Novice Teacher Stressors
Assignment title
An investigation of novice teachers ' stressors in the elementary classroom - A case study in Gora School
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this research is to observe how novice teachers in Gora School [Pseudonymous name] experience stress. This study also aims to attempt to propose ways in which schools can be better managed in order to lower the overall perceived stress levels by novice teachers.
It could be argued that teacher preparation programs should prepare scholars to identify stress factors and employ efficient coping mechanisms and progress through a satisfying career in education. Among all causes, stress from teaching is one of the salient factors investigated by many educators. Having the ability to deal with stressors is vital in teacher retention.
This assignment sets out to identify stressors encountered by novice primary teachers in Gora School and the relationship between these stressors, teacher efficacy and work performance. It also seeks to investigate the perception of novice teachers in this school towards various potential occupational stressors. The aim is to expose certain issues which may be accountable for novice teacher stress in Gora School.
Gora School is a state school in Malta. It caters for the nearby settlements. With the influx of foreign people settling in Malta, the school has attracted a marked proportion of students of a foreign origin. Now, the school population hovers around the eight hundred mark, with around eighty students coming from twenty-two foreign countries.
The school has a School Management Team [SMT] made up of one Head of school and four Assistant Heads. Teaching staff is made up of thirty teachers, of which seven are novice teachers. At present, in the school there are also five pre-service teachers on their first field experience. Thus, this research examines the following issues investigated within the context of Gora School:
What do novice teachers consider to be their
An investigation of novice teachers ' stressors in the elementary classroom - A case study in Gora School
INTRODUCTION
The purpose of this research is to observe how novice teachers in Gora School [Pseudonymous name] experience stress. This study also aims to attempt to propose ways in which schools can be better managed in order to lower the overall perceived stress levels by novice teachers.
It could be argued that teacher preparation programs should prepare scholars to identify stress factors and employ efficient coping mechanisms and progress through a satisfying career in education. Among all causes, stress from teaching is one of the salient factors investigated by many educators. Having the ability to deal with stressors is vital in teacher retention.
This assignment sets out to identify stressors encountered by novice primary teachers in Gora School and the relationship between these stressors, teacher efficacy and work performance. It also seeks to investigate the perception of novice teachers in this school towards various potential occupational stressors. The aim is to expose certain issues which may be accountable for novice teacher stress in Gora School.
Gora School is a state school in Malta. It caters for the nearby settlements. With the influx of foreign people settling in Malta, the school has attracted a marked proportion of students of a foreign origin. Now, the school population hovers around the eight hundred mark, with around eighty students coming from twenty-two foreign countries.
The school has a School Management Team [SMT] made up of one Head of school and four Assistant Heads. Teaching staff is made up of thirty teachers, of which seven are novice teachers. At present, in the school there are also five pre-service teachers on their first field experience. Thus, this research examines the following issues investigated within the context of Gora School:
What do novice teachers consider to be their
References: Bassey, M. (1999) Case Study Research in Educational Settings. Maidenhead: Open University Press. Beach, R. & Pearson, D. (1998) Changes in preservice teachers ' perceptions of conflicts and tensions. Teaching and Teacher Education, 14, 3. 337-351. Borg, M.G. et al (1991) Stress in Teaching: a study of occupational stress and its derminants, job satisfaction and career commitment among primary school teachers. Educational Psychology, 11, p.59 Bowers, H.; Eicher, K.; & Sacks, A. (1983) Reducing stress in student teachers. The Teacher Educator, 19(2), 19-24. Bryman, A, (2004) Social Research Methods. New York: Oxford University Press. Cohen, L., & Manion, L. (1989) (3rd Ed.) Research Methods in Education. London, England: Routledge. Cohen, L., and Manion, L., & Morrison, K., (2000) (5th Ed.) Research Methods in Education. London: RoutledgeFalmer Dacey, J.S. & Fiore, L.B. (2000) Your anxious child. San Fracisco: Jossey-Bass. Eisner, Elliot W. (1998) The enlightened eye: qualitative inquiry and the enhancement of educational practice. Upper Saddle River, N.J.: Merrill, 1998. Fitzgerald, B. (2008). Teachers and workplace stress. ASTIR 26(1), 17. Greer, J. & Greer, B. (1992) Stopping burnout before it starts: Prevention measures at pre-service levels. Teacher Education and Special Education, 15(3), 168-174. Guardian, (2002) The Man who could Change your Life. Guardian, 12 January, 26–27, in Wilson, V. (2002) Feeling of strain, an overview of the literature on teachers stress, University of Glasgow. Hopkins, W. S., Hoffman, S. Q., & Moss, V. D. (1997) Professional development schools and pre-service teacher stress. Action in Teacher Education, 18(4), 36-46. Jepson, E & Forrest, S. (2006) Individual contributory factors in teacher stress: The role of achievement striving and occupational commitment. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 76, 183-197. Kaunitz, N., Spokane, A., Lissitz, R., & Strein, W. (1986) Stress in student teachers: A multidimensional scaling analysis of elicited stressful situations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 2(2), 169-180. Kitzinger, J. (1995) Qualitative research: Introducing focus groups. (http://bmj.com/cgi/content/full/31/7000/299). Online Accessed on March 5th, 2010. Kyriacou, C. (2001) Teacher Stress: directions for future research. Educational Review, 53 (1), 27-35. Miller, D., & Fraser, E. (2000) Stress associated with being a student teacher: Opening out the perspective. Scottish Educational Review, 32(2), 142-154. Mo, K. (1991) Teacher Burnout: Relations with Stress, Personality, and Social Support. CUHK Education Journal, 19(l), 3-11. Morris, J. E., & Morris, G. W (1980) Stress in Student Teaching. Action in Teacher. Education, 2:4 (Fall 1980), 57-62. 11. Nisbet, J., & Watt, J., (1984) Case Study, Chapter 5 in Bell, K., et al (eds), Conducting Small-Scale Investigations in Educational Management, London: Harper & Row Pei, W. & Guoli, Z. (2008) Survey of Occupational Stress of Secondary and Elementary School Teachers and Lessons Learned. Chinese Education and Society, 40(5), 32-39 Ravichandran., R & Rajendran, R. (2007) Perceived Sources of Stress among the Teachers. Journal of the Indian Academy of Applied Psychology, 33 (1), 133-136. Stake, R. (1994) Case Studies, Chapter 14 in Denzin, N. & Lincoln, Y. (1994) Handbook of Qualitative Research. London: Sage. Stansbury, K. & Harris, M.L. (2000) Individual differences in stress reactions during a peer entry episode. Effects of age, temperament, approach, behaviour, and self-perceived peer competence. Journal of Experimental Child Psychology, 76 (1), 50-63. Stokking, K., Leenders, F., Jong, J.D. & Tartwijk, J.K. (2003) From student to Teacher: Reducing Practice Shock and Early Dropout in Teaching Profession. European Journal of Teacher Education, Vol. 26, 3, 329- 349. Wilkins-Canter, E. A., Edwards, E., Young, A., Ramanathan, H., & McDougle, K. (2000) Preparing novice teachers to handle stress. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 36(3), 128-130. BIBLIOGRAPHY Coates, T. J., & Thorsen, C. E. (1976) Teacher anxiety: A review with recommendations. Review of Educational Research, 46, 159-184. Dunham, T., (1966). Stress in teaching. L. & Syd: Croom Helm. Kyriacou, C., (1966) Teacher stress: A review of some international comparisons. Education Section Review of the British Psychological Society, 20, 17-20. Kyriacou, C., & Sutcliffe, J. (1978) A model of teacher stress. Educational Studies, 4, 1-6. Kyriacou, C., & Sutcliffe, J. (1978) Teacher stress: Prevalence, sources, and symptoms. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 48(2), 159-167. Kyriacou, C., (1987) Teacher stress and burnout: An international review. Educational Research, 29, 146-152. Kyriacou, C., (1989) The nature and prevalence of teacher stress in M. Keynes (Ed.), Teaching and stress. Philadelphia: Open University Press. Murray-Harvey, R., Slee, P., Lawson, M., Silins, H., Banfield, G., & Russell, A. (2000) Under stress: The concerns and coping strategies of teacher education students. European Journal of Teacher Education, 23(1), 19-35. Nagel, Liza & Brown, S. (May/June 2003) The ABC’s of Managing Teacher Stress. Clearning House, 76: 255-258. Rasehke, D. B. (1985). Teachers stress: The elementary teacher’s perspective. Elementary School Journal, 85, 559-564. Russell, T. (1987) Job related stress, social support and burn out among classroom teachers. Journal of Applied Psychology, 72, 269-274. Selye, H. A. (1978) Stress without distress. Philadelphia: Lipincott.