ERIC Number: EJ1160705
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2017
Pages: 25
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: EISSN-1183-1189
EISSN: N/A
Teacher Stress and Social Support Usage
Ferguson, Kristen; Mang, Colin; Frost, Lorraine
Brock Education: A Journal of Educational Research and Practice, v26 n2 p62-86 2017
In this paper, we explore how the frequency of utilization of social supports is related to teacher demographics, stress factors, job satisfaction, career intent, career commitment, and the perception of a stigma attached to teacher stress. Using data from self-report questionnaires (N = 264) from teachers in northern Ontario, we found that teachers seldom spoke to their health care providers about stress and instead utilized family, friends, fellow teachers, and sometimes their principals. The frequency of which teachers accessed different social support networks did vary depending on stressor (workload, student behaviour, professional relationships, societal attitudes, and employment conditions). Teachers who frequently talked to their friends about stress had a lower sense of career intent and career commitment. Males were less likely to talk to their various social supports about stress. This study adds to the literature by exploring the frequency of contact with and usage of social supports and their impact on teacher stress and perspectives on teaching.
Descriptors: Foreign Countries, Elementary School Teachers, Secondary School Teachers, Stress Variables, Social Support Groups, Use Studies, Teacher Characteristics, Demography, Job Satisfaction, Teacher Motivation, Teacher Persistence, Social Bias, Teacher Attitudes, Questionnaires, Teaching Load, Student Behavior, Interprofessional Relationship, Teaching Conditions, Gender Differences, Teacher Surveys, Factor Analysis, Regression (Statistics), Interpersonal Communication
Brock University Faculty of Educatino. 500 Glenridge Avenue, Saint Catharines, ON, L2S 3A1 Canada. Tel: 905-688-5550 ext. 3733; e-mail: brocked@brocku.ca; Web site: http://brocked.ed.brocku.ca
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: Elementary Education
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: Canada
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A