Changes in teacher stress through participation in pre‐referral intervention teams

Abstract

Teachers today face high stress that can compromise their well-being, longevity in the profession, and the quality of their interactions with students. Pre-referral interventions, which address individual student difÞculties before consideration for special education, may help buffer teacher stress through student interventions and team support. Yet, little is known about how teacher stress changes across pre-referral interventions. This study followed 33 elementary education teachers prospectively through their participation in a pre-referral intervention team (PIT) program. Hierarchical linear modeling indicated that, across the pre-referral process, teachers felt less distress related to referred students' needs, termed "dyadic stress." Teachers' dyadic stress was partially accounted for by student progress on referral concerns. Teachers' experience of PIT support was also linked to reductions in stress and lower dyadic stress after pre-referral interventions were implemented. The Þndings have implications for how school practitioners consult with teachers. C 2009 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.

Teacher stress interventions: A systematic review

“…Overall, behavioral stress reduction appears to be a promising component of stress treatment. In this category, purely behavioral approaches ranged from involvement in pre‐referral teams in a school (Lhospital & Gregory, ) to involvement in teacher consultation dyads (Kaspereen, ) to involvement in relaxation training (Kaspereen, ) or journaling (Chan, ). Two studies evaluated BIs that were rooted in practices already present in a school setting.…”

“…Both studies suggest that involvement in school‐based approaches reduces stress. Lhospital and Gregory () examined 33 teachers’ involvement in prereferral intervention teams. From the first time‐point until the third, student‐teacher stress reduced steadily, with an effect size of d = 0.66 from time one until time three.…”

Personality Traits as Predictors of Stress among female Teachers in Osun State Teaching Service

“…As observed by Lhospital and Gregory (2009), teachers today face high stress that can compromise their well-being, longevity in the profession, and the quality of their interactions with students. Consequently, many teachers have been leaving their profession in increasing numbers.…”

Handbook of Research on Professional Development for Quality Teaching and Learning

“…Applying a holistic professional development approach to teachers' stress management and resilience will have a dramatic impact: the reduction of teacher burnout, and consequent improvements in teaching quality and effectiveness, as well as teacher retention. Drawing on existing research, this section classifies and synthesizes various professional development approaches: stress management training programs (Harris, 2011), mentoring (Paris, 2013), coaching (Nishimura, 2014), action research (Hartney, 2007), effective administrative support (Cancio, et al, 2013;Hamama, Ronen, Shachar, & Rosenbaum, 2013), collaborative problem solving (Schaubman, Stetson, & Plog, 2011), team work (Lhospital & Gregory, 2009), and school-wide approaches that address stress management for teachers (Ross & Horner, 2007;Collie, Shapka, & Perry, 2012). The solutions proposed here will also include strategies that teachers can deploy informally to enhance their resilience (Howard & Johnson, 2004;Quinn, 2011).…”