Abstract:
The purpose of this study was to explore the strategies that elementary school
teachers use to be engaged in their work. Participation was solicited from a random
sample of schools stratified by location (i.e., urban, inner city, and rural) of a large
school board. The study used an anonymous quantitative/qualitative questionnaire. The
survey tool was based upon Kahn's (1990) psychological engagement framework, which
presents the foundation of availability of self, meaningfulness of work, and safety while
at work.
Forty-one surveys were analyzed descriptively including a subgroup of self-rated
highly engaged teachers. Teachers tended to favour physical and emotional strategies
compared to cognitive type strategies, with the exception of the highly engaged
subgroup. The theme of preferred strategies reflected a setting outside the
school/workplace, that is, a preference for horne based strategies.
The study's main contribution highlights the teachers' sense of importance for
physical and emotional health in a profession that is heavily focused in the cognitive
domain. This may influence administrative and teacher discourse regarding workplace
engagement with strategies to help reduce stress and to maintain and increase teacher
engagement.
