How stressful is the role of inspectors of schools and senior educational administrators of a large state department of education? How do they compare with teachers and other…
Abstract
How stressful is the role of inspectors of schools and senior educational administrators of a large state department of education? How do they compare with teachers and other professional groups in the perception of their occupational stress? The purposes of this study were (1) to determine the prevalence of self‐reported role related stress in senior educational executives, (2) to examine the influence of biographical characteristics on their perceptions of stress, (3) to investigate the sources of perceived stress, and (4) to test for evidence of ill‐health or other negative coping processes. The paper presents the general findings and reveals some significant relationships between general well being, personality type and physiological symptoms. Four reliable stress factors were extracted: teacher assessment, time management, disruption to family life, and aspects of representing the system. The data also show that this group claims significantly higher levels of affective disturbance than other professional groups. Insights gained from this study provide a guide for remediation that should be undertaken at both organisational and personal levels.
Robert Solman and Melinda Feld
A large sample (n = 437) of teachers in Catholic schools inNew South Wales, Australia, completed a questionnaire on perceptions ofjob‐related stress. Six stress factors were…
Abstract
A large sample (n = 437) of teachers in Catholic schools in New South Wales, Australia, completed a questionnaire on perceptions of job‐related stress. Six stress factors were isolated (namely poor school tone, pupil recalcitrance, curriculum demands, community antagonism, time demands and poor working environment). The pattern of responses was similar to that previously obtained from samples of teachers in state schools, but the levels of reported stress were generally lower. This was particularly obvious in the case of pupil recalcitrance, and the Catholic school teachers also reported lower absenteeism than their state school colleagues. As in the state schools, one in three teachers reported high levels of minor neurotic disturbance, and poor school tone contributed significantly both to this measure of well‐being and to the reported number of days absent. It was concluded that occupational stress is prevalent in both Catholic and state schools.
The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness ofpurposeful attempts to cope with stress by senior educationaladministrators in an Australian state education department…
Abstract
The purpose of this study was to test the effectiveness of purposeful attempts to cope with stress by senior educational administrators in an Australian state education department of over 2,000 schools and employing teaching and administrative staff in excess of 60,000. At the time of the study this department was undergoing the initial stages of large‐scale restructuring, moving from a centralized system of management to a school‐centred, decentralized structure. This provided a unique opportunity to examine the ways in which senior executives respond in a time of discontinuous change. Presents general findings of a self‐report coping strategies questionnaire and reveals some significant relationships between general wellbeing, personality type and coping strategies.
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“Synergy” in the title of this article is used in the root generic sense of “work together”. I am not really looking for something greater than the parts to emerge from the…
Abstract
“Synergy” in the title of this article is used in the root generic sense of “work together”. I am not really looking for something greater than the parts to emerge from the conjunction of corporate management and orthopraxis — although I would be delighted if it were to come about. In point of sober realism, I would settle for functional co‐existence of business process and serious concern for social justice. Put baldly, the title question could be rephrased to read: