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Date of Graduation
Summer 2012
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Educational Specialist (EdS)
Department
Department of Graduate Psychology
Advisor(s)
Patricia Warner
Tammy Gilligan
Deborah Kipps-Vaughan
Abstract
Teacher stress is a concern for modern day school systems because of the relationship between teacher stress and negative outcomes such as absenteeism, poorer work performance, and increased likelihood of physical and mental illness (Joseph, 2000). Teaching is reported to be one of the top highest stressful professions (Kyriacou, 2001). Much of the research identifying sources of stress is out of date when compared to the changes in education over the past ten years. Middle school has been under researched in the previous literature because the concept of the middle school is more recent compared to elementary and high school. The purpose of this study is to identify the level of stress and sources of stress perceived by middle school teachers. Further, identifying trends will aid in targeting support and interventions to decrease the level of stress felt by teachers. Each potential stressor is rated by teachers on both the frequency the factor causes stress and the intensity of the stress felt. The data was compared based on gender, years of teaching experience, and subject area to identify trends and most vulnerable populations. While no significant differences were identified between gender and years of experiences, overall level of stress varied significantly dependent upon the subject area the teacher taught.
Recommended Citation
Thompson, Erin, "Evaluating contemporary sources of stress in middle school teachers" (2012). Educational Specialist, 2009-2019. 75.
https://commons.lib.jmu.edu/edspec201019/75
