Abstract:
The prlmaiy objective of this study was to Identify and describe
the physical and psychological stress factors that elementary school
teachers experience and how teachers cope with stress. A secondary
objective was to offer boards and teachers potential coping strategies
counteracting stress and the effects of stress.
The sample consisted of 120 elementaiy teachers from southern
Ontario. Ten elementaiy schools were randomly chosen.
The Teacher Stress Inventory questionnaire (Flmian, 1989) was
used. Data were analyzed using a variety of statistics. Test norms and
interpretations were performed based on standard results obtained from
the author of the questionnaire (Flmian, 1988).
Overall, the results indicated that work-related stressors were the
main factor for teacher stress. This Included such factors as
caseload/class is too big, too much administrative paperwork, and
having little time to prepare lessons. Implications for further research
and practical suggestions for further reseairch are discussed. Also a
variety of recommendations to boards and for individual use are
discussed. Some recommendations are having counselling available for
teachers, workshops on how to handle stress, and learning how to
breathe and using calm visualization.
