Teacher Stress and Coping: The Role of Personal and Job Characteristics

The aim of this study was to examine the effect of teachers’ personal and job characteristics on the level of stress they experience from various sources, as well as their perception of the effectiveness of cognitive, behavioral and emotional coping strategies. Data were obtained from a sample of 425 Israeli schoolteachers using an extended version of Kyriacou and Chien's (2004) Teacher Stress and Coping Strategies Scale. Results indicate that among the personal and job characteristics examined, the effects of gender, experience, school level and culture on levels of stress caused by some stressor categories and in the degree to which teachers believe in the effectiveness of some coping strategies were found significant.