Teacher Stress and Classroom Management

Abstract

One of the most frequently cited factors contributing to teacher stress is classroom management. This chapter examines when and how classroom management is associated with teacher stress, and reviews best practices for reducing stress and increasing teacher well-being in the classroom. The primary theoretical lens for this chapter is Lazarus and Folkman’s (1984) transactional theory, which suggests that stress results when teachers appraise classroom management demands as exceeding their appraised resources for coping. Recent scholarship centering teacher wellness—described as the presence of positive psychological and work functioning (e.g., job satisfaction) amidst the absence of negative functioning (e.g., stress)—is also reviewed in the context of classroom management. In order to provide a foundation for the topics reviewed in this chapter, we will first present an integrative theoretical framework drawn from recent research on teacher stress. We then examine the teaching conditions and aspects of classroom management that are most likely to put teachers at risk for stress, followed by resources and practices that have the potential of lowering stress and increasing teacher well-being.