Abstract
Quality interventions addressing the important issue of teacher stress and burnout have shown promising outcomes for participating teachers in terms of decreased distress, improved well-being and increased commitment to their jobs. Less is known however about whether such interventions also benefit students. The present study investigated the downstream effects for a completer sample of 226 primary and high school students after their teachers (n = 17) completed one of two 8-week stress reduction interventions. The relationships between change in teacher self-reported distress and burnout after completing the interventions, and change in students' self-reported well-being, academic self-perceptions, and perceptions of classroom environment were explored. A secondary aim of this study was to assess whether changes in teachers' cognitive flexibility mediated the relationship between teacher and student self-report outcomes. Results of correlational and multi-level mediation analyses showed that changes to teachers' self-reported distress and burnout affected multiple facets of students' well-being and the academic environment. Specifically, reductions in teachers' self-reported distress and burnout were related to students' improved perceptions of their teachers' support in the classroom. Reductions in teachers' personal and work-related burnout correlated with greater increases of academic self-perception in students. Contrary to predictions, cognitive flexibility in teachers did not mediate the relationship between these student and teacher measures. These findings indicate important downstream benefits for students and highlight the broader value of stress-reduction and well-being programs for teachers.
Highlights
The teaching profession is associated with high stress (Skaalvik and Skaalvik, 2010; Fisher, 2011; Aloe et al, 2014; Chirico et al, 2020) and work burnout (Lawrence et al, 2019) which may lead to reduced job satisfaction (Wang et al, 2015) and a greater number of teachers leaving the workforce (Goddard et al, 2006; Chirico, 2017a)
Few studies have explored the downstream effects of high stress in teachers on student well-being; even fewer have explored the potential benefits for students when their teachers engage in stress-reduction programs, which was the primary aim of the present study
We explored the relationship between change in teacher perceived distress and burnout and students’ well-being, academic self-perceptions, and evaluation of classroom environment
Summary
The teaching profession is associated with high stress (Skaalvik and Skaalvik, 2010; Fisher, 2011; Aloe et al, 2014; Chirico et al, 2020) and work burnout (Lawrence et al, 2019) which may lead to reduced job satisfaction (Wang et al, 2015) and a greater number of teachers leaving the workforce (Goddard et al, 2006; Chirico, 2017a). The pandemic has highlighted the critical role that teachers play in meeting both the academic and non-academic needs of students with prolonged school closures adding to the burden on teachers to rapidly upskill their digital literacy and support the learning and well-being of students remotely (Hoffman and Miller, 2020; Lucas et al, 2020). This disruptive era in schooling has added to the stress and burden on teachers. Few studies have explored the downstream effects of high stress in teachers on student well-being; even fewer have explored the potential benefits for students when their teachers engage in stress-reduction programs, which was the primary aim of the present study
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