This study examines the vocational concerns of 185 elementary teachers. Participants were classified based on their perceptions of the magnitude of their classroom demands and resources. These groupings were then examined for differences in teachers' personal coping resources, job satisfaction, and occupational commitment. Results indicated that teachers classified as perceiving high classroom demand vis-à-vis classroom resources reported lower personal coping resources, less job satisfaction, and more plans to leave their current job.Keywords: vocational concerns, teachers, job satisfaction, stress, coping Employment counselors can play an important role in helping teachers understand the effect of stress on their vocational concerns. According to a 2012 Met Life survey (Metlife, 2012), "Teacher satisfaction has declined to its lowest point in 25 years" (p. 45), with only 39% reporting themselves as very satisfied. At the same time, polling data from the 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that teachers ranked second only to physicians in occupational well-being (Gallup, 2013). These two surveys are not necessarily at odds; whereas the MetLife survey found a decrease in teacher satisfaction overall, it was found that 43% were "somewhat" satisfied, and only 17% were somewhat or very dissatisfied. Workplace stress may be one differentiator of teachers' job satisfaction and well-being: the 2012 Gallup-Healthways Well-Being Index found that teachers were second only to physicians in reporting having felt stress at work, and the Metlife survey found that 51% of teachers felt under great stress at least several days per week. Interestingly, elementary school teachers were found to be more likely than middle or high school teachers to report high stress (59% vs 44% vs 42%). It seems clear that, although stress is prevalent for teachers, it is not universal, nor does it always cause vocational concerns. Kyriacou and Sutcliffe (1977) were among the first to provide a definition of teacher stress, describing it as a state of negative affect experienced by a teacher as a result of negative perceptions of the classroom environment. Transactional theories (Lazarus

Transactional models of stress suggest that elementary teachers who appraise classroom demands as higher than classroom resources are more vulnerable to stress and likely to experience vocational concerns. Previous research using the Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD), a measure designed to assess teacher perceptions of classroom demands and resources, has supported transactional models with local samples. The current study replicated this previous research with two waves of large nationally representative data from the Schools and Staffing Survey (1999-2000 and 2007-2008). Theoretically-predicted differences were found, suggesting that an understanding of individual elementary teachers’ perceptions of demands and resources in the classroom could have important implications for policy and research aimed at addressing teachers’ vocational concerns.

No abstract

No abstract

No abstract