stressors about Practicum Inventory, a self-report measure of perceived stressors about the practicum, was designed to provide those responsible for the training of primary school teachers with an informative, inexpensive and psychometrically sound tool. The present study describes the development and validation of the 94-item inventory in a sample of 138 Greek primary student teachers. It also investigates its initial factor structure and reliability. The scale was administered both before and after a four-week period of practicum. Content validity was examined using a panel of experts and student teachers, whereas convergent validity was assessed with the use of a measure of neuroticism. Factor analyses revealed four sources of perceived stress. No gender differences were found. However, the experience of the practicum significantly reduced student teachers’ perceived stress. All perceived stressors were moderately correlated with neuroticism, but after the practicum the size of the correlations was reduced.     

Stress,Anxiety, and School Burnout Post COVID-19: A Study of French Adolescents

This study examined the symptoms of exhaustion, school stress and anxious school refusal from a comparative developmental perspective in French adolescents enrolled in public and private general, technological and vocational schools. It is particularly important to consider academic stress levels, anxiety and school burnout in middle and high school students as they are linked to many mental health problems, such as depression or suicidal thoughts. In this study, four hundred and ninety-three adolescents completed an online questionnaire consisting of the School Burnout Inventory, the Echelle Toulousaine de Stress Scolaire perçu and the School refusal evaluation was developed. The results show a very high percentage of suffering among teenagers. The young people most affected are high school students and more particularly students in 10th and 12th grade, with nearly three-quarters of them suffering from school burnout and/or high school stress, without any distinction between the sexes or the type of schooling.     

School-Wide Educator Evaluation for Improving School Capacity and Student Achievement in High-Poverty Schools: Year 1 of the School System Improvement Project

The United States is in an era of high-stakes evaluation of educators (i.e., teachers and principals), the results of which are used to inform human capital decision making (i.e., recruitment, hiring, retention, and dismissal), which in turn impacts school capacity and student learning. The present article describes the School System Improvement (SSI) Project, a school-wide educator evaluation initiative that includes 22 high-poverty schools. The primary goal is to present the Year 1 planning for implementation of educator evaluation, highlighting the use of system consultation for planning. The SSI Project team includes researchers in school psychology and special education, school administrators, and teachers. The project aims to implement a multimethod educator evaluation system that generates scores for informing targeted, evidence-based professional development. Project goals are to increase educator competencies that lead to improved student achievement. Finally, directions for training and recommendations for future school reform are presented.     

中学生学业自我效能感对学习拖延的影响：学习倦怠的中介效应

以贵州省391名中学生为有效被试,采用学习拖延问卷、学习倦怠量表和学业自我效能感问卷对其进行调查,探讨中学生学业自我效能感、学习拖延与学习倦怠之间的关系。结果表明：中学生的学业自我效能感与其学习拖延、学习倦怠存在显著负相关;学业自我效能感能显著负向预测中学生的学习拖延和学习倦怠;身心耗竭、学业疏离和学习倦怠总分在中学生学业自我效能感与学习拖延之间均起着部分中介作用。     

Multi‐level Assessment of Scientific Content Knowledge Gains Associated with Socioscientific Issues‐based Instruction

This study explored the impact of using a socioscientific issue (SSI) based curriculum on developing science content knowledge. Using a multi‐level assessment design, student content knowledge gains were measured before and after implementation of a three‐week unit on global warming (a prominent SSI) that explored both the relevant science content and the controversy surrounding global warming. Measures of student content knowledge were made using a standards‐aligned content knowledge exam (distal assessment) and a curriculum‐aligned exam (proximal assessment). Data were collected from 108 students enrolled from two schools. Quantitative analysis of the distal assessment indicated that student post‐test scores were statistically significantly different than their pre‐test scores (F = 15.31, p<0.001). Qualitative analyses of student responses from the proximal assessment indicated that students, on average, expressed more accurate, more detailed, and more sophisticated understandings of global warming, the greenhouse effect, and the controversy and challenges associated with these issues following the three‐week unit. Combined results from the proximal and distal assessments explored in this study offer important evidence in supporting the efficacy of using SSI as contexts for science education. In addition to a discussion of the components of an SSI‐based curriculum, this study provides support for the use of SSI as a context for learning science content.     

What Do Students Gain by Engaging in Socioscientific Inquiry?

The question of what students gain by engaging in socioscientific inquiry is addressed in two ways. First, relevant literature is surveyed to build the case that socioscientific issues (SSI) can serve as useful contexts for teaching and learning science content. Studies are reviewed which document student gains in discipline specific content knowledge as well as understandings of the nature of science. SSI are also positioned as vehicles for addressing citizenship education within science classrooms. Although the promotion of citizenship goals seems widely advocated, the specifics of how this may be accomplished remain underdeveloped. To address this issue, we introduce socioscientific reasoning as a construct which captures a suite of practices fundamental to the negotiation of SSI. In the second phase of the project, interviews with 24 middle school students from classes engaged in socioscientific inquiry serve as the basis for the development of an emergent rubric for socioscientific reasoning. Variation in practices demonstrated by this sample are explored and implications drawn for advancing socioscientific reasoning as an educationally meaningful and assessable construct.     

特殊教育教师职业倦怠的现状及影响——以贵州省为例

研究使用职业倦怠调查问卷,以贵州省特殊教育教师为对象,研究发现贵州省特殊教育教师职业倦怠感总体呈中度倦怠,轻度和中度倦怠人数最多,均超过35%;其中教龄、学校类别、心理健康水平和生活质量等是影响教师职业倦怠的主要因素。在此基础上,文章提出缓解教师职业倦怠的对策与建议。