Classroom-based interventions and teachers’ perceived job stressors and confidence: Evidence from a randomized trial in Head Start settings

Preschool teachers’ job stressors have received increasing attention but have been understudied in the literature. We investigated the impacts of a classroom-based intervention, the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP), on teachers’ perceived job stressors and confidence, as indexed by their perceptions of job control, job resources, job demands, and confidence in behavior management. Using a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, the CSRP provided multifaceted services to the treatment group, including teacher training and mental health consultation, which were accompanied by stress-reduction services and workshops. Overall, 90 teachers in 35 classrooms at 18 Head Start sites participated in the study. After adjusting for teacher and classroom factors and site fixed effects, we found that the CSRP had significant effects on the improvement of teachers’ perceived job control and work-related resources. We also found that the CSRP decreased teachers’ confidence in behavior management and had no statistically significant effects on job demands. Overall, we did not find significant moderation effects of teacher race/ethnicity, education, teaching experience, or teacher type. The implications for research and policy are discussed.

► Using a clustered randomized controlled trial (RCT) design, the Chicago School Readiness Project (CSRP) provided multifaceted services. ► Overall, 90 teachers in 35 classrooms at 18 Head Start sites participated in the study. ► The CSRP had significant effects on the improvement of teachers’ perceived job control and work-related resources. ► The CSRP decreased teachers’ confidence in behavior management and had no statistically significant effects on job demands. ► No significant moderation effects were found by teacher race/ethnicity, education, teaching experience, or teacher type.