Abstract
Stress in teachers has been linked to many personal and physical effects. Although stress has been studied extensively in elementary schools, there is little research on stress among early childhood educators. This study examined the sources and perceived effects of stress in preschool teachers, including any differences in teacher stress related to program type as well as possible relationships between stress and teachers’ level of education, years of experience, or class ratio. Data Collection and Analysis Thirty-six teachers from Head Start and private preschools completed a survey rating sources and effects of stress from “never” to “always” stressful. Descriptive and frequency analyses identified sources and effects which were most stressful or common. A series of t-tests examined differences in stress between the two program types. Correlational analyses sought to identify any associations between stress and teachers’ education level, years of experience, and numbers of students. Results Factors such as teacher/child ratio, lack of time, non-teaching duties, and assessment work were rated as rarely to sometimes stressful. Only one item, wages, was rated as sometimes to very often stressful. Physical and emotional exhaustion, burnout and considering leaving the profession occurred only rarely to sometimes. Most teachers felt confident in their teaching ability. There were no significant programmatic differences in sources or effects of stress. More experienced teachers reported lower incidences of emotional or physiological effects. Teachers with higher ratios were more likely to perceive non-teaching tasks as a source of stress and have more stressful relationships with administrators. Results suggest that preschool teachers face a range of stressors which create personal and professional impacts, though they seem to occur only rarely to sometimes. But even mild to moderate stresses can create negative impacts for teachers that deserve the attention of program administrators. Teacher stress is often related to factors of program quality such as workload or ratios. Therefore, eliminating teacher stress creates a better classroom environment for children and contributes to program quality.