Secondary School Teacher Stress and Coping: Insights from Queensland, Australia

Abstract

Levels of teacher stress are a growing concern across the globe, with both short- and long-term effects of stress upon teachers being researched. This Australian study employed the Transactional Stress Model (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984) as a theoretical framework to guide an inquiry into teacher stress. An online survey was used to access a large sample of secondary teachers (N = 535) in government, Catholic, and independent schools throughout the state of Queensland. This paper reports findings related to two research questions: sources of stress and short-term coping strategies. Key sources of stress were identified as lack of time and paperwork. The most common coping strategies reported were talking to friends and family and exercise. Findings have implications for teacher practice and school administrators.