Mental Health of Teachers Who Have Teleworked Due to COVID-19

Abstract

The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on education included school closures and the implementation of virtual teaching and teleworking without the knowledge or resources needed to do so. This situation accentuated the inequality in accessing quality education and generated high rates of stress, anxiety, and general discomfort in teachers. This study aimed to explore the mental health of teachers who were forced to telework because of COVID-19, and to analyze the association with sociodemographic, teacher-related, and working conditions. The sample was 278 classroom teachers in Chile who teleworked more than 50% during the 2020 academic year. The participants were mostly women (82%) who entered the teaching profession at age 30 or younger (87%) and worked two or more unpaid overtime hours per day (67%). The dependent variable was mental health measured through the General Health Questionnaire (GHQ-12). The independent variables were sociodemographic, teacher-related, and work conditions. The internal structure of the mental health construct was evaluated using the Rasch model. Crude odds ratios (cORs) and adjusted odds ratios (aORs) were estimated using logistic regression models. A high rate of poor mental health was identified in teachers (58%). The variables associated with poor mental health were working in a private–subsidized school (aOR = 2.89; 95% CI: 1.16–7.22), working two or more unpaid overtime hours (aOR = 2.25; 95% CI: 1.11–4.59), and being absent due to sickness (aOR = 3.82; 95% CI: 1.53–9.58). These results provide evidence suggesting the need for actions to improve the working conditions of teachers who telework in order to improve their mental health, and thus have a positive impact on the entire educational community.

Teacher Mobility: What Is It, How Is It Measured and What Factors Determine It? A Scoping Review

“…This result means that teachers with more favorable socio-demographic characteristics and with greater cultural capital are more likely to work in schools with the same characteristics. Complementary, teachers with fewer cultural and social resources are more likely to work in public schools and more socioeconomically disadvantaged schools, where there are worse working conditions and higher rates of teacher mobility [ 249 ]. Thus, teacher mobility from more socioeconomically disadvantaged schools could create a vicious cycle.…”

Telework Experience of Pedagogues during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Strong Learning Seniors and Relaxed Leaders?

“…Success is dependent on the skills and independence of the participants in the education process, their knowledge level, education plans and programs, and the number of students in a group [41]. The effect of COVID-19 on education, virtual teaching, and telework has been significant; limited knowledge and resources have made remote learning a serious challenge [42]. Research reports note that due to their prior work experience, lecturers in universities grew accustomed to new technologies and teaching remotely more quickly than their counterparts in elementary and secondary education institutions [43].…”

“…New norms became entrenched, with educators working longer hours than before the pandemic and deemed to be available for students and leaders at almost any time of the day [47]. Despite this, mandatory telework has weakened the relationship between pedagogues and students [48]; the stress caused by remote teaching as well as the anxiety and general discomfort felt by teachers had a strong impact on the quality of knowledge transfer [42].…”

“…However, knowledge gained during the pandemic and new skills and abilities may have positive consequences in the future [47]. Scientists believe that virtual teaching will most likely be institutionalized or at least extended after the pandemic [42,45].…”

A Comparison of Linking Methods for Two Groups for the Two-Parameter Logistic Item Response Model in the Presence and Absence of Random Differential Item Functioning

“…The analysis of educational and psychological tests is an important field in the social sciences. The test items (i.e., tasks presented in these tests) are often modeled using item response theory (IRT; [1][2][3]; for applications, see, e.g., [4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14]) models. In this article, the two-parameter logistic (2PL; [15]) IRT model is investigated to compare two groups on test items.…”