Teaching Anxiety Research Articles

A Study on the Improvement of Mental Health Status of Teachers’ Occupational Stress and Chronic Anxiety under Aerobic Exercise Alternative Activities

The purpose of this study is to observe the occupational stress and chronic anxiety of college teachers and to carry out alternate activities of aerobic exercise to improve their mental health, the participants are 214 teachers from three universities in Yunnan Province, China. The results show that before the experiment, the overall situation of college teachers’ occupational stress and chronic anxiety is at a high level, while after the experiment, the occupational stress and chronic anxiety of college teachers are significantly relieved. In terms of gender, male teachers have higher occupational stress and chronic anxiety than female teachers before the experiment, and both have a good alleviating effect after the experiment. In terms of length of teaching, teachers with teaching experience of 1–5 years before the experiment have the highest levels of occupational stress and chronic anxiety, followed by teachers with 6–10 years, and finally teachers with more than 10 years. After the experiment, the occupational stress and chronic anxiety of teachers in the three length of teaching groups are significantly reduced to the medium level. In terms of professional titles, the teachers with the titles of teaching assistant and lecturer before the experiment have higher occupational stress and chronic anxiety than those with the titles of associate professor and professor. After the experiment, both of them are significantly reduced to the medium level. Therefore, the impact of aerobic exercise alternate activities on college teachers has a positive improvement effect, which can effectively promote the mental health of college teachers and alleviate the negative situation at work.

The effect of relaxation education intervention on stress, anxiety, and depression in female teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The high levels of job stress, anxiety, and depression among teachers, which affect their job and quality of life, necessitate using methods to cope with these issues. The present study aimed to determine the effect of relaxation education intervention on stress, anxiety, and depression in female teachers in 2020. This research is semi-experimental. Herein, 100 female teachers were studied. Data collection was performed using the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale-42 items (DASS-42) questionnaire that was completed three times by the teachers: before the intervention, 10 days after the intervention, and 1 month following it. Relaxation education intervention was conducted online and offline based on the bioenergy economy model and by doing psychosomatic exercises. The data obtained from the questionnaire were analyzed by the independent t-test, paired t-test, and R. M. analysis of variance (ANOVA). Before the intervention, there was no significant difference between the intervention and control groups in terms of stress (P = 0.385), anxiety (P = 0.168), and depression (P = 0.554) scores. The mean scores of stress, anxiety, and depression decreased significantly in the intervention group 10 days after the intervention; however, there was no significant change in the control group. The reduction in depression, stress, and anxiety remained constant in the intervention group during the 1-month follow-up. The results indicated that among the relaxation exercises, diaphragmatic breathing and meditation techniques were performed by the teachers for a longer period than other techniques. Results obtained suggested teaching short-term relaxation techniques as highly recommended to all school teachers. These techniques include diaphragmatic breathing and meditation. They can reduce their stress, anxiety, and depression, improve their mental health, and empower them to control their tensions and negative emotions.

Student Teachers Practicum Anxiety during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The pandemic has brought different levels of anxiety to students and teachers alike. This paper looks into the levels of anxiety experienced by the Partido State University’s (ParSU) Practice Teachers (PT’s) during their practice teaching for the academic year 2021-2022 along the various practice teaching activities as well as analyze how the students are able to overcome those anxieties. Using the researcher-modified five-point Likert Student Anxiety Scale (STAS) to identify the levels of anxiety experienced by the PT’s, two sample T-Test to compare the anxiety experienced by the PT’s by gender, grade placement and course, and logistic regression analysis to see the effects of the PT’s gender, grade placement, age and course on their anxiety, the researchers found that the PT’s experience high levels of anxiety in lesson preparation, technology, cooperating teacher and subject/subject matter. The researchers also found that while there is no significant differences in the levels of anxiety experienced by the PT’s, but their grade placement affects their anxiety in demonstration teaching and technology while their age affects their anxieties in demonstration teaching, managing virtual classroom and subject/subject matter. In overcoming those anxieties, the themes which emerged include time management to study the subject matter and prepare for demonstration teaching, exploring the features of the LMS for timely returning and checking of student outputs as well as communicating their concerns to their cooperating teacher. To reduce the anxiety of the practice teachers, especially that practice teaching is done virtually in the new normal, the researchers developed a mental health program for practice teachers experiencing practice teaching anxiety.

The Effect of Pre-service Teachers' Readiness for Online Learning on their Social Anxiety in E-Learning Environments

The purpose of this research is to examine the effect of pre-service teachers' readiness for online learning on their social anxiety in e-learning environments. For this purpose, opinions of 409 students who continue their pedagogical formation education at a university in Turkey were taken, the answers of 369 students were included in the research, and the data of 341 students with standardized scores were analyzed. In the study, readiness for online learning was considered as the independent variable and social anxiety of the pre-service teachers in e-learning environments as the dependent variable, and the data of the dependent and independent variables were obtained from the Online Learning Readiness Scale and the Social Anxiety Scale for E-Learning Environments. In the findings section, correlation analysis was made between the online learning readiness and social anxiety variables in e-learning environments, and then simple linear regression modeling was applied to determine how much the online learning readiness variable had on social anxiety in e-learning environments. As a result of the correlation analysis, a moderate negative significant relationship was found between readiness for online learning and social anxiety in e-learning environments. In addition, with the regression analysis, it was revealed that as the readiness for online learning increased, social anxiety decreased in e-learning environments. As a result, various suggestions were made to other researchers in line with these findings.

Anxiety and Self-Efficacy in STEM Education: A Scoping Review

With the increasing inclusion of STEM activities across the K–12 curriculum, it is vital for educators to understand barriers and resistance to learning each of the elements of STEM: Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. Anxiety and self-efficacy for students and teachers have been identified as causes of STEM avoidance, however this research is not distributed evenly across the elements. Therefore, this study documents potential causes for anxiety of each element, followed by a scoping review for each element of STEM-focused teacher anxiety, one of the major causes of STEM anxiety. The scoping review was guided by PRISMA standards and completed twice: once in ERIC and once in Scopus, with results demonstrating 94%–100% inter-rater reliability. It was found that causes of anxiety differ between the elements, and the scoping review revealed: (1) research on engineering anxiety and i-STEM or integrated STEM is lacking in comparison to the other elements, (2) the term ‘anxiety’ is more established in reference to math than to the other elements, (3) technology appears in research as a tool more often than an area of research, and (4) the timeline of publication dates varies between the elements of STEM. These differences point to the need for more research in the underrepresented elements to develop intervention methods for teachers in order to reduce student attrition rates in STEM education.

Physical Activity Might be the Protective Factor for Psychopathological Symptoms of Polish Female Teachers

The paper aimed to analyse the level of depression, anxiety and stress of female teachers and determine its association with the subjects’ psychosocial, sociodemographic, and lifestyle characteristics. A survey based on Depression Anxiety Stress Scale and International Physical Activity Questionnaire was carried out. Among teachers, 27.3% reported moderate or higher overall levels of negative emotional symptoms. Teachers with low physical activity level (PAL) were likelier to report higher levels of depression, anxiety, and stress than those with moderate or high PAL. The study indicates the importance of PA interventions for maintaining mental health in this group.

The Influence of Teaching Practicum on Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Among Pre-Service EFL Teachers

Most previous studies focused on foreign language learning anxiety, whereas relatively few have ever examined the foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA), particularly experienced by pre-service EFL (English as a Foreign Language) teachers. By administering the “Foreign Language Teaching Anxiety Scale” (FLTAS) and a semi-structured interview, the current study examined whether the EFL teaching practicum had an influence on FLTA by comparing the differences of FLTA between pre-service EFL teachers who had 4 months of practicum experience and those without the practicum, and explored the potential factors contributing to FLTA. Results of descriptive analyses showed that overall the pre-service teachers had a relatively high level of FLTA. Results of independent sample t-test analyses indicated that the practicum group had significantly higher FLTA compared to the non-practicum group. Furthermore, within the two groups, female teachers consistently showed higher FLTA than the male teachers. Results of the interview content analyses revealed that anxiety-provoking factors primarily originated from fear of negative evaluation, low self-perception of language proficiency, and teaching inexperience. The findings of the current study provide insights of anxiety research in EFL context and implications for teachers to better reduce anxiety in English teaching practice.

Language Teaching Anxiety and Personal Intelligences: Pre-service versus In-service EFL Teachers

Language Teaching Anxiety and Personal Intelligences: Pre-service versus In-service EFL Teachers

초등예비교사의 외국어 학습 즐거움, 불안감, 그리고 교수 불안감

This study explores three emotional variables in terms of how they relate to each other: foreign language enjoyment (FLE), foreign language anxiety (FLA), and foreign language teaching anxiety (FLTA). One hundred and thirty-four preservice elementary school teachers participated in this survey study. Data were collected from their responses to a 52-item questionnaire including 10 items designed to measure FLE, 8 items to measure FLA, and 18 items to measure FLTA. Five FLTA items found to trigger relatively high anxiety were making errors while speaking, teaching speaking, correcting learner errors, answering grammatical questions of which they are unsure, teaching fluent learners. As expected, FLE was negatively correlated with FLA and FLTA, and FLA was positively correlated with FLTA. Overall results on the role of gender, albeit statistically nonsignificant, lend support to previous research findings at least in terms of the trend of female learners outscoring male learners in both anxiety and enjoyment. With respect to the participants’ minor (English vs. non-English), English-minor students scored statistically significantly higher in FLE and (almost) statistically significantly lower in FLA and FLTA than did their non-English-minor counterparts. When their self-rated proficiency was statistically controlled for, previously-observed nontrivial between-groups differences in FLA and FLTA dissipated. However, statistical significance in FLE remained unchanged. Other findings and relevant issues are also discussed.

The Effects of Dysfunctional Workplace Behavior on Teacher Emotional Exhaustion: A Moderated Mediation Model of Perceived Social Support and Anxiety.

Dysfunctional workplace behavior (DWB) is a prevalent phenomenon in schools, which has adverse consequences for teachers and students. In addition to the known negative implications, little is known about the mechanism through which DWB functions. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of DWB on teacher emotional exhaustion (EE) and understand whether perceived social support (PSS) moderates the mediating effect that anxiety has on the relationship between DWB and EE. A battery of measurement tools was administered to 249 English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers in Iran. Moderated mediation regressions were used to analyze survey data. Results indicated that anxiety mediated the relationship between DWB and EE. Additionally, it was found that PSS moderated the direct relationship between DWB and anxiety; and the indirect relationship between DWB and EE. DWB was more strongly associated with an increased incidence of anxiety and EE in teachers with low levels of PSS. Results highlight the need to understand the intervening factors and sources of EE to actively identify, assess, and control teachers' behavioral and mental health risk factors. Given the significant role of emotions in teacher well-being, it is imperative to develop effective interventions (e.g., promoting PSS and positive workplace behaviors) in order to optimize teachers' emotional and behavioral health.

Persepsi Orang Tua dan Guru dalam Penggunaan Kalimat Persuasif pada Siswa SD

The background of this research is the anxiety of parents and teachers regarding the students' motivation and interest in learning which has decreased after the pandemic. This study aims to explore how the use of persuasive sentences can affect students in elementary schools. This study specifically focuses on identifying the views of parents and teachers in using persuasive sentences to increase students' interest in learning and create a conducive learning atmosphere. This study used a case study research design with the data collection using a qualitative approach by conducting interviews. The Data was collected in 2022 from 34 participants who were parents and teachers of elementary school students with 33 participants from the Bogor area and one person from the DKI Jakarta area. The results of data collection and analysis were made into several themes. The results showed that parents and teachers agreed that the use of persuasive sentences could increase interest in learning and change students' learning atmosphere. Good behavior changes are shown by students after parents and teachers use persuasive sentences. The atmosphere and interest in student learning can be changed with a sentence spoken by the teacher or the student's parents.

Developing Context-Based Teaching Competencies of Chemistry Teachers: Designing and Implementing Context-Based Activities

Context-based teaching is the use of contexts as a starting point for the development of scientific ideas in learning environments. Teachers can use this teaching approach to increase students' motivation and willingness to learn science. The focus of this research was to develop context-based teaching competencies of teachers. With this in mind, this research aimed to determine the effects of feedback on the development of teachers' context-based teaching competency and the factors affecting the teaching process. In the study, collective case study design was employed. The study was carried out with two chemistry teachers who participated in the In-Service Training Course on Context-Based Chemistry Teaching conducted by the researcher. The data of the research were collected through field notes, semi-structured interview, follow up interviews and video recordings. As a result of the research, it was determined that the feedback had a positive effect on the development of chemistry teachers' context-based teaching competency. It was revealed that teacher anxiety, professional knowledge, difficulty in designing materials and lack of interest of students affected the teaching process.

Analysis of English Learning Anxiety of English Pre-service Teacher Education Students in Mainland China

This study aims to investigate the anxiety of preservice English EFL teachers in a normal Chinese university. This article identifies and analyzes the various types of anxiety students experience in their typical classroom experiences. We used a survey research design with the FLCAS questionnaire in this study, along with the FLCAS questionnaire, to conduct this research. 74 preservice English teachers participated. The results showed that communication apprehension represented the highest anxiety among the three categories. As preservice English teachers, participants had less test anxiety. Further research on how their anxiety in teachers' preparation programs affects their subsequent teaching performance at schools would be helpful. This is based on the study participants' perceptions of classroom anxiety as a preservice English teacher.

Analysis of English Learning Anxiety of English Pre-service Teacher Education Students in Mainland China

This study aims to investigate the anxiety of preservice English EFL teachers in a normal Chinese university. This article identifies and analyzes the various types of anxiety students experience in their typical classroom experiences. We used a survey research design with the FLCAS questionnaire in this study, along with the FLCAS questionnaire, to conduct this research. 74 preservice English teachers participated. The results showed that communication apprehension represented the highest anxiety among the three categories. As preservice English teachers, participants had less test anxiety. Further research on how their anxiety in teachers' preparation programs affects their subsequent teaching performance at schools would be helpful. This is based on the study participants' perceptions of classroom anxiety as a preservice English teacher.

The Mediating Effects of Social Comparison on Faculty Burnout, Teaching Anxiety, and Satisfaction Among Faculty Who Taught During the COVID-19 Pandemic

The Mediating Effects of Social Comparison on Faculty Burnout, Teaching Anxiety, and Satisfaction Among Faculty Who Taught During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“Physical and Psychological Isolation is Like a Barrier”: An Analysis Based on a Covid English Development Project

Loneliness and anxiety are one of the well-researched concepts in education. Some educationalists recognise the loneliness and anxiety of students as important issues to consider (Pekrun, 2006; Hawkley & Cacioppo, 2010; Odacı & Kalkan, 2010). Admittedly, with the Covid-19 pandemic and the development of technology, language classrooms present unprecedented loneliness and anxiety, and potential changes in teaching formats, contents and pedagogy. In response to the negative emotional factor that students could encounter in Covid-19, the article, firstly, takes the context of an online course Development Project (DP) in the UK as an entry point. This is followed by introducing and explaining the teachers' measures to cope with loneliness and anxiety based on the DP, examples include discussion boards, images, FLCAS etc. Finally, an attempt will be made to criticize and analyse some points that the researchers did not consider such as the nature of the course itself and teacher anxiety. To sum up, this article may help to think richly about students' anxiety and loneliness in Covid-19 and relief about them.

An Online Laboratory School research on pre-service mathematics teachers' experiences and mathematics teaching anxiety.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, we founded an Online Laboratory School (OLS) under the roof of a university in Turkey to support students from public schools that were not technologically prepared for an online education and to provide an opportunity for our pre-service teachers (PSTs) to continue their internship by teaching online. The purpose of this research, consisting of two studies, was to examine experiences of 43 PSTs (first-, third- and fourth-years) during the OLS period of 8 weeks and how the OLS affected their mathematics teaching anxiety during Fall 2020. In the first study, we administered a survey to inquire into PSTs' views on their experiences at the OLS, and in the second study we examined their mathematics teaching anxiety before and after the OLS experience using another survey. One main result was that the OLS experience served as an effective introduction to the profession for first-year PSTs and fourth- and third-year PSTs reported learning in-depth about online teaching in terms of the planning, teaching, and reflecting cycle. Another main result was that PSTs had mathematics teaching anxiety from "a little" to "a moderate amount" before the OLS and their teaching anxiety did not significantly change during the OLS period of 8 weeks. PSTs experienced highest mathematics teaching anxiety when they were observed and evaluated by supervisors during their teaching. The implications of these findings are discussed for teacher education programs.

Primary teachers and students’ anxiety toward online instruction during COVID-19 pandemic

The study explored primary teachers and students’ anxiety toward online instruction during COVID-19 pandemic, the factors affecting anxiety related to online instruction of students and teachers in primary school. This research study was designed to collect data from primary teachers and students on the factors that affect anxiety in online teaching. The informants were 127 students and 11 teachers based on the purpose of the research. Questionnaire concerning general student data, such as gender, grade level, online study equipment, and online learning channels. Factors influencing anxiety in online education in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic, with 23 items for students and 25 items for teachers. Data is collected by online inquiries with students and teachers According to the findings, the general degree of factors influencing anxiety from online instruction in primary school is at moderate level. Physical and mental elements, evaluation and course content are the categories of factors that have the most impact on students’ anxiety toward online learning. Meanwhile, the factors that have the greatest impact on students’ anxiety toward online learning are concerning about their grades and courses are extremely recorded. Students believe that online learning is more challenging than traditional classroom. At the same time, teachers are worried about online assessment, concerns about students who are unable to attend online sessions. Teachers who only use computers to teach online have less anxiety than teachers who use computers, tablets, and mobile phones.

The Role of Organizational Cynicism and Covid-19 Anxiety in Predictions of School Counselors and Teachers’ Technostress

The COVID -19 pandemic provides a unique context for examining technostress among teachers and school counselors. This study examined teacher and school counselor technostress and the effects of COVID -19anxiety and organizational cynicism on technostress. The sample consisted of 276 teachers (x̄= 32.63) and 119 school counselors (x̄= 30.12). Results showed that after controlling for teacher gender, COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism were important variance factors for teachers' technostress. Among school counselors, organizational cynicism accounted for important variance in technostress. Specifically, higher COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism were associated with higher technostress in the teacher group during COVID -19. COVID -19 Anxiousness influenced technostress differently in teachers and school counselors. Results show a positive correlation between teacher and school counselor technostress, COVID -19 anxiety, and organizational cynicism. The results suggest a predictive relationship between COVID -19 anxiety and organizational cynicism in teachers, organizational cynicism in school counselors, and technostress.

예비유아교사가 지각한 부모양육태도와 거부민감성의 관계에서 사회불안의 매개효과

The purpose of this study is to examine the effects of perceived parenting attitudes with regards to rejection sensitivity towards pre-service early childhood teachers and to investigate whether social anxiety mediates the effect of said perceived parenting attitudes concerning rejection sensitivity. For this purpose, 254 questionnaires were utilized to conduct analysis on the pre-service early childhood teachers enrolled in the departments of early childhood education and childcare at community colleges located in Seoul, Gyeonggi-do, and Incheon using 254 questionnaires. The results of this study are as follows. First, it was found that among the parenting attitudes perceived by the pre-service early childhood teachers, affectionate parenting attitude, rejective parenting attitude, and overprotective parenting attitude, all affect rejection sensitivity. Second, as a result of examining the mediating effects of social anxiety over the effects of the parenting attitudes perceived by the pre-service early childhood teachers on rejection sensitivity, it was found that social anxiety completely mediates the effect of the affectionate parenting attitude in regards to rejection sensitivity among the three parenting attitudes. From these research results, it can be seen that the negative parenting attitude of parents increases the social anxiety of their children, and the increased social anxiety increases rejection sensitivity. Through this, it was found that the importance of parenting attitudes and social anxiety are major variables that can lower rejection sensitivity of the pre-service early childhood teachers. Therefore, it is possible to lower both the social anxiety and rejection sensitivity of children by parents raising their children with desirable attitudes, and to lower rejection sensitivity by lowering the social anxiety of the pre-service early childhood teachers, so that the early childhood pre-service teachers can support them to establish a smooth relationship with infants.