Teachers' physiological and self‐reported stress, teaching practices and students' learning outcomes in Grade 1

Abstract

Background: Teachers' self-reported stress is related to the quality of teacher-student interactions and students' learning outcomes. However, it is unclear if teachers' physiological stress is related to child-centred teaching practices in the classroom and whether teaching practices mediate the link between teachers' stress and students' learning outcomes. Aims: We studied the effect of teachers' physiological stress and self-reported stress on their teaching practices and thereby on students' learning outcomes in math. Sample: A total of 53 classroom teachers and 866 Grade 1 students participated in the study. Methods: Salivary cortisol in the middle of the school day and cortisol slope from morning peak to evening were used as indicators of teachers' physiological stress, in addition to self-reported teaching-related stress. Teaching practices were observed with the ECCOM instrument. Students' math skills controlled for gender and previous skills were used as a measure of learning outcomes. Data were analysed with a two-level SEM. Results: Teachers' physiological stress did not have an effect on teaching practices or students' math skills. Teachers reporting less stress used relatively more child-centred teaching practices compared with teacher-directed ones. These practices had a marginal effect on classroom-level differences in the gain of students' math skills in Grade 1. There was neither a direct nor indirect effect from teachers' stress

Mind and body in students' and teachers' engagement: New evidence, challenges, and guidelines for future research

“…Interpretation was limited by age differences between the two groups, the small size especially of the control group ( n = 11), and extreme cases in this group. Finally, Jõgi et al (2022/this issue) assessed first grade classroom teachers' levels of cortisol in the middle of the school morning, slope of cortisol levels from awakening to bedtime, self‐reported chronic levels of stress related to teaching, and child‐ versus teacher‐centred classroom instruction as well as their students' math achievement. Cortisol was assessed on two working days, and instruction was observed during three lessons.…”

The potential of biophysiology for understanding motivation, engagement and learning experiences

“…Graham et al (2022/this volume) report associations between students' expectancies for success and a physiological component of test anxiety, salivary cortisol, during an authentic testing set in a sample of undergraduate engineering majors. Jõgi, Pakarinen, et al (2022/this volume) explore both teachers' self‐reported and physiological stress (salivary cortisol) in relation to observed teaching practices and students' math skills in early elementary school. Together, the three studies increase the existing understanding of how different biomarkers of stress are related to students' learning experiences.…”

Why Inclusive Resources Matter—The Importance of Inclusive Internal Resources for Strain and Intended Inclusive Practices of Pre-Service Teachers

“…Furthermore, both negative and positive strain [11] promote occupational outcomes [11,12]. While this area of research is largely underexplored in the teaching profession [11], studies with teachers nevertheless suggest links between personal strain and teacher behavior [14,15].…”

“…Inclusive demands, inclusive resources and strain also have consequences for teachers' occupational behaviors and instruction [11]. Currently, international and national studies have shown that negative strain can lead to less student-centered teaching behavior [14], an increase in undisciplined student behavior, an unfavorable classroom climate [57] and low teaching quality [15]. However, there is a lack of research on the effects of strain in inclusive settings.…”