STRESSED TEACHERS REPORT LESS WORK SATISFACTION

WASHINGTON : New research from the University of Missouri sheds light on why so many stressed-out and burned-out teachers are quitting the profession as teacher shortages intensify across the nation. The study found that instructors who have trouble managing their job stress report substantially lower job satisfaction than those who discover coping mechanisms.

In order to analyse survey data of 2,300 teachers from Missouri and Oklahoma who were asked to rate how stressed they were at work, if they found ways to cope with work stress, and how satisfied they were with their jobs, Seth Woods, a former doctoral student at

MU, worked with Keith Herman, a Curators’ Distinguished Professor in the MU College of Education and Human Development, and others. Although the study’s results were not particularly surprising, according to Woods, it does demonstrate how teacher burnout, which ultimately causes many instructors to leave the profession, may be greatly influenced by one’s capacity or incapacity to deal with workplace stress.

“The relationship between teacher stress and job satisfaction as moderated by coping” was published in Psychology in the Schools. Funding for the study was provided by the U.S. Department of Education and the National Institute of Justice. Herman added that while systematic issues, such as low teacher pay and overburdened teacher workloads remain critical topics to address, school principals, district superintendents and school administrators can all play in a role in supporting stressed teachers who may be struggling to cope.