SOURCES AND SYMPTOMS OF PERCEIVED STRESS IN TEACHERS OF EMOTIONALLY DISTURBED AND NORMAL PUBLIC SCHOOL CHILDREN

NANCY NUNES CREEKMORE, Purdue University

Abstract

This study examined (a) amounts of classroom stress perceived by teachers of emotionally disturbed (ED) and normal public school children, (b) whether secondary teachers perceived greater classroom stress than their elementary counterparts, (c) what ED and regular classroom teachers perceived as major sources and symptoms of classroom stress, (d) whether the four stress factors identified on the Modified Teacher Stress Scale (MTSS) were perceived differently by ED and regular classroom teachers, (e) whether stress varied according to teacher license types, or the community type of their students, (f) whether teachers reporting high overall stress also reported high stress on the four MTSS stress factors, and (g) whether this general level of stress affected specific stress factors across teacher groups. To investigate these areas, the MTSS was mailed to 262 ED teachers and to 262 randomly selected teachers of normal children in Indiana. The design of the study was a 2 x 2 x 4 factorial with the last dimension (stress factors) acting as a repeated measure. Major independent variables were teacher classifications according to classroom type (ED, normal), level (elementary, secondary), teacher license type, student community (rural, urban, suburban), and general occupational stress level (high, low). The findings of this study indicate that among all groups of teachers, pupil misbehavior was a greater source of stress than any other factor examined. Time pressures was ranked second overall, followed by poor working conditions and poor school ethos. Among elementary teachers, time pressures was a greater source of stress than poor working conditions and poor school ethos, and secondary teachers found poor school ethos more stressful than those at the elementary level. No significant differences were identified between emotionally disturbed, regular classroom, elementary, or secondary teachers on perceived amounts of stress as measured by pupil misbehavior, poor working conditions, time pressures, and poor school ethos combined. However, among teachers who rated teaching as a highly stressful activity, ED teachers reported greater stress from pupil misbehavior than regular classroom teachers. Community type of students had little effect on teachers' perceptions of occupational stress. Pupil misbehavior caused the most stress for all three community types, followed by time pressures for rural and suburban communities, with the remaining two factors causing little stress. Teachers in urban community settings reported time pressures as having no more stress than poor working conditions or poor school ethos. License type did not differentially affect stress in this study. However, the function or role of the teacher in the school setting, which is influenced by licensure, did affect stress responses. Teachers reporting special education as at least part of their licensure responded similarly to ED teachers, since 96% of these teachers functioned in ED classrooms. Likewise, teachers holding only elementary or secondary licenses reported stress similarly to teachers grouped by these respective teaching levels, since they usually functioned in these roles within the schools. All teachers perceived similar amounts of general physical and emotional illness due to occupational stress. However, ED teachers reported more specific symptoms of illness than regular classroom teachers, and secondary ED teachers reported more specific symptoms than secondary regular class teachers. This suggests that ED teachers are not fully aware of the effects occupational stress has on their physical and emotional health. Specific recommendations were made on the basis of these findings for in-service and pre-service teacher education in the area of occupational stress and its management. Suggestions for future research were also discussed.

Degree

Ph.D.

Subject Area

Special education

COinS