Teacher and school stress profiles: A multilevel examination and associations with work-related outcomes

Abstract

We examined three common sources of teacher stress (workload, student behavior, expectation stress) to identify teacher and school profiles. Data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2018 were used (n = 3117 teachers from 255 Australian schools). Latent profile analysis (LPA) revealed five teacher profiles: Low-Burden (17%), Mixed-Burden-Workload (15%), Mixed-Burden-Behavior (19%), Average-Burden (41%), and High-Burden (18%). Multilevel LPA identified three school profiles: Lower Pressure Climate (Workload) (17%), Lower Pressure Climate (Behavior) (23%), and Higher Pressure Climate (59%). The profiles were associated differently with background characteristics and work-related outcomes (strain, occupational commitment). Findings provide directions for efforts to support teachers.