TEACHERS’ SOURCES OF STRESS AND THEIR COPING STRATEGIES DURING THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC

Abstract

The article presents the results of research performed during the COVID-19 pandemic on a group of 56 primary school teachers from the Wielkopolska province in Poland who conducted online classes (between April 1 and June 15, 2021). The aim of the study was to identify the sources of stress and the respondents’ ways of coping with it. The subjects were tested with standardised psychometric tools: the Sense of Stress Questionnaire (KPS) by Mieczysław Plopa and Ryszard Makarowski, and the Stress Management Questionnaire (CISS) by Norman S. Endler and James D. A. Parker. A custom questionnaire was also used to collect data on organisational problems faced by the respondents due to remote work, as well as to deepen the analysis. The collected research results indicate a relationship between the respondents’ sources of stress and their coping strategies. It has been proved that the teachers’ predominant way of coping with stress is focusing on the task. Moreover, the vast majority of respondents claim that their main source of stress is the inconvenience of switching to a remote work system. The results demonstrate the ability to face situations that are subjectively considered difficult. Moreover, they point towards remote work as one of the important sources of stress for teachers.