Influence of Occupational Stressors, Self‑efficacy, and Emotional Support on Consciousness of Leave of Absence and Resignation of School Teachers
著者 草海 由香里
出版者 法政大学大学院
journal or
publication title
大学院紀要 = Bulletin of graduate studies
volume 81
page range 65‑71
year 2018‑10‑31
URL http://doi.org/10.15002/00021342
Influence of Occupational Stressors, Self-efficacy, and Emotional Support on Consciousness of Leave
of Absence and Resignation of School Teachers
人文科学研究科 心理学専攻 博士後期課程2年 草海 由香里
Abstract
The present study aims to clarify the influence of occupational stressors, self-efficacy, and emotional support on the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of school teachers. The author carried out an inventory survey on 455 public elementary and junior high school teachers, which contained questions to measure the following four variables： 1) consciousness of leave of absence and resignation；2) teachers’ stressors；3) teachers’
efficacy； and 4) emotional support. For the collected data, the author performed correlation analyses to clarify the relationships between the variables. The results showed the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of school teachers are strongly related to various types of stressors. In addition, it was showed that teachers’
efficacy and the emotional support they receive might weaken teacher’s stressors and their consciousness of leave of absence and resignation, and that the efficacy might be strengthened by emotional support.
Key words：school teachers，leave of absence，resignation，stress，mental health
I. Introduction
Currently, it becomes serious that the number of public school teachers who takes a leave due to mental illness is increasing. Teachers take leaves of absence for various reasons, but the number who do so because of mental problems has remained steady at around 5000 per year since 2007.
So far, studies on teachers’ mental health have mainly focused on burnout and stress. For example, Verešová & Malá (2012) examined the relationship between stress, proactive coping, and self-efficacy among teachers. In this study, they recognized a significant positive correlation between proactive coping and self-efficacy (r ＝.40), a significant negative correlation between proactive coping and stress experience (r ＝－.29), a significant negative correlation between proactive coping and cognitive level of stress (r ＝－.28)，and a significant negative correlation between self-efficacy and stress experience (r ＝－.26). According to Gogajeh，Gogajeh, and Geshlaghi (2014), teachers’ mental health is dependent on job stress, satisfaction, and burnout.
Their results showed a significant positive correlation between job satisfaction and mental health (r ＝.93), but showed significant negative correlations between job stress and mental
health (r ＝－.87) and job burnout and mental health (r ＝－.85). These results indicate that teachers’ mental health is strongly related to job satisfaction, stress, and burnout. Bianchi, Schonfeld, Mayor, and Laurent (2016) examined the overlap of teachers’ burnout with depression. Their results showed a strong correlation between burnout and depressive symptoms (r ＝.73).
These results support the idea that various kinds of stress increase burnout, and that the burnout, in turn, worsens mental health and/or strengthens depressive feelings. With other aspects，the coping and self-efficacy would lower the stressors or improve the mental health of teachers. However, no studies have examined the variables relevant to the consciousness of leave of absence or resignation of teachers. The present study aims to clarify the relationships between teachers’ consciousness of leave of absence and resignation, teachers’ stressors, teachers’ self-efficacy, and the emotional support they receive.
II. Methods Participants
The participants in this study were 455 public elementary and junior high school teachers.
Ultimately, the responses of 340 teachers (224 elementary school teachers and 116 junior high school teachers) were analyzed.
Material
The questionnaire consisted of the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of teachers scale by Kusagai (2014), Teachers’ Stressors Scale by Shimizu (2012), Teachers’ Efficacy Scale by Matsuo and Shimizu (2007), and Emotional Support Scale by Komaki (1994)．Each question was answered on a five-point scale.
Procedure
The author mailed the questionnaire to the representative of each school, who then distributed copies to the participants. The representative collected the completed questionnaires and sent them back to the author.
III. Results and Discussion
Variables related to the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of teachers
Correlation analyses were conducted to clarify the relationships between the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation，teachers’ stressors，teachers’ efficacy, and emotional support.
Table 1 shows a significant positive correlation between the scores of the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation and guardian stressors (r ＝.43, p＜.01). Weak significant positive correlations were recognized between the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation and the following: toward-teachers stressors (r ＝.34, p＜.01), superior stressors (r ＝.31, p＜.01), colleague stressors (r ＝.34, p＜.01), student guidance stressors (r ＝.31, p＜.01), and school affairs stressors (r ＝.36, p＜.01)．In addition, weak significant negative correlations were recognized between the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation and the following:
understanding-reliability efficacy (r ＝－.29, p＜.01)，student understanding efficacy (r ＝－.33, p＜.01)，student guidance efficacy (r ＝－.24, p＜.01), and superior support (r ＝－.20, p＜.01).
Understanding-reliability efficacy means the feeling of teachers to be understand by colleagues
or guardians and to be trusted by them.
Some causal relations can be inferred from the above results. When teachers begin feeling the need to take a leave of absence or resign, it could be because guardians, superiors, colleagues, student guidance, behavior or attitudes of students, or other school affairs are causing them stress. On the other end of the spectrum, a demonstration of understanding and acknowledgment of their reliability from a colleague or guardian, teachers’ efficacy of student understanding and guidance, and emotional support from superiors would lower the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of teachers. Concerning the relationships of burnout and stress with teachers’ stressors and efficacy, the present study confirmed the results of Matsui and Noguchi’s (2006) study, but concerning the relationships of burnout and stress with emotional support, only superior support was related to them. Taniguchi and Tanaka (2011) showed that support from colleagues as well as superiors reduces teachers’ burnout. The present study revealed that support from a superior who is well aware of the situation in the workplace is important to reduce consciousness of leave of absence and resignation.
Variables related to teachers’ stressors
First of all，significant positive correlations were observed between toward-teachers stressors, which means the stressors by behaviors or attitudes of students to the teachers and the following : guardian stressors (r ＝.57, p＜.01) and student guidance stressors (r ＝.62, p＜.01).
In addition, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between toward-teachers stressors and the following: superior stressors (r＝.22, p＜.01) and colleague stressors (r ＝.28, p
＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to the students’ behaviors or attitudes, the possibility might increase that they also feel stress for the guardian，superior，colleagues and in guiding their students．
Secondly, significant positive correlations were observed between superior stressors and the following: guardian stressors (r ＝.47, p＜.01) and colleague stressors (r ＝.67, p＜.01). In addition, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between superior stressors and school affairs stressors (r ＝.28, p＜.01). Significant negative correlations were observed between superior stressors and superior support (r ＝－.54, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to the superior, the possibility might increase that they also feel stress for the guardian, the colleagues, and the school affairs. However, teachers’ stresses to the superior might be reduced if they recognize to be supported by the superior.
Thirdly, significant positive correlations were observed between guardian stressors and the following: colleague stressors (r ＝.46, p＜.01) and student guidance stressors (r ＝.54, p＜.01).
In addition, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between guardian stressors and school affairs stressors (r ＝.39, p＜.01). Significant but weak negative correlations were observed between guardian stressors and the following: student guidance efficacy (r ＝－.21, p
＜.01) and superior support (r ＝－.24, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to the guardian, the possibility might increase that they also feel stress for the colleague, student guidance, and school affairs. However, teachers’ stresses to the guardian might be reduced if they recognize to be efficacy of student guidance, and supported by the superior.
Fourthly, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between colleague stressors and the following: student guidance stressors (r ＝.30, p＜.01) and school affairs stressors (r ＝.21, p＜.01). Significant but weak negative correlations were observed between
colleague stressors and the following: colleague support (r ＝－.37, p＜.01) and superior support (r ＝－.35, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to the colleague, the possibility might increase that they also feel stress for student guidance and school affairs. On the other hand, teachers’ stresses to the colleague might be reduced if they recognize to be supported by the colleague and the superior.
Fifthly, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between student guidance stressors and school affairs stressors (r ＝.22, p＜.01). Significant but weak negative correlations were observed between student guidance stressors and student understanding efficacy (r ＝－.21, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to student guidance, the possibility might increase that they also feel stress for school affairs. On the other hand, teachers’ stresses to student guidance might be reduced if they recognize to teachers’
efficacy of student understanding.
These results indicate that teachers are exposed to various kinds of stress. In particular, when teachers have unpleasant feeling to their students, the possibility might strengthen the stresses to the guardian，the colleague, and the superior. Akaoka and Taniguchi (2009) point out that colleague-related stress originates from differing opinions on teaching policy or guardian correspondence among people who are connected by various occupational interpersonal relationships. This point would support the idea that teachers are easily exposed to interpersonal stress. However, the results of the present study suggest that teachers’ levels of stress may be reduced through self-efficacy and support from colleagues and superiors.
Variables related to teachers’ efficacy
Significant positive correlations were observed between understanding-reliability efficacy and the following: student understanding efficacy (r ＝.59, p＜.01) and student guidance efficacy (r ＝.58, p＜.01). In addition, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between understanding-reliability efficacy and the following: friend support (r ＝.21, p＜.01), family support (r ＝.20, p＜.01), and colleague support (r ＝.29, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have feeling to be able to understand by colleagues or guardians and to be trusted by them, teachers would have efficacy of handling student understanding and teaching policy. In addition, the feeling might be strongly related to the feeling that they are supported by friends, family, and colleagues.
A significant positive correlation was observed between student understanding efficacy and student guidance efficacy (r ＝.60, p＜.01). In addition, significant but weak positive correlations were observed between student understanding efficacy and the following: friend support (r ＝.21,p＜.01) and colleague support (r ＝.22, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have feeling to be able to understand their students, the possibility might increase efficacy of guiding students. In addition, the feeling might also be related to the feeling that they are supported by friends, and colleagues.
Teachers’ self-efficacy is related to the feeling that they are emotionally supported by friends, family, and colleagues.
Variables related to emotional support
First, significant positive correlations were observed between friend support and the following: family support (r ＝.47, p＜.01) and colleague support (r ＝.49, p＜.01). In addition, a
significant but weak positive correlation was observed between friend support and superior support (r ＝.28, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have support from friends might lead a teacher to think that that he/she is also supported by family, colleagues, and superiors.
Second, a significant positive correlation was observed between family support and colleague support (r ＝.43, p＜.01). In addition, a significant but weak positive correlation was observed between family support and superior support (r ＝.36, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have support from family might lead a teacher to think that he/she is also supported by colleagues and superiors.
Third, a significant positive correlation was observed between colleague support and superior support (r ＝.64, p＜.01). Therefore, when teachers have support from colleagues might lead a teacher to think that he/she is supported by superiors as well.
These results indicate that teachers receive support from various quarters.
Conclusions
The results of this study revealed that the consciousness of leave of absence and resignation of school teachers are strongly related to various types of stressors. In addition, the present study made it clear that teachers’ efficacy and the emotional support they receive might weaken teachers’ stressors and their consciousness of leave of absence and resignation, and that the efficacy might be strengthened by emotional support. We can conclude that with the right support, teachers in stressful environments would be able to continue their work in a healthy manner.
Acknowledgment
In writing this paper, Professor Hirokazu Yoshimura of Hosei University gave me polite and enthusiastic guidance. I express my gratitude here.
References
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Table. 1The influence of the occupational stressors, the self-efficacy, and the emotional support to the consciousness of leave of absence and the resignation
