Teacher stress linked with higher risk of student suspensions
Study examines impact of teacher burnout on student behavior, discipline issues

Date:
September 15, 2020
Source:
University of Missouri-Columbia
Summary:
Just how stressed are teachers? A recent Gallup poll found teachers
are tied with nurses for the most stressful occupation in America
today.

Unfortunately, that stress can have a trickle-down effect on
their students, leading to disruptive behavior that results in
student suspensions.



FULL STORY ==========================================================================
Just how stressed are teachers? A recent Gallup poll found teachers
are tied with nurses for the most stressful occupation in America
today. Unfortunately, that stress can have a trickle-down effect on
their students, leading to disruptive behavior that results in student suspensions.


==========================================================================
One of those overburdened teachers is Jennifer Lloyd, a high school
English teacher in Maryland and a graduate student at the University of Missouri. She has noticed how perceptive her students are to her mood
and their ability to feed off of her energy, for better or worse.

"If I come into class from a rough meeting or a stressful morning and I
bring those feelings into the classroom environment, the kids notice,"
Lloyd said.

"Sometimes they will give that negative energy right back to me, and we
all end up having a bad day." To examine the impact of teacher burnout
on student behavior outcomes, Lloyd's sister, Colleen Eddy, a doctoral
student in the MU College of Education, and her colleagues with the
Missouri Prevention Science Institute, conducted teacher surveys and
classroom observations in nine Missouri elementary schools.

They found when teachers are highly stressed and emotionally exhausted, students in their classrooms are at a higher risk of being suspended or disciplined by school administrators.

"Removing students from the classroom environment as a form of punishment
can be really harmful, as research has shown it not only reduces student achievement but also increases the risk of dropout," Eddy said. "If we
want to make schools a positive place for student learning, we first need
to ensure it is a positive workplace for teachers. By giving teachers strategies to better manage disruptive student behavior, they will have
more time for instruction and building those positive relationships with students." Strategies for managing teacher stress include personal coping mechanisms, such as reflecting on things to be grateful for, as well as collaborating with school administrators to identify ways to reduce some
of the demands placed on overburdened and under supported teachers.

"Teachers have the potential to impact the lives of so many students
in their classrooms," Eddy said. "Therefore, supporting them with the
skills they need in classroom management and stress management is really important because it will have a positive impact on their students in
the long run." As the sister of a teacher, Eddy has seen firsthand
the influence Lloyd can have on her students and their long-term life trajectories.

"The students have told me that it is so helpful to know they have someone
who is in their corner and supporting them, and when students don't have
that, we have seen higher absence rates and lower assignment completion,"
Lloyd said.

"They don't want to be engaged if they feel like no one in the building
cares about them, so if they do feel cared for and supported in the
school environment, they are much more likely to remain in school and
be a part of the learning experience." Since nearly half of all new
teachers leave the profession within their first five years, creating a
support system to help manage teacher stress can reduce teacher burnout
and improve student outcomes.

"Our research is focused on identifying what we can shift in students' environments to improve their learning and behavioral outcomes,"
Eddy said.

"Teachers are so important and their influence on students is
immense. They are superstars and deserve all the support we can give
them."

========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by University_of_Missouri-Columbia. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Colleen Eddy et al. Does Teacher Emotional Exhaustion and Efficacy
Predict Student Discipline Sanctions? School Psychology Review,
2020 DOI: 10.1080/2372966X.2020.1733340 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2020/09/200915105929.htm

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