stress among urban and suburban elementary school educators:...
TRANSCRIPT
i
Stress Among Urban and Suburban Elementary School Educators: Is There a Difference?
by
Allison Jo Erickson
M.A., Concordia University, 2014
Applied Research Project Paper
Submitted in Partial Fulfillment
of the Requirements for the Degree of
Master in Public Health
Concordia University, Nebraska
December 2014
ii
Abstract
Burnout and fatigue among elementary educators is known to impact educator
performance, health, and job satisfaction, as well as student achievement. With
continued pressures from district administration, state, and national standards, educators
are finding few opportunities for self-care and stress management before, during, and
after a workday. In the educational environment, conflict between expectations and
advice, parental pressures, and unclear perceptions of teaching status lead to an increased
level of chronic stress in the elementary educator. Many studies have limitations when
comparing educator stress levels and symptoms between urban and suburban schools.
This study compares urban and suburban elementary educators and the differences in
causes of stress and stress symptoms. Method: Using survey questionnaires, educators
from different elementary schools from the Midwestern part of the United States will
contribute to data collection evaluating educator burnout, fatigue, and symptoms of
chronic stress. Using mean, standard deviation, and t-test statistical analysis, this study
will determine significant difference in educator stress. Identifying differences and
similarities among both groups of educators will lead to improvements in advocating and
placing importance on educator self-care and stress management within the school.
Results: Urban elementary educators appear to have significantly higher levels of stress
when compared to suburban elementary educators regarding specific causes of stress.
Both groups of elementary educators showed no statistical difference in responses to
stress.
iii
Table of Contents
List of Tables .................................................................................................................... vi
List of Figures .................................................................................................................. vii
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Applied Research Project .............................................1
Background of Applied Research Project ......................................................................1
Stress Defined ......................................................................................................... 1
Impact of Stress on the Body .................................................................................. 2
Stress in the American Educator ............................................................................. 2
Educator Stress: Urban and Suburban Schools ....................................................... 3
Thesis Statement ............................................................................................................4
Purpose of the Study ......................................................................................................5
Research Questions and Hypothesis ..............................................................................5
Research Question .................................................................................................. 5
Hypothesis............................................................................................................... 5
Theoretical Base.............................................................................................................6
Definition of Terms........................................................................................................6
Assumptions ...................................................................................................................6
Limitations .....................................................................................................................7
Delimitations ..................................................................................................................7
Significance of the Study ...............................................................................................7
Summary and Transition ................................................................................................8
Chapter 2: Literature Review ...........................................................................................9
iv
Introduction ....................................................................................................................9
Literature Search ................................................................................................... 10
Body of Review ...........................................................................................................11
Educator Stress across Disciplines........................................................................ 11
Stress in Urban and Suburban School Settings ..................................................... 17
Improving Stress in the American Educator ......................................................... 22
Summary ......................................................................................................................27
Chapter 3: Research Method ..........................................................................................29
Introduction ..................................................................................................................29
Research Design and Approach ...................................................................................29
Setting 30
Participants ...................................................................................................................30
Measurement Instrument .............................................................................................31
Procedure .....................................................................................................................31
Data Analysis ...............................................................................................................32
Summary ......................................................................................................................32
Protection of Human Participants ................................................................................33
Chapter 4: Results............................................................................................................34
Introduction ..................................................................................................................34
Research Findings ........................................................................................................35
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................40
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations ......................................42
v
Introduction ..................................................................................................................42
Discussion ....................................................................................................................42
Time-Management and Work-Related Stressors .................................................. 42
Statements Regarding Feelings of Being Overwhelmed and Frustrated .............. 43
Professional Investment ........................................................................................ 44
Responses to Stress ............................................................................................... 44
Limitations ...................................................................................................................45
Recommendations for Future Research .......................................................................46
Conclusion ...................................................................................................................47
References .........................................................................................................................49
Appendix A: Teacher Stress Inventory..........................................................................52
vi
List of Tables
Table 1. Select Responses Regarding Time-Management and Work-Related Stressors..36
Table 2. Select Responses to Statements Beginning with “I feel overwhelmed and/or
frustrated…”…………………………………………………………………….37
Table 3. Select Responses to Statements Regarding Professional Investment…………38
Table 4. Select Responses to Statements Beginning with “I respond to stress…” …….39
vii
List of Figures
Figure 1. Mean Difference Amongst Urban and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 1…………………………….......................................................................36
Figure 2. Mean Difference Amongst Urban and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 2……………………………………………………………………….......38
Figure 3. Mean Difference Amongst Urban and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 3…………………………………………………………………………...39
Figure 4: Mean Difference Amongst Urban and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 4…………………………………………………………………………...40
1
Chapter 1: Introduction to the Applied Research Project
Background of Applied Research Project
Stress Defined
Over the past five years, United States citizens have reported a 44 percent
increase in stress level (American Psychological Association (APA), 2014a). The APA’s
2013 Stress in America Survey, indicates the list of common stressors include finances,
employment or career, and the nation’s economy. Stress, however, is a difficult term for
scientists and medical professionals to clearly define. According to the American
Institute of Stress (AIS, n.d.), the difficulty in understanding stress lies within its
ambiguous nature of measurement. However, in 1936 Hans Selye defined stress as, “the
non-specific response of the body to any demand for change,” which has been adopted by
some throughout the world as the appropriate definition of stress (AIS, n.d.). Selye
exposed laboratory animals to different stimuli such as loud noises, extreme temperature
changes, and perpetual frustrations prior to defining the term stress. In these studies,
Selye observed similar pathological responses to the interventions like the shrinking of
lymphoid tissue and enlarged adrenal glands (AIS, n.d.). In fact, “[Selye] later
demonstrated that persistent stress could cause these animals to develop various diseases
similar to those seen in humans, such as heart attacks, stroke, kidney disease and
rheumatoid arthritis” (AIS, n.d.). After Selye completed the research, the term stress
became a buzzword for individuals to use to describe any situation that caused distress or
unpleasant situations. In later years, Selye redefined stress stating that stress was, “The
rate of wear and tear on the body” (AIS, n.d.). Years later, after acknowledging the
2
difficulty in defining the term “stress,” Selye stated, “Everyone knows what stress is, but
nobody really knows” (AIS, n.d.). For purposes of the paper, the term stress will use the
definition provided by the National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH, n.d.) stating,
“Stress can be defined as the brain’s response to any demand.”
Impact of Stress on the Body
Stress is not always a negative response in one’s body. In fact, a stress response
in the animal kingdom can often be lifesaving. This is known as a flight or fight response
(NIMH, n.d.). However, when stress becomes chronic, “nerve chemicals that are life-
saving in short bursts can suppress functions that aren’t needed for immediate survival”
(NIH, n.d.). Thus, one’s immunity becomes lowered, excretory and reproductive systems
begin working poorly, and digestive system functionality is impaired. According to the
NIH (n.d.) people with chronic stress often experience higher rates of infection,
depressed mood, irritability, sleep deprivation, and common cold and flu. Chronic stress
occurs when everyday stressors are ignored or poorly managed (APA, 2014b). In other
words, chronic stress is experiencing ongoing stressors that do not go away in a small
amount of time. When chronic stress is left untreated over a longer period of time,
individuals are more likely to face heart disease, anxiety, diabetes, hypertension, and
other chronic or life-threatening illnesses.
Stress in the American Educator
Education has been widely recognized as a stressful occupation. Dissatisfaction
with pay and benefits, poor working conditions, lack of support from administration, and
standardization of test-scores are some of the sources of stress experienced by the
3
American educator (Lambert, McCarthy, O’Donnell, & Wang, 2009). The National
Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2010), indicates that during the 2007 to 2008
school year, of the 3.3 million educators, 7.6 percent of all educators in America moved
schools, while 8.0 percent left the profession all together. “Among public school teachers
with 1–3 years of experience, 77.3 percent stayed in their base-year school, 13.7 percent
moved to another school, and 9.1 percent left teaching in 2008–09” (NCES, 2010).
Chronic stress and burnout are often noted as one of the main reasons for an educator to
find a new school or new profession. Rudge (2012) states, “Many teachers become so
overwhelmed by the emotional challenges that they decide to leave the profession
altogether. Emotional stress and poor emotion management are ranked as the primary
reasons teachers become discouraged and leave the teaching profession” (p. 17).
Educator stress, as aforementioned, can often come from student needs and the drive for
student achievement. Along with student needs, parental pressure is also a source of
stress.
Educator Stress: Urban and Suburban Schools
When defining an urban school, one may refer to the location of an urban school
as located in a large centralized city (Jacob, 2007). Suburban schools, therefore, can be
defined as schools located outside the centralized city limits. Urban schools often see a
higher rate of students from low-income and single-parent households than schools in
suburban areas (University of Michigan, n.d.). Students who come from single parent
homes often see little parental educational interaction due to working to support a family,
which then requires greater attention from the educator. Authors from the University of
4
Michigan (n.d.) argue that educators working in inner city, urban school settings, often
seek employment in a suburb school district where, “there are better working conditions,
better pay, as well as better resources.” Urban school districts often serve a much larger
population of students than the suburban school districts. This population size impacts
the educator to student ratio in the classroom, as well as increasing educator demands
(Jacob, 2007). Moving forward, “Recent studies of teachers in New York State found
that first-year teachers in suburban and more advantaged urban schools were more highly
qualified than those in urban schools more generally” (Jacob, 2007, p. 136). With such
information, one observes that education experience not only impacts placement of
career, but also ability to manage stress within an urban school setting. Unfortunately,
differences in educator placement can impact the educational experience and success for
both the student and the educator. Research supports the differences and encourages
future observation and exploration of differences in educator demands and resources in
the urban and suburban elementary school setting.
Thesis Statement
This thesis proposes that there are differences in educator chronic stress and stress
symptoms among elementary educators by comparing educators in both urban and
suburban school settings. These differences are based on the severity of demands and
restrictions of resources that occur in the different school settings, fostering the need for
improvement in educator stress management resources. A survey will be used to evaluate
differences and similarities between the school educators.
5
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of this study is to examine and evaluate differences and similarities
in educator chronic stress and stress symptoms in an urban and a suburban school setting
amongst educators from the Midwestern part of the United States. Across the country,
educators are known to have high stress jobs. Educators often experience higher stress
due to time constraints, heavy emphasis on student achievement, and lack of consistent
administrative support (Rudge, 2012). However, stress in the urban school setting is
often heightened due to higher rates of needy students, emotionally and socially. By
determining the differences in educator demands and resources among two schools, the
researcher hopes to improve awareness of additional health resources needed or
determine a stress management system that is working to lower stress in one or both of
the schools. This study will not cover specific, individualized stressors through
individual statements and qualitative data collection.
Research Questions and Hypothesis
Research Question
Is there significant difference in educator demands and resources between urban
and suburban elementary school educators?
Hypothesis
Null Hypothesis: There is not a significant difference in educator demands and
resources when comparing urban and suburban elementary school educators.
Hypothesis: There is a significant difference in educator demands and resources
when comparing urban and suburban elementary school educators
6
Theoretical Base
This study is based on quantitative analysis of survey responses associated with
educator demands and resources.
Definition of Terms
Chronic Stress: Defined by the University of Maryland Medical Center (2014) as
a frequent, ongoing exposure to stressful situations.
Stress: The brain’s response to any demand (NIMH, n.d.).
Symptom: “A change in the body or mind which indicates that a disease is
present” (Merriam-Webster, 2014).
Suburban School: A school located outside a large centralized city’s limits (Jacob,
2007).
Urban School: A school located in a large, centralized city (Jacob, 2007).
Assumptions
The assumptions made in this thesis include: (a) the literature available and
reviewed is scientifically sound and represents what is being studied; (b) the participants
selected for surveying accurately represent the population of interest; (c) comparisons can
be made with past research studies; and (d) the results of this study can be applied to
other urban and suburban school populations.
7
Limitations
Limitations of this study include: (a) low response rate of survey participants; (b)
surveys with only partial completion; and (c) inability to gather data from a larger
network of educators.
Delimitations
Delimitations of this study include: (a) small sample size; (b) time allotted for
survey completion and data collection; (c) seeking to determine any difference in
demands and resources quantitatively; and (d) omitting school administration from
survey response.
Significance of the Study
This study will serve as an addition to the current literature by specifically
focusing on chronic stress and symptoms in elementary educators among urban and
suburban schools. Through awareness building, educators will have an opportunity to
take action and improve lifestyles and stress management techniques in order to reduce
the risk of experience long-term, chronic health concerns in the future. Additionally, this
study will assist school district administration in identifying specific sources of stress
among the school educators and be able to take appropriate action to alleviate or reduce
the specific stressors. This will aid in education retention, job satisfaction, and student
achievement.
8
Summary and Transition
Stress in America is on the rise. Sources of stress include careers, finances, and
the nation’s economy. Throughout the animal kingdom, humans included, stress can
either be acute or chronic. Acute stress is often the body’s response to danger, leading to
taking action or fleeing. Chronic stress, however, has greater consequences. Such stress
can lead to depressed mood, irritability, sleep deprivation, as well as more serious health
concerns like heart disease, hypertension, and anxiety (NIH, n.d.). Many occupations are
known to cause extreme stress and burnout, however, education is one that is often
studied and recognized. Pressures from parents, standardization of test scores, long work
hours, and difficult support from administration are all sources of stress for educators in
America. Of such stress, urban educators are often times more likely to experience
higher levels of stress simply due to the location of the school. By comparing suburban
and urban educator stress levels, district administration and educators alike can begin to
make specific changes in sources of stress and resources offered for the management of
stress. In the following sections, the study will examine literature that examines these
differences, as well as discuss the current study’s method and results. The last sections
will provide a discussion of the research findings and recommendations for future
research.
9
Chapter 2: Literature Review
Introduction
Stress and stress management continue to receive attention in many career and
personal arenas. Common sources of stress according to the APA (2014a) include
finances, career, and the nation’s economy. Although a difficult term to define, most, if
not all, individuals experience stress in one way or another. When stress becomes
constant, or continual, it is known as chronic stress. Chronic stress impacts different
systems and functioning in the human body, first by targeting systems not needed for
immediate survival such as the reproductive system. As chronic stress continues in one’s
life, infection risk increases, sleep deprivation is common, and risk of contracting the
common cold or flu increases. Once chronic stress is not treated, individuals encounter
higher rates of hypertension, anxiety, diabetes, and other chronic or life-threatening
illnesses.
Among the professions known to include high stress levels is education. Little
administrative support, standardization of test scores, pressures from parents or
guardians, and dissatisfaction with pay and workload balance are all sources that, if not
managed well, can lead to chronic stress in the American educator. Rates of teacher
retention year to year mark concerns for the future of the American educational system.
As the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES, 2010), indicates that during the
2007 to 2008 school year, of the 3.3 million educators, 7.6 percent of all educators in
America moved schools, while 8.0 percent left the profession all together. Burnout and
emotional exhaustion are known to be in the top reasons for teachers leaving the
10
profession all together. This thesis, therefore, explores the causes and levels of stress
among elementary school educators. Differences in stress levels may be apparent within
one school; however, this study aims to determine the difference in chronic stress levels
and symptoms between urban and suburban elementary educators. Although the
profession is similar in both school settings, the population of students, needs, and
outcomes, may result in differing levels of stress, as well as differences in stress
symptoms.
The literature review reviews three areas related to elementary educator stress.
The first section will address research related to educator stress across disciplines. The
second section will focus on research related to stress in urban and suburban school
educators. Finally, the third section will address ways of lowering and improving chronic
stress in the educator.
Literature Search
The literature search was performed through Concordia University Library Search
Engines such as Academic Search Premier, ERIC, and Teacher Reference Center. An
additional source of searching was through Google search engines to examine literature
not found through Concordia University Library. The author limited article dates to
include any date later than 1980. There was variety in search terms used, however, the
most common included “elementary educator”, “stress”, “burnout”, “urban school”, and
“suburban school”.
11
Body of Review
Educator Stress across Disciplines
Evaluating and understanding educator stress first must come from listening to
the elementary educator’s perspective. The significance of educator stress not only
impacts the educator, but the students, the school, and the district. Without focusing and
taking time to understand how educators perceive burnout, stress, and exhaustion, little
can be accomplished in fixing the problem for current and future educators. In the 1980s,
considerable research was completed to fill a systematic gap in researching stress among
elementary educators (Raschke, Dedrik, Strathe, & Hawkes, 1985). Raschke et al. (1985)
sought to identify and investigate specific factors that elementary educators deemed to be
responsible for job satisfaction and dissatisfaction, as well as draw from educator
suggestions for improving the school environment. Using 300 Kindergarten through
sixth grade public school teachers from various districts in the central Midwest section of
the United States, a survey was confidentially mailed concerning job stress, job
satisfaction, and state of teaching. Of the 300 educators identified, 230 responded with
useable data. The majority of respondents were female, age 35, with about 12 years of
experience in education. Only 22 respondents were male with an average age of 35 and
12 years teaching experience. “Although the teachers participating in the study were
employed in in the central Midwest, the respondent profile parallels the national data…”
(Raschke et al., 1985, p. 560).
As aforementioned, Raschke et al. (1985) utilized survey questionnaires
consisting of five parts. The five parts had questions that utilized a Likert-scale for job
12
satisfaction and dissatisfaction, stress levels, and state of teaching. The final part of the
survey was left open for qualitative data collection asking questions such as, “’List three
things about your job that you don’t like’” (Raschke et al., 1985, p. 560). Raschke et al.
(1985) did not include time frame for educator response and data collection. Using both
quantitative and qualitative data analysis, results showed that educators provided
strongest support for the statement, “’public respect for education has declined during the
past 15 years’” (Raschke et al., 1985, p. 561). With “1” on the Likert-scale meaning
“strongly agree,” this statement received a mean of 2.06 with a standard deviation of
1.01. Continuing, perceived lack of time showed to be ranked the top reason for job
dissatisfaction. On the same scale, educators marked disruptive students as a major cause
of job stress. When answering the open-ended question about three aspects of teaching
that was not liked, 70 percent responded that excessive paperwork and duties not related
to teaching were two major concerns. Finally, the relationship between the educator and
administration was another relayed concern. “Teachers complain that administrators fail
to support them in matters of student discipline and that they are often by-passed when it
comes to major decisions in their area of expertise—the instructional program” (Raschke
et al., 1985, p. 562-563). Raschke et al. (1985) concluded that professional organizations,
school districts, and teacher centers must continue efforts in identifying and improving
causes and symptoms of stress among educators. Improving teacher-administrator
relationships, reducing time expended on unnecessary work, and offering in-service
workshops for stress management are all suggested places to start. This study shares the
importance of continuing to not only identify, but also treat, sources of stress among
13
elementary educators. The results also indicate that educator stress can primarily come
from lack of time and student needs, in which the current study will address. Although
there we no limitations identified by Raschke et al. (1985), the author identifies that the
survey focused solely on stress in the classroom, without clearly identifying other aspects
contributing to a stressful classroom environment both in and out of the school setting.
Friesen and Williams (1985), too, agree that educator stress must be studied and
examined to improve the educator’s teaching experience, student learning, and
organizational success. The purpose of the study was to investigate work-related stress of
school educators to determine if organizational variables contribute to the perceptions
educators have of overall stress in the work environment. An entire teaching workforce
of 1448 urban school educators was surveyed in June of 1980 using a previously
developed questionnaire aiming to address stress experienced in other organizational
careers. The questionnaire was pilot tested among 559 educators whom offered
improvement or corrections to fit the questions appropriately to the population under
study. Of the 1448 questionnaires sent, 759 were used due to attrition and incomplete
questionnaires. Female educators represented 59 percent, while male educators made up
41 percent of the population. About two-thirds of the population was under age 40. Over
half of the respondents were elementary educators, while 27 percent taught junior high,
and 22 percent senior high (Friesen & Williams, 1985).
The questionnaire posed two questions: (1) “’How often does this situation occur
in your work?’” and (2) “’How stressful is the situation for you in your work?’” (Friesen
& Williams, 1985, p. 16). Educators used a 5-point scale ranging from “Never” to
14
“Almost Constantly”. Overall work-related stress was assessed by asking, “’On average,
how stressful do you find your work?’” (Friesen & Williams, 1985, p. 16). Again, a 5-
point scale was used from “No Stress” to “Very Much Stress”. A factor analysis was
used to reveal the nature of major sources of the perceived organizational stress, while a
regression analysis was used to analyze overall stress as a dependent variable with
sources of stress as the independent variable. An F-ratio was used for determining if the
entering predictor accounted for significant increases in variance of overall stress.
Results indicate that the majority of educators identified the statements in the
questionnaire as dealing with work overload. For example, diagnosing student needs was
seen to impact educator workload more than controlling the work environment. Other
sources of stress identified were communication, supervision, and relationship with
colleagues. An example includes educator response to the statement, “Not knowing what
is expected of me” (Friesen & Williams, 1985, p. 23), as primarily due to administrative
relationship and communication. Friesen and Williams (1985) identified that the
conclusions are taken only from one study and that much more research is needed to
examine consistencies and inconsistencies among research. Nonetheless, the conclusions
drawn from the study show that there are identifiable sources of stress in the educator’s
work environment. Further research is needed, however, to continue investigating these
sources of stress. Discovering similarities and differences in environmental educator
stress for the current study will allow for reflection on changes or absence of change over
the past 20 years in the education field. Friesen and Williams (1985) acknowledge that
the most prominent limitation of the study is that the questionnaire solely focused on job-
15
related stress without taking into consideration other sources that could impact perception
of environment inducing stress.
Measuring relationships between teacher stress and numerous constructs like
coping, burnout, personal support, and environmental structure is beneficial when
determining effective solutions for dealing with educator stress. Montgomery and Rupp
(2005) conducted a meta-analysis of 65 independently written or published studies that
focused on educator stress between 1998 and 2003. The purpose of the study was to
determine if the relationship between coping mechanisms and stress, along with coping
mechanisms, emotional responses, and burnout is stronger than background influences
have on coping with stress. Montgomery and Rupp (2005) used the Theoretical-
Empirical Model of construct relationships of teacher stress to support the purpose and
hypothesis of the study. Articles were retrieved from multiple search engines like ERIC
and Psychinfo, as well as through search engines like Google and Yahoo. Research
articles gathered spanned across multiple countries of study, studying both primary and
secondary schools, or a combination of both. Mean sample sizes across studies were
265.8 participants. Across studies analyzed, the majority of participants were female and
the mean age of the participants was 42.1 years old.
The studies were coded according to characteristics of the samples, experimental
design structure, populations sampled, and methodologies utilized. Data from each study
was filed using Spearman correlation coefficients, Pearson point-biserial correlation
coefficients, and independent-sample t-test (Montgomery & Rupp, 2005). From the
analysis, results showed that the majority of emotional responses were negatively
16
oriented (i.e. anxiety or depression). This implied that external stressors and responses
lead to negative experiences for educators across studies. Montgomery and Rupp (2005)
observed a high average correlation between burnout and emotional response variables,
“suggesting that the way teachers emotionally respond to a variety of stressful situations
is closely tied to the relatively stable personality traits that medicate their responses…”
(p. 479). Conclusions explore that there is need for considering the relationship between
stress and negative emotional response in education. When negative emotional responses
become a normal, everyday response, both the educator and students suffer. Limitation
in the meta-analysis as identified by Montgomery and Rupp (2005) include the
importance of investigating inter-rater reliability of the classifications as the study was
based only on the expertise of two researchers. Implications for the current study show
that an educator’s response to stress can lead to burnout and exhaustion. Identifying
these reactions and evaluating the impact on personal and professional stress is an
important aspect to successful data collection and hypothesis testing.
Section Summary
The research literature explores the sources and reactions to stress experienced by
educators across specialties. Understanding the causes of stress is most helpful when
receiving information directly from the educator. The three articles reviewed determined
the main causes of stress by examining the teaching environment, job satisfaction, and
reactions to stressors that can cause chronic burnout among educators. Of the most
prominent sources of stress, high student needs, time spent on non-school related work,
and administrative support ranked the highest. There were limitations to the studies that
17
impact the generalizability to other settings and populations. One prominent limitation is
that questionnaires used primarily focus on school-related stress, without taking into
consideration stressors outside the school setting that could impact perceptions and
coping with school-related stress.
Stress in Urban and Suburban School Settings
Differences in urban and suburban school settings not only impacts learning by
students, but also educator stress levels. Dworkin, Haney, and Telschow (1988) explain
that urban school teachers have heightened stressors simply due to the fact that urban
schools may interact with more than 1000 students daily. Additionally, urban schools
will often be impacted by the community in which the school is located. Dworkin et al.
(1988) also explain that fear of violence and victimization reaches an urban school in
greater ways than other areas. Educators are often bearing the brunt of violence in the
schools within the classroom, impacting motivation and ability to perform the job
successfully. The purpose of the study was to examine the relationship between the fear
of violence and victimization and educator stress in urban schools.
A total of 794 active members of the Houston, Texas school union were sent
questionnaires, with a response rate of 291. Although the sample size is stated to not
represent the whole district, the sample does represent the union sampled. Educators
could choose from, “no stress, a low level of stress, a moderate level of stress, or a high
level of stress,” (Dworkin et al., 1988, p. 163) when asked to evaluate the level of stress
with a given statement or scenario. An example of statements on the questionnaire
include, “discipline in class” or “interacting with administration” (Dworkin et al., 1988,
18
p. 163). In addition to the aforementioned questions, Dworkin et al. (1988) also
examined problems faced by teachers specifically related to violence. Of the questions
asked, the respondent could either answer “never” to “all the time.” Sample questions
include: (A) “Money has been stolen from me at school” (B) “Students have threatened
me in subtle ways” and (C) “I have been assaulted by students and needed a doctor’s
care” (Dworkin et al., 1988, p. 164). Results showed relatedness between victimization
and stress. The race of the educator impacted the relationship between stress level and
victimization. For example, white educators who reported having money stolen at least
once were higher than black educators. The same was true for being the target of
obscene gestures, being sworn at, or receiving physical threats. Of these results, Dworkin
et al. (1988) suggest that victimized educators experience higher levels of stress, white
educators reported higher levels of stress when compared to black or Hispanic educators,
and elementary educators report higher levels of this source of stress than secondary
schools. A limitation within this study is the sample size and sampled population. To
expand the study further, a recommendation would be to survey educators from other
urban settings in major cities. Therefore, this research aims to provide evidence for the
current study in examining the sources of difference in stress levels when comparing
urban and suburban elementary schools.
A 1999 report by the U.S. Department of Education shares that the condition of
the physical environment surrounding a school are vital to academic success in high-
poverty areas (Foote, 2005). Within the same report, there is indication that resources
provided to a school are often lacking in low-income, urban school districts. “Urban
19
teachers describe their classrooms as overcrowded and bemoan the increasing standards
students are expected meet with declining material resource” (Foote, 2005, p. 372).
Additionally, low-income, urban schools are more likely to employ new or novice
teachers, rather than veteran teachers. This, unfortunately, often sets the urban school up
for high attrition rates. Foote (2005) evaluates the findings from numerous articles and
studies to determine the challenges that urban school educators often face. When
comparing to suburban school educators, urban teachers are more likely to be less
familiar with technological advancements, as well as lack a master’s degree. Another
noted area of stress is the perceived lack of parental involvement often experienced in the
urban setting. However, Foote (2005) noted, “These teachers, however, have little
understanding of the efforts by parents at home to help their children” (p. 373). Foote
(2005) indicated that as the number of minority students increases in the classroom, the
number of face-to-face interactions with a parent or guardian decreases.
Foote (2005) recommended that the characteristics of urban schools are
continuing trying to improve. In order to accomplish these improvements, Foote (2005)
suggested creative thinking in developing class schedules, potentially breaking from the
traditional classroom style. By doing so, there is the possibility of lessening teacher
demand and spreading the demand across multiple educators. Additional suggestions
encourage community partnerships with local businesses and organizations within the
community. By bringing in more assistance and support, the urban educator is likely to
continue his or her career at the urban school, as well as improve stress and burnout
(Foote, 2005). Application to the current study is acknowledging the unique challenges
20
that urban schools often face. By questioning the educators on the impact of the
community on perceived stress within the school, will allow for the author to examine
external factors that influence the educational system, especially educators.
Evaluating the sources of stress and burnout among suburban educators is an
important aspect to determine differences when comparing to urban educators. Farber
(1984) aimed to investigate satisfactions and stresses of suburban educators, particularly
referencing factors that impede or promote educator burnout. “Burnout may be defined
as a progressive loss of idealism, energy, purpose, and concern as a result of conditions of
work” (Farber, 2001, p. 325). A total of 398 public school educators were drawn for
participation in the study and taught in three counties in New York. Of the 398
educators, 365 expressed teaching in a suburban school. The final sample size consisted
of 236 female and 129 male educators, primarily white. Farber (1984) used the Teacher
Attitude Survey (TAS), which is a modified version of the MBI. The survey consisted of
25 statements about professional work, using a 7-point Likert-type scale. “Each item on
the TAS was rank-ordered according to both frequency and intensity” (Farber, 1984, p.
326). Statistical analysis was used using t-test and one-way ANOVAs.
Results indicated that the most intense sources of satisfaction for educators in the
sample were from feeling sensitive and involved with students. Additional feelings of
satisfaction came from having teaching experiences that allowed the educator to feel
competent, important, and committed to the job (Farber, 1984). Educators also showed
to have more time and energy for friends, family, and other activities outside the school
setting. Areas in which the educators showed most dissatisfaction included unsuccessful
21
administrative meetings, excessive paperwork, and lack of advancement opportunities in
teaching. The results indicated that suburban educators occasionally to rarely feel burned
out by the job or emotionally drained. However, Farber (1984) indicates that this can be
a bit misleading because of the sample. Additional data suggested that educators who
teach in smaller schools have more commitment to teaching than those that are in midsize
schools (600 to 950 students). Discussion of the study reported that, although teachers
are stressed by the job, the rate of burnout is not as high in suburban areas. In addition,
the suburban educators showed a higher rate of commitment to teaching and that
motivation for continuing in the profession is positive. One of the limitations of this
study is that there was only comparison of educators in suburban school settings, not a
comparison with other suburban or urban schools. For the present study, there will be a
comparison between an urban and suburban school to evaluate differences and
similarities in stress, stress symptoms, and burnout. Evaluating if the results reflect that
of the literature will serve to answer the hypothesis.
Section Summary
The literature suggests that urban school educators face more challenges than
suburban school settings. These challenges impact job satisfaction, stress, and burnout.
The three articles reviewed individually evaluated urban educator stress and challenges
and suburban educator stress and challenges. All three articles support the notion that the
community in which a school is located impacts school resources and educator support.
Within the urban school setting, one notes the challenges often faced due to student-
teacher relationships and increase in violence. Additional challenges come from the staff
22
demographic of the urban school and heavy workloads. In the suburban school setting,
educators are often more satisfied with the career and establishing positive relationships
with students. Limitations noted through all three pieces of literature involve only
examining the challenges in an urban or suburban school. There is little comparison
between the two types of schools within one piece of literature. This, therefore, was a
major influencer in determining the scope of the current study.
Improving Stress in the American Educator
Public school educators are often exposed to emotional challenges that lead to
negative emotional responses. Reoccurring negative emotions often lead educators to be
less caring, less interested in cultivating impactful and positive relationships with
students, and less tolerant (Rudge, 2012). The purpose of the study was to determine if
mindfulness and meditation reduced stress levels among educators. Twenty-five students
enrolled in a Transformative Practices in Education and in the Community Course were
studied. The group consisted of educators, principals, assistant principals, and special
education educators. All group participants worked in the same school in central Ohio.
The majority of participants were female (n=20) and white. Every class was two and one
half hours over 10 weeks. “Data collected for this study included students’ journal
entries, midterm, and final self-analysis/self-reflection papers, and a course evaluation”
(Rudge, 2012, p. 18). Rudge (2012) asked the class participants to keep record of
changes noticed in personal self, interactions, and perceptions. Data analysis was done
through constant comparative analysis. In order to minimize subjective interpretation,
23
Rudge (2012) looked for statements that specifically indicated transformation, such as
“’I’m feeling less stressed’” (p. 18).
Students were required to do 10-20 minutes of daily sitting meditation outside the
scheduled class time and engage in purposeful mindfulness activities outside class. For
students who regularly practiced medication and mindfulness, there was a felt reduction
of stress levels. Additionally, students reported feeling more relaxed and more peaceful
throughout the quarter. In the spring, often a busy time for educators, those that
participated in the class and performed meditation reported lower anxiety levels and a
feeling of balance. Sleeping improvements were noted only for students who regularly
practiced meditation outside the scheduled class time. Finally, the majority of students
reported a higher level of awareness, whether engaging in regular meditation or not.
These results indicated that there is a connection between lower stress levels and self-care
or stress management techniques, like meditation. Feeling more connected to oneself
allows for greater connectedness to those in the surrounding environment. This is an
important distinction to take into consideration for the current study. Examining the
ways and techniques educators use to manage stress will allow for more solid conclusions
when recommending tools and techniques that could be adapted in the school district. A
limitation noted by Rudge (2012) is the sample size. To expand on these techniques
further, it is recommended to increase the sample size across more than one school
setting.
Expanding on the technique of mindfulness, Flook, Goldberg, Pinger, Bonus, and
Davidson (2013) report that this technique improves the activation in the brain regions
24
responsible for heightened attention and positive affection states, such as empathy.
Training in mindfulness has been shown to create a self-regulation of neural circuits in
the prefrontal cortex, which improves sustained attention and emotion regulation. Little
research has been done on the effects of mindfulness practice in the educational arena,
specifically for educators. Flook et al. (2013) primarily had the goal of adapting the
Mindfulness-Based Stress Reduction (MBSR) for educators, while evaluating the
outcomes of self-reported changes in stress. A total of 18 public elementary school
teachers from a medium sized Midwestern city participated in the study. The four
schools in which educators were drawn from serve primarily low-income students with
high minority/racial populations. The majority of educators were female with an average
of 12 years teaching experience. Flook et al. (2013) measured psychological distress,
mindfulness and self-compassion, burnout, teacher classroom behavior, cortisol
measurement, neuropsychological and attentional tasks, and mindfulness practice
compliance. Two groups were randomly created. The experimental group would receive
the intervention of regular mindfulness training and practice. Independent samples t-test
were conducted for determining differences in the group at baseline. Paired samples t-
tests were conducted on the outcome measures from pre- to post-test.
Results showed that the intervention group showed significant improvement on
many of the self-reported measures. Some of these improvements included decreases in
psychological symptoms, decreases in burnout, and increase in self-compassion humanity
subscale. The control group showed a significant decrease in cortisol, but a slight
increase in burnout. Discussion informs the reader that this pilot study suggests that the
25
intervention of mindfulness, when adapted for educators, reduces psychological
symptoms and burnout, while increase effective teaching behavior and reducing
attentional biases. The more an educator participated in mindfulness, the more the
burnout score decreased. Limitation noted by Flook et al. (2013) was the small sample
size that created limited power to detect effects and include multiple comparisons. Using
this research for the current study will aid in offering recommendations after results are
gathered and calculated to present to administration. Identifying techniques that are
shown to improve educator stress and burnout will strengthen the desire to improve the
current resources being offered.
Supporting educators through psychological stress management is shown to have
positive impact on outcomes. This support not only impacts the educator stress, but also
impacts student learning and achievement. “When teachers are stressed, they are often
irritable, impatient, and easily frustrated and, thus, unable to provide the necessary
support to help students succeed” (Kipps-Vaughan, 2013). Identifying the outcomes of
wellness programs that provide stress management resources is the purpose of the
literature produced by Kipps-Vaughan (2013). Interventions such as stress awareness,
psychological training, cognitive coping strategies, and environment adjustment are all
ways for improving stress among educators. Kipps-Vaughan (2013) suggested that
creating school-based stress management programs requires specific attention to educator
needs and wants. Identifying the key sources of stress through a needs assessment is
recommended by Kipps-Vaughan (2013). This assessment will then lead the wellness
26
programmers to develop resources that fit the needs of the educator, rather than create
one more task for the educator to complete.
Kipps-Vaughan (2013) informed that these needs based assessments in
identifying impactful stress management techniques for educators can result in creating a
culture of relatedness that has a positive impact on the educational process. “A principal
who addresses the needs of teachers promotes an environment in which teachers can
more readily address the needs of students” (Kipps-Vaughan, 2013, p. 45). A challenge
noted by Kipps-Vaughan (2013) in creating stress management classes and techniques for
educators are that many middle level teachers often do not see the need for such
resources. However, Kipps-Vaughan (2013) suggested making the classes meet criteria
for licensure credits or recertification points. These suggestions brought forth by the
literature aid in recommendations that could specifically identify areas of stress
management from the current study results. In a way, the current study is a needs
assessment that will assist administration in creating or utilizing resources to assist the
educators in managing stress better.
Section Summary
Recent literature recommends adopting mindfulness and meditation regularly
within the school setting for ways of coping and managing stress. The three articles all
encouraged seeking educator input into what resources should be offered for managing
stress. The first two focused on how frequent use of mindfulness impacts psychological
response and burnout. The latter article focused on steps needed to ensure resources are
utilized well and makes an impact on educator stress levels. Limitations across all
27
studies were sample sizes. Because this is a new form of intervention, additional research
must be done to examine the impact the intervention has on overall stress level and
burnout among educators. Identifying the needs and sources of stress in the current study
will allow for recommendations to be made for ongoing research. Additionally, these
recommendations can be presented to school administration for improvement of overall
stress among the school’s educational staff.
Summary
Stress and burnout among educators is an ongoing concern. Identifying the main
causes of stress, how stress differs in different school settings, and how to treat the stress
are all-important aspects to discover. The literature reviewed in this chapter seeks to
create a need for researching this concern among educators further. Student needs, non-
teaching required paperwork, administrative support, and job dissatisfaction were all
causes of stress identified in the first three articles. Urban and suburban schools also
show differences in stressors. Among urban school settings, large class sizes, and the
fear of violence are causes of stress for educators. Stressors noted in suburban school
educators come from lack of problem solving during administrative meetings and
excessive paperwork. However, in the suburban school setting, educators often report a
higher rate of job satisfaction due to student achievement and educational growth.
Treating stress among educators begins with understanding the needs of the educator.
Among the literature, mindfulness is beginning to become a new treatment method
showing positive results in psychological response and rates of burnout. Across all
studies, limitations in the sample sizes, as well as limitation in only identifying sources of
28
stress within a school setting. For future research, it is important to investigate the
impact that external or personal stress has on career stress among the educators. The
current study contributes to the previously reviewed literature in comparing stress levels
among urban and suburban schools, as well as identifying resources offered for reducing
stress levels in each school.
29
Chapter 3: Research Method
Introduction
Stress among Americans has seen concerning increases over the past few years.
In fact, the APA (2014a) indicates that stress levels have increased by 44 percent in the
last five years. The ambiguous nature of stress leads to difficulty in measuring just how
stressed Americans are. However, one group of Americans that continues to report high
levels of stress, since the 1980s, is the American educator. With lack of administrative
support, unsubstantial increases in pay, standardization of test scores, and parental
pressures being top stressors amongst this population, researchers continue to seek if
there are differences in the extent and type of stress found in different school locations.
According to the University of Michigan (n.d.), urban schools often serve more students
that come from low-income, single-parent households. These schools will often have
larger classroom sizes, when compared to suburban schools, impacting the educator to
student ratios (Jacob, 2007). Because there are noted differences between urban and
suburban schools, there is a unique opportunity to compare these differences side-by-
side. Thus, the purpose of this research is to determine the differences and similarities
among urban and suburban elementary school educators. This research will aid in
determining if the concern around educator stress truly is universal or is more likely to be
located in different communities.
Research Design and Approach
This research followed a non-experimental, quantitative research design to
examine the stressors and responses to stress among elementary educators. This research
30
is correlational in nature and prospective as the author seeks to determine correlations
between educator causes of and responses to stress in both the urban and suburban school
setting. Previously published, peer-reviewed research was examined to find an
appropriate, reliable, and valid instrument for measuring educator stress among the target
population.
Setting
The setting of the study did not have a particular location; rather, educators were
sent surveys through electronic mail and social media outlets. Educators who completed
the survey were from a variety of locations in the Midwestern section of the United
States. Because of the scope of study, the researcher aimed to include both urban and
suburban educators, which the educator identified when completing the survey. In order
to correctly identify the location of the school the educator was employed, the survey
instrument indicated an urban school as an inner city school often consisting of students
from low-income, single family household and suburban school as located outside a large
city. Because there are demographic differences and similarities between urban and
suburban schools, the researcher determined that identifying urban, as inner city, would
create clarification for educator identification in the instrument.
Participants
The sampling procedure used for study was convenience sampling. Utilizing
social media, the researcher increased participation by asking for survey responses from
any elementary educator sharing in the social media site. Using electronic mail, the
researcher accessed participants through familial educator contacts from a variety of
31
Midwestern locations. For purposes of the study, middle and senior high educators were
excluded, as well as administration. A total of 71 elementary educators participated in
the study. Urban educators made up 46 of the total population, with 25 educators from a
suburban school setting. Among urban elementary educators, the mean age was 35 to 40
years old, with five male participants, the remainder female. Suburban elementary
educators had a mean age of 29 to 34 years old, with all female participants.
Measurement Instrument
The Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI) questionnaire was used to evaluate the unique
causes and responses to stress in the American educator. The TSI was first developed by
Michael Fimian to determine sources and manifestations of stress. With permission to
use and adapt from the author, the researcher adapted the questionnaire to reflect a five-
point Likert scale, consisting of 44 questions. Please see Appendix A for the
measurement instrument. To ensure confidentiality, the survey only asked for participant
age range, gender, and type of school the educator was employed. The validity and
reliability of the TSI have previous been established by Fimian (1988) and the measure
has been tested to ensure that statements in the inventory are appropriate for educators.
Due to time limitations, the researcher was unable to conduct pilot studies using the
survey, therefore, has relied on the validity and reliability of the TSI in previous research
and determined the validity and reliability of the instrument.
Procedure
Before distributing the TSI, the researcher obtained IRB approval for using
human subjects for participation in the study. The measurement instrument was
32
transferred from paper copy to online modality for convenience purposes. After
obtaining IRB approval, the researcher posted the survey on social media and sent the
survey to identified elementary educators through electronic mail. Responses were
securely and confidentially returned to the researcher through the online modality for
statistical analysis.
Data Analysis
The collected data were categorized and analyzed in terms of the research
question using quantitative data analysis. The results of the survey statements were
analyzed using descriptive statistics by determining the mean and standard deviation of
each statement per group of educators. Because the survey responses utilized a Likert-
type scale, the researcher established that Strongly Agree would amount to a 5, Agree to
a 4, Neutral to 3, Disagree to 2, and Strongly Disagree to a value of 1. After determining
those values for each statement on the TSI, the researcher determined the causes and
responses to stress that showed the most difference within each group and between each
group of educators. In order to determine any significant difference in stress among the
urban and suburban educators, the researcher utilized a t-test. Data is recorded using both
graphical and table representation to show the demographic information of the
participants, the mean of results in each group, the standard deviation for each statement
from the TSI, and any statistical significance.
Summary
The objective of this study is to determine differences and similarities in urban
and suburban elementary educators. The study was focused on urban and suburban
33
educators from a variety of settings in the Midwestern part of the United States.
Participants of the study obtained an online version of the TSI through social media and
electronic mail to evaluate both the main causes and responses to stress in the classroom,
the school, and in the educator role. Using descriptive statistics, the researcher
determined both the mean and standard deviation for each statement among the urban and
suburban schools separately in order to perform comparison and evaluate the differences
or similarities in stress with a t-test.
Protection of Human Participants
IRB approval was submitted to ensure that all participants were not harmed
during the process of the study, as well as ensure the study was conducted ethically in
compliance with federal regulations. A confidentiality statement with required response
was included at the beginning of the survey and all responses were kept anonymous. All
questions were optional for the participant to answer except for agreeing to or not
agreeing to the confidentiality statement at the beginning of the survey tool.
34
Chapter 4: Results
Introduction
Over the course of the last few years, stress among United States’ citizens has
been on the rise. According to the APA (2014a), citizens have reported a 44 percent
increase in stress, finding finances, employment, and the nation’s economy as the top
stressors. Stress is a difficult emotion and term to define, leaving much room for
interpretation at an individual and collective level. However, educators are widely
known to be a group of individuals experiencing greater amounts of stress when
compared to other occupations. Prolonged exposure to stress can lead to negative health
outcomes such as depression, anxiety, hypertension, and heart disease. Additional health
risks include greater risk of being infected with the common cold and sleep deprivation
(NIH, n.d.). Not only can stress in the American educator lead to burnout and health risk,
stress among this population can result in high turnover rates. According to the NCES
(2010), “Among public school teachers with 1–3 years of experience, 77.3 percent stayed
in their base-year school, 13.7 percent moved to another school, and 9.1 percent left
teaching in 2008–09.” Emotional challenges, dissatisfaction with pay and benefits, lack
of social support, and difficult working conditions are all sources of educator stress.
Although many educators are faced with these challenges, this thesis aims to determine
differences and similarities amongst elementary educators employed at either an urban or
suburban school. Determining such differences and similarities amongst both cohorts can
lead to improving educator support within the school and school district, as well as lead
to recommendations in reducing the stress in the profession. The following sections
35
represent data collected, as well as the use of inferential statistics, to determine any
significant difference in causes off and responses to stress comparing urban elementary
educators and suburban elementary educators.
Research Findings
A total of 71 elementary educators completed the survey. Responses that only
included the participant’s age range and gender were discarded due to no response on the
rest of the survey. The researcher established the mean and standard deviation for each
survey statement and calculated statistical significance through mean comparison. Due to
the length and scope of the survey, the researcher chose a set amount of survey
statements to discuss further.
Table 1 focuses on select statements relating to time-management and work-
related stressors. Using a statistical significance of p≤.05, the researcher determined that
there is a statistically significant difference in educator stress among a few of the
statements in this category. The pace of the school day is one statement in which urban
educators report as a significant determinant of stress when compared to suburban
educators with a mean of 4.000 (SD=0.988) in urban educators and a mean of 3.621
(SD=0.752). Lacking promotional and advancement opportunities showed no significant
difference between the two groups of educators yielding a mean of 3.25 (SD=1.102) in
urban educators and a mean of 2.833 (SD=1.007) in suburban educators.
36
2.5
3
3.5
4
4.5
5
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Sco
re
Correlating Statement
Figure 1: Mean Difference Amongst Urban
and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 1
Urban Educators
Suburban Educators
Table 1: Select Responses Regarding Time-Management and Work-related
Stressors
*Denotes significant difference in means using p≤.05.
Statement
Urban
Educator
Mean
Urban
SD
Suburban
Educator
Mean
Suburban
SD
p
value
1. I frequently have to do more
than one thing at a time. 4.689 0.514 4.667 0.565 0.868
2. I have little time to relax/enjoy
the time of day. 4.222 0.958 3.792 1.103 0.045*
3. There isn't enough time to get
things done. 4.568 0.625 4.167 1.007 0.0211*
4. I spend too much time outside
the classroom preparing for
school.
4.091 0.858 3.625 1.245 0.0337*
5. There is too little time to
prepare for my
lessons/responsibilities.
4.318 0.909 3.708 0.908 0.0043*
6. I have too much work to do. 4.326 0.865 3.792 1.021 0.0112*
7. The pace of the school day is
too fast. 4 0.988 3.261 0.752 0.0009*
8. My caseload/class is too big. 4.116 1.138 3.417 1.139 0.008*
9. I lack promotion and/or
advancement opportunities. 3.25 1.102 2.833 1.007 0.0594
37
Table 2 represents responses to statements involving feelings of being
overwhelmed and frustrated inside and outside the classroom setting. Poorly defined
discipline policies showed a significant difference between the educators with a mean
among urban educators of 3.884 (SD=1.028) and a mean among suburban educators of
3.043 (SD=1.022). Additionally, monitoring student behavior showed statistically
significant difference when comparing the urban educators (Mean=3.795, SD=1.098)
with suburban educators (Mean=3.125, SD=1.227). There showed to be no statistically
significant difference between both groups of educators when determining the
frustrations with parental or guardian pressures (p=.0876). Although, suburban educators
showed a higher mean score of 3.174 (SD=1.154) than urban educators mean score of
2.795 (SD=1.091).
Table 2: Select Responses to Statements Beginning with “I feel overwhelmed and/or
frustrated…”
*Denotes significant difference in means using p≤.05.
Statement
Urban
Educator
Mean
Urban
SD
Suburban
Educator
Mean
Suburban
SD
p
value
1. …because of discipline
problems in my classroom 3.841 1.098 3.125 1.227 .0071*
2. …having for monitor student
behavior. 3.795 1.153 3.083 1.23 .0089*
3. …attempting to teach students
who are poorly motivated. 3.605 1.218 3.091 1.065 .0404*
4. …because of inadequate/poorly
defined discipline policies.
3.884 1.028 3.043 1.022 .0008*
5. …because of pressure and
expectations from
parent(s)/guardian(s).
2.795 1.091 3.174 1.154 0.0876
38
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1 2 3 4 5
Sco
re
Correlating Statement
Figure 2: Mean Difference Amongst Urban
and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 2
Urban Educators
Suburban Educators
Table 3 evaluates responses in regard to professional investment. Among the
statements evaluated, there is a significant difference in the educator’s personal opinions
being sufficiently heard. Urban educators showed a mean score of 3.523 (SD=1.11) and
suburban educators showed a mean score of 2.957 (SD=0.976). Professional
development opportunities showed no significant difference in mean scores between the
groups of educators.
Table 3: Select Responses to Statements Regarding Professional Investment
*Denotes significant difference in means using p≤.05.
Statement
Urban
Educator
Mean
Urban
SD
Suburban
Educator
Mean
Suburban
SD
p
value
1. My personal opinions are not
sufficiently heard. 3.523 1.11 2.957 0.976 .0175*
2. I lack control over decisions
about classroom/school matters.
3.682 1.006 3.174 1.072 .0260*
3. I lack opportunities for
professional development. 2.295 1.069 2.304 1.105 0.973
39
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1 2 3
Sco
re
Correlating Statement
Figure 3: Mean Difference Amongst Urban
and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 3
Urban Educators
Suburban Educators
Table 4 shows there were no significant differences in stress responses between
the groups of educators. All mean responses from both groups of educators fell on the
Neutral to Strongly Disagree side of the scale. However, of the responses in the stress
response category of the survey tool, physical exhaustion showed to yield the highest
mean values with urban educators showing a mean of 3.488 (SD=1.20) and suburban
educators yielding a mean of 3.32 (SD=1.17). Stomach cramps appear to also show a
difference in mean values, but no statistical significance. Urban educators report a mean
score for stomach cramps at 1.93 (SD=0.961) with suburban educators reporting a mean
value of 2.227 (SD=0.922).
40
1.5
2
2.5
3
3.5
4
1 2 3 4 5 6
Sco
re
Correlating Statement
Figure 4: Mean Difference Amongst Urban
and Suburban Elementary Educators for
Table 4
Urban Educators
Suburban Educators
Table 4: Select Responses to Statements Beginning with “I respond to stress…”
*Denotes significant difference in means using p≤.05.
Conclusion
Statistical analysis consisted of determining the mean and standard deviation, as
well as mean comparison to determine statistical significance. Statements from the TSI
survey showed statistically significant differences in urban and suburban elementary
Statement
Urban
Educator
Mean
Urban
SD
Suburban
Educator
Mean
Suburban
SD
p
value
1. … by sleeping more than
usual. 2.571 1.102 2.5 1.012 0.396
2. … by procrastinating. 3.558 1.161 3.409 1.297 0.311
3. … by becoming fatigued in
a very short period of time. 3.419 1.096 3.273 1.077 0.296
4. … with physical exhaustion. 3.488 1.203 3.318 1.171 0.284
5. … with feelings of increased
blood pressure. 2.372 1.176 2.19 0.981 0.256
6. … with stomach cramps. 1.93 0.961 2.227 0.922 0.106
41
educators. These differences were seen the educator’s feelings of being overwhelmed
and frustrated, as well as in time management and work-related stressors, to name a few.
However, all statements evaluating stress response showed no statistical significance
between both groups of educators, even if mean values showed difference.
42
Chapter 5: Discussion, Conclusions, and Recommendations
Introduction
The definition of stress has evolved over many years and is, today, known as the
body’s response to any source or type of demand (NIMH, n.d.). Among professions with
known levels of high stress in the United States, having a career in education is known to
be one of high stress and demand. Poor working conditions and pay, lack of
administrative support, and standardization of assessment scores have all been deemed
causes of stress among the American educator. However, in the current literature, there
is little information regarding differences among groups of educators and the differences
between causes and response to stress among the different groups. More specifically,
among elementary educators, the research determining if such differences exist is
lacking. Therefore, the current research seeks to determine the differences and
similarities in causes and responses to stress among urban and suburban elementary
educators. The research hypothesized that there is a significant difference in sources and
responses to stress when comparing suburban elementary educators to urban elementary
educators.
Discussion
Time-Management and Work-Related Stressors
When asked to rate the agreement of statements regarding time-management and
work-related stressors, the majority of statements analyzed show urban educators to find
these stressors more significant than suburban educators. Among this section of the TSI,
urban educators appear to have to spend more time outside the school day preparing for
43
school-related tasks, as well as not finding enough time to get tasks done during the
school day. Literature supports the results that urban educators find class sizes and
caseloads to be a significant cause of stress when compared to suburban educators. In
urban school settings, there is often a challenge to keep class sizes at a minimum due to
funding challenges, community differences, and educator staffing, when compared to
suburban school settings. Both groups of educators showed similarity in having to
perform more than one task at a time. The researcher believes this result to be consistent
across elementary educators, no matter the school location, due to working with multiple
students at different educational levels throughout the day.
Statements Regarding Feelings of Being Overwhelmed and Frustrated
Frustrations and feelings of being overwhelmed by statements asked on the TSI
show a significant difference in the urban educator. Among these statements, discipline
problems, monitoring student behavior, and poorly defined discipline policies are more
severe causes of stress for the urban educators sampled. Connecting these statements of
the survey to the previous section, class size may be a contributor to these forms of
stressors. Pressures from and expectations of parents or guardians was one statement in
which the researcher hypothesized to show more significance in favor of suburban
educators. Suburban educators reported pressures and expectations from parents or
guardians as a more substantial stressor than urban educators, but no statistical
significance was shown. Often in suburban school settings, parents or guardians show
more involvement with the student; however, this can often result in higher expectations
from the educator.
44
Professional Investment
Due to an increase in expectations regarding student assessment scores,
elementary educators often show a decrease in satisfaction with how much professional
investment is being placed toward the classroom and students. This section of the TSI,
showed that lacking decision making opportunities and having opinions being sufficiently
heard was more significant source of stress among urban educators. Literature supports
that the arena of education has shifted over the last 20 years to be more focused on
standardized learning. Although standardization creates consistency among districts, the
educators sampled show that this standardization may cause a lack of autonomy and
opinion within the classroom and school. However, the educators from both the urban
and suburban school settings believe that professional development opportunities are not
lacking within the school. The researcher believes that professional development
opportunities are not lacking due to an increase in standardization of assessments that
require additional training.
Responses to Stress
The survey section regarding educator responses to stress showed no statistical
significance between the urban and suburban educators. Across many professional
arenas, stress has increasingly become a topic of focus, specifically how stress affects
one’s health. Because of these new developments, understanding how one’s body
responds to stress is still being discovered. However, research does suggest that stress
causes higher rates of depression, anxiety, and hypertension, understanding how stress
affects the individual person is still being reviewed. Within this section of the survey, the
45
majority of educators showed mean scores to the responses to stress as either a three or
lower showing the researcher that elementary educators may lack the necessary tools
needed to evaluate how each individual body responds to stress.
Limitations
Although the research supported the hypothesis, there were limitations to the
study. First, the researcher had to rely on a random sample of educators that determined
the type of school in which employed, although provided a definition at the beginning of
the survey. This was a limitation because a more controlled study, using one or two
urban schools and one or two suburban schools would have allowed for more in-depth
discussions about the specific causes of stress. Additionally, a more controlled
environment would have allowed for greater questioning with a mix of qualitative and
quantitative data. Secondly, the TSI, although a useful tool, was used due to limited time
and resources to pilot study an original survey. Using an originally developed survey
would allow the researcher to tailor specific questions to the elementary educator
population, using information gathered during initial planning phases. Adding questions
related to stressors outside of the school setting would be a benefit, as well, if an original
survey were used. Thirdly, although the sample size exceeded researcher expectations,
the sample was small when considering the thousands of elementary educators in a major
metropolitan city. To obtain a better understanding of the differences between urban and
suburban elementary educator stress, the sample size should be more substantial. Lastly,
the researcher notes that a limitation was administering the survey in the summer months
46
when many educators were not in school session. This may have impacted the results by
not being completing during school months, typically September through June.
Recommendations for Future Research
Based on the results of the current study, the researcher has a few
recommendations. First, as aforementioned, creating a survey that is administered to a
controlled group of educators in both an urban and suburban school setting will assist
future research in identifying relationships between causes of and responses to stress.
Future studies could also use and experimental design consisting of two groups of
educators; one group would receive an intervention, such as yoga classes, stress
management forums, or specifically designed breaks throughout the day, where the other
group of educators would receive no intervention. A survey would be administered
before and after the intervention to determine any significant changes in stress causes or
responses. Moving forward, surveys administered to elementary educators should
include statements or questions evaluating stressors outside the classroom setting that
may impact stressors in the classroom. Often, stressors in one environment are often
impacted by stressors in another environment, thus encouraged to include in a survey that
determines different causes and sources of stress. If not sampling a controlled
environment, the researcher suggests including a larger sample of educators from a
variety of locations. Finally, the researcher recommends the surveys be administered
during the school months to gain a “real-time” understanding of the causes and symptoms
of stress.
47
Conclusion
Three conclusions can be made from the study examining differences between
urban and suburban elementary educators. The first conclusion is that urban elementary
educators appear to have significantly higher levels of stress when compared to suburban
educators. Secondly, elementary educators may have difficulty understanding how the
body responses to stress and acknowledging those feelings. Thirdly, there may be a lack
of administrative support regarding stress management and understanding the stress that
educators are facing every day in and out of the classroom.
The first conclusion is that urban elementary educators appear to have
significantly higher levels of stress compared to suburban educators. Among the
statements in which urban educators show a significantly higher level of stress includes
time to perform tasks, behavior concerns, and classroom sizes. There are often many
factors that contribute to these significant differences. These factors include the
community that surrounds the school and how the school boundaries are divided within a
community, which impacts class size. Additionally, urban school districts have shown to
have less funding when compared to suburban school districts. This factor impacts class
size and establishing behavior policies that support both educators and students.
The second conclusion revolves around elementary educators lacking the
necessary skills to understand and determine the body’s responses to stress. When stress
becomes chronic, the body either masks symptoms or creates more noticeable, health-
threatening symptoms. The current study indicates that elementary educators may be
experiencing chronic stress, without recognizing the severity of the symptoms. In other
48
words, when stress becomes a normal feeling, the body can no longer distinguish the
symptoms from the stress. To improve this, the researcher encourages schools and
school districts to perform necessary training to help educators understand the cues
received from the body when the work may be too stressful, as well as ways to cope and
alleviate the stress.
The third conclusion is that district administration may be unaware of the causes
of stress that elementary educators face on a day-to-day basis in and out of the classroom.
As assessment scores and standardization of curriculum continue to increase,
administration has a duty to the educators of the school to acknowledge and assist in
alleviating specific causes of stress. Additionally, elementary administration must make
continued effort in hearing the opinions and thoughts of employees and acting
accordingly to assist in reducing stress levels and treating health-impacting responses to
stress. Seeking to support the educators within the school takes more than a meeting
acknowledging the hard work of the educators. Support from administration and district
representatives means taking action to hear and understand such causes of stress and
provide necessary remedies to continue the support of the American elementary educator.
49
References
American Psychological Association. (2014a). Stressed in America. Retrieved from:
https://www.apa.org/monitor/2011/01/stressed-america.aspx
American Psychological Association. (2014b). Understanding chronic stress. Retrieved
from: https://www.apa.org/helpcenter/understanding-chronic-stress.aspx
Dworkin, G., Haney, C.A, & Telschow, R.L. (1988). Fear, victimization, and stress
among urban public school teachers. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 9(2),
159-171.
Farber, B.A. (1984). Stress and burnout in suburban teachers. Journal of Educational
Research, 77(6), 325-330.
Fimian, M.J. (1988). Teacher stress inventory. Brandon: VT: Clinical Psychology
Publishing Co., Inc.
Flook, L., Goldber, S.B., Pinger, L., Bonus, K., & Davidson, R.J. (2013). Mindfulness for
teachers: A pilot study to assess effects on stress, burnout and teaching efficacy.
Mind Brain Education, 7(3), 1-21.
Foote, C.J. (2005). The challenge and potential of high-need urban educators. Journal of
Negro Education, 74(4), 371-381.
Friesen, D. & Williams, M.J. (1985). Organizational stress among teachers. Canadian
Journal of Education, 10(1), 13-34.
Jacob, B. (2007). The challenges of staffing urban schools with effective teachers. The
Future of Children, 17(1), 129-153.
Kipps-Vaughan, D. (2013). Supporting teachers through stress management. The
50
Education Digest, 43-46.
Minnesota Compass. (2011). St. Paul neighborhood profile: Planning district 6.
Retrieved from: http://www.mncompass.org/_pdfs/neighborhood-profiles/StPaul-
NorthEndSouthComo-102011.pdf
Minnesota Department of Education. (2013). Title I, part A. Retrieved from:
http://education.state.mn.us/MDE/SchSup/ESEA/TitleIPartA/index.html
Montgomery, C. & Rupp, A.A. (2005). A meta-analysis for exploring the diverse causes
and effects of stress in teachers. Canadian Journal of Education 28(3), 458-486.
National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Teacher attrition and mobility: Results
from the 2008-09 teacher follow-up survey. Retrieved from:
http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010353.pdf
National Institute of Mental Health. (n.d.). Adult stress – Frequently asked questions.
Retrieved from:
http://www.nimh.nih.gov/health/publications/stress/stress_factsheet_ln.pdf
symptom. 2014. In Merriam-Webster.com. Retrieved May 18, 2014, from
http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/symptom
Raschke, D.B., Dedrick, C.V., Strathe, M.I., & Hawkes, R.R. (1985). Teacher stress: The
elementary teacher’s perspective. The Elementary School Journal, 85(4), 558-
564.
Rudge, L. (2012). Nurturing the well-being of urban public school educators. Encounter,
25(1), 16-23.
51
The American Institute of Stress. (n.d.). Definitions of stress. Retrieved from:
http://www.stress.org/daily-life/
United States Census Bureau. (n.d.). State & county quick facts. Retrieved from:
http://quickfacts.census.gov/qfd/states/27/2701900lk.html
University of Maryland Medical Center. (2014). Stress. Retrieved from:
http://umm.edu/health/medical/reports/articles/stress
University of Michigan. (n.d.). Urban Education. Retrieved from:
http://sitemaker.umich.edu/rosman.356/teacher_issues_
52
Appendix A: Teacher Stress Inventory
53
54
55
56