Teacher stress in Taiwanese primary schools

Abstract

A questionnaire was used to explore teacher stress amongst 203 teachers in primary schools in Taiwan. Twenty-six per cent of the teachers reported that being a teacher was either very or extremely stressful. The main source of stress identified was the changing education policies of the government. The most effective coping action reported was having a healthy home life. Teachers reported that the most effective action that schools or the government could take to reduce teacher stress was to decrease teachers’ workload. These findings are in line with those reported in many western countries, where the stress caused by a heavy workload and coping with educational reforms have been very much in evidence.