Beginning teachers' efficacy and emotional exhaustion: Latent changes, reciprocity, and the influence of professional knowledge

How Attitudes Toward Evidence-Based Practice Impacts Burnout: A Sequential Mediation Model

PURPOSE

With the rapid development of China's social work sector, the increasing job pressures, and risks of professional burnout among social workers have become more prevalent. This study examined the relationship between Chinese social workers' attitudes toward evidence-based practice (EBP) and burnout, exploring the mediating mechanisms of evidence-based knowledge (EBK) and service quality perception (SQP).

MATERIALS AND METHODS

We applied PROCESS 4.2 macro in SPSS to analyze the data from 5,931 social workers, testing the sequential mediation effects of EBK and SQP between their attitudes toward EBP and burnout.

RESULTS

The findings revealed: (1) Attitudes toward EBP had significant indirect positive effects on burnout; (2) EBK partially mediated the relationship between EBP attitude and burnout; (3) SQP partially mediated the relationship between attitudes toward EBP and burnout; (4) Attitudes toward EBP had a sequential mediated effect on burnout through EBK and SQP.

DISCUSSION

The findings emphasize the need to implement targeted interventions and training programs to foster positive attitudes toward EBP, promote continuous professional development, and provide access to EBP resources. Moreover, nurturing EBK and SQP could help alleviate burnout by improving social workers' ability to address client issues and enhance their sense of confidence and accomplishment.

CONCLUSION

This study fills a research gap by providing empirical evidence on the negative correlation between Chinese social workers' attitudes toward EBP and burnout, while demonstrating the mediating roles of EBK and SQP.

The interplay among EFL teachers' emotional intelligence and self-efficacy and burnout

Considering the essential role of teachers and their characteristics in language education, their emotions are the main focus of recent studies. Emotions such as burnout which usually happens due to stress, can hinder their career progress so it needs to be addressed as it affects both learners and teachers respectively. Another construct is self-efficacy which contemplates the teachers' confidence in their aptitudes and it may reduce the probability of burnout and prevent job stress. Also, Emotional intelligence (EI) is an eminent variable in this field that is a significant predictor of job performance. Therefore, this study attempted to address English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers' burnout by associating the effects of these factors such as EI and self-efficacy. Accordingly, 400 EFL teachers agreed to participate and were given three relevant questionnaires. Structural equation modeling (SEM) was utilized and the findings indicated that both teacher self-efficacy (β = -0.123, p < .05) and emotional intelligence (β = -0.14, p < .05) are significant predictors of burnout. The two variables jointly could explain 4.3 % of variances in teacher burnout. Teacher self-efficacy has a significant direct effect on burnout with standard estimate of -0.123 (p = .03). It also has a positive effect on emotional intelligence with standardized estimate of 0.245 (p = .000). Emotional intelligence, in turn, has a negative effect on burnout with standardized estimate of 0.14 (p = .16). The mediation analysis showed that the indirect effect of teacher self-efficacy is 0.034 (p = .017). Finally, some implications and recommendations for EFL stakeholders are presented.

Effect of an online Workplace Vocal Health and Low Stress Levels Promotion Program implemented in a Colombian university during COVID-19 pandemic

PURPOSE

To determine the effect of an online Workplace Vocal Health and Low Stress Levels (WVHLS) Promotion Program implemented in a Colombian university during COVID-19 pandemic.

METHODS

This research was a quasi-experimental study. Twenty-nine professors participated in this study within two groups: (1) intervention group (n=17) or (2) non-intervention group (n=12). Participants in the intervention group took part in four virtual sessions about how to improve vocal health and strategies to reduce stress levels during their homeworking and online classes. Teachers filled in a questionnaire including questions about working conditions, work-related stress, and the voice functioning (including the Vocal Fatigue Index-VFI). They also recorded a voice sample of a sustained vowel on two separate occasions (before and after the follow-up).

RESULTS

At the end of the follow-up, there was a tendency to reduce Factor 1 of VFI in the intervention group. Although, all participants had a longer MPT at the end of the study compared with the baseline measures, males in the intervention group had longer MPT compared with other participants.

CONCLUSION

Our results suggest a positive effect of a WVHLS promotion program on reducing vocal fatigue perception measured by means of the Vocal Fatigue Index and improving coordination and control of breathing speech measured MPT. These changes at the end of the follow-up may indicate that holistic programs that include voice care recommendations, breathing exercises, vocal warm-up, cold-down and laryngeal relaxation vocal exercises, and stress management may be beneficial for reducing work-related stress and voice symptoms among professors.

A Challenging Transition: Factors Influencing the Effort-Reward Imbalance and Coping Strategies of Beginning Teachers in China

Purpose

The initial phase can be difficult for teachers: beginning teachers are more likely to experience effort-reward imbalance (ERI) and its harmful effects. To reduce this risk, this study analyzed the factors that impact ERI among beginning teachers in China and investigated the coping strategies they use.

Methods

The study used qualitative research methods to conduct semi-structured interviews with 20 beginning teachers. Each participant was interviewed for at least 40 minutes via an online platform.

Results

The qualitative results showed that ERI among beginning teachers is influenced by the interaction of internal and external factors. The typical factors identified were organizational justice, leadership style, work motivation, and personality type. Beginning teachers in the Chinese context demonstrated a proactive attitude towards challenging situations and chose moderate approaches to cope with ERI. The effectiveness of these strategies varied due to individual differences and contextual factors.

Conclusion

Overall, the findings emphasized the importance of addressing the challenges of beginning teachers to promote their well-being and improve the quality of education. Reducing the ERI of beginning teachers relies on a tripartite effort between society, schools and teachers themselves.

Teacher Burnout in Saudi Arabia: The Catastrophic Role of Parental Disengagement

The present study predicts teacher burnout from previous experiences, efficacious beliefs, student achievement, and parental engagement. Data came from the Trends in International Mathematics and Science study (TIMSS 2019) and utilized a random sample of n = 2000 from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. It was hypothesized that parental engagement and involvement in school may represent a salient factor in understanding teacher burnout in that if parental disengagement is high, necessary supports and resources available to the teacher are withdrawn. This thesis was tested using the cusp catastrophe with linear negative predictors of teacher burnout being teacher satisfaction, years of experience, teacher efficacy, and student achievement. The role of parental disengagement was verified with critically low levels of parental engagement being associated with abrupt and unpredictable levels of teacher burnout. It is concluded that parental engagement and involvement in schools may provide critical supports that are necessary for teachers to successfully manage their workload.

The ESBW Short Scale

Abstract: Teacher students’ professional educational knowledge is of great importance in academic teacher education. In response to the need to continuously optimize and improve teacher education, we developed a standards-based test instrument designed along the Standards of Teacher Education of the German education administration. The so-called ESBW (Essen Test for the Assessment of Standards-Based Educational Knowledge) is intended to assess educational knowledge as it is defined in these standards. This Brief Report aims to investigate whether the ESBW, as an exclusively standards-based developed test, can empirically be distinguished from a similar, but non-originally standards-based developed test, here the BilWiss 2.0 test, which also partially covers the standards. Competing structural equation models based on a study with 216 teacher students revealed that the ESBW short scale can be empirically distinguished from the BilWiss 2.0 short version, indicating that both instruments partly measure different aspects of educational knowledge. In addition, the examination of measurement invariance revealed that the ESBW performed similarly well for both beginning and advanced teacher students. Thus, our results further underline the usefulness of the ESBW for the assessment and evaluation of the German Standards of Teacher Education.

A mixed methods study of the teachers' self-efficacy views and their ability to improve self-efficacy beliefs during teaching

Objective

The current study has the aim of investigating teachers' views about their self-efficacy and how they improve their self-efficacy beliefs during teaching practice.

Methods

The study was designed in a mixed methods research design. "Teacher's Self-Efficacy Scale," "Personal Information Form" and "Semi-structured Interview Form" were employed in the study. The quantitative data were collected from 379 teachers in public schools in the 2021-2022 academic year, whereas the qualitative data were obtained from the top 10 participants with the highest level of self-efficacy.

Results and Discussion

Based on the qualitative and quantitative results of the present study, it was revealed that teachers' self-efficacy levels were high, and they felt self-efficient in their teaching.The study is of great importance since determining teachers' opinions about their self-efficacy beliefs and how they improve their self-efficacy beliefs in the solution of the problems they encountered during teaching practice will not only raise awareness of the importance of self-efficacy in teaching profession, but will contribute to further research and qualified teacher training.

Teachers' emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic: Levels, changes, and relations to pandemic-specific demands

We aimed to identify the levels of and changes in emotional exhaustion experienced by teachers and principals during the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related stressors and resources. In a German sample of 2157 teachers and 374 principals, we found high levels and an increase of emotional exhaustion. Results from multi-group structural equation modeling analyses indicated that health concerns and workload were positively and social support negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Additional analyses of an open response question confirmed that teachers and principals experienced their work during the COVID-19 pandemic as predominantly stressful. These results indicate the importance of supporting both teachers and principals in reducing their exhaustion to help students overcome the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Heart Rate Variability and Perceived Stress in Teacher Training: Facing the Reality Shock With Mindfulness?

Background

The beginning of the career of teachers is a demanding phase. In the combined roles of teacher and trainee, and in the shift from academic to practical learning, trainee teachers have to acquire competencies in teaching as well as coping with stress. In this phase, the phenomenon of "reality shock" is widely observed.

Objective

A mindfulness training was developed to support teacher trainees during their first year. This intervention study investigated perceived and physiological stress at teachers' career start and the stress reducing effects of the mindfulness training in this phase.

Methods

In a quasi-experimental design, 19 out of 42 participants from this sample underwent mindfulness-based stress reduction training and a wait-list control group (N = 23) underwent a compact course after post measurements. We measured physiological stress parameters and perceived stress at 3 different time points. Heart rate signals were acquired in ambulatory assessment sequences, including teaching, rest periods, and cognitive tasks. The data were analyzed in linear mixed-effects models.

Results

We found high physiological stress in the very beginning of teacher training, which attenuated over time. The mindfulness intervention only led to a greater reduction in heart rate (d = .53 to .74) in situations where the intervention group had shown higher heart rate levels initially, but not in heart rate variability. However, the mindfulness group significantly reduced (d = .63) their perceived stress and maintained (d = .55) this improvement, while the control group maintained a highly elevated perceived stress level throughout.

Conclusion

The mindfulness training could reduce subjective stress, which otherwise seems to be a long-lasting aspect of beginning teachers' "reality shock". Indications of a superior reduction of physiological stress in demanding situations were weak, while generally, undue physiological stress seems to be a temporary phenomenon in the initial phase of teacher induction.

Entwicklung und Validierung des Essener Tests zur Erfassung des standardorientierten bildungswissenschaftlichen Wissens (ESBW)

Zusammenfassung. Die Kompetenzziele im Lehramtsstudium sind für die einzelnen Professionswissensbereiche sowohl in universitätsspezifischen Dokumenten als auch in externen Standards ausdifferenziert. Gleichzeitig fehlen jedoch praxisnah einsetzbare Messinstrumente zur Überprüfung dieser Kompetenzziele. Dieser Beitrag stellt hierzu ein neu entwickeltes Testinstrument vor. Das Konzept des bildungswissenschaftlichen Wissens wird dabei im Sinne der KMK-Standards für die Lehrkräftebildung ( KMK, 2019 ) definiert. Diese Standards beschreiben Kompetenzen, über die Lehramtsstudierende und Lehrkräfte verfügen sollen, und umfassen die Bereiche Unterrichten, Erziehen, Beurteilen und Innovieren. In einer Pilotstudie weist das Messinstrument eine gute psychometrische Qualität auf, die belegt wird durch hinreichend hohe Reliabilität, gute Modellpassung sowie Validitätshinweise, die die intendierte Interpretation und Nutzung der Testergebnisse stützen.

The relationship between trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing of kindergarten teachers: The sequential mediating role of emotional intelligence and self-efficacy

This study explored the relationship between emotional intelligence and self-efficacy in trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing. In this study, 323 Chinese kindergarten teachers were measured using the Five Facet Mindfulness Questionnaire, Emotional Intelligence Scale, General Self-efficacy Scale, and Subjective Wellbeing Scale. The study found that subjective wellbeing can be predicted directly from trait mindfulness (β = 0.257, p &lt; 0.001). Emotional intelligence could mediate the relationship between trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing (β = 0.165, p = 0.006). Self-efficacy could mediate the relationship between trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing (β = 0.078, p = 0.032). In addition, emotional intelligence and self-efficacy played a sequential mediating role between trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing (β = 0.072, p = 0.005). This study revealed the relationship between kindergarten teachers’ trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing through structural equation modeling and understood its role path, enriching the research on the Chinese preschool teachers in the field, and providing a literature reference for the international community to understand the Chinese kindergarten teachers. At the same time, the study also has some limitations, such as the use of a cross-sectional design method, a relatively single method, and the impact of COVID-19. However, we believe that this study will further enrich the research literature on the relationship between trait mindfulness and subjective wellbeing of Chinese kindergarten teachers.

K-12 teachers' stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: A systematic review

We present the first systematic literature review on stress and burnout in K-12 teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on a systematic literature search, we identified 17 studies that included 9,874 K-12 teachers from around the world. These studies showed some indication that burnout did increase during the COVID-19 pandemic. There were, however, almost no differences in the levels of stress and burnout experienced by K-12 teachers compared to individuals employed in other occupational fields. School principals' leadership styles emerged as an organizational characteristic that is highly relevant for K-12 teachers' levels of stress and burnout. Individual teacher characteristics associated with burnout were K-12 teachers' personality, self-efficacy in online teaching, and perceived vulnerability to COVID-19. In order to reduce stress, there was an indication that stress-management training in combination with training in technology use for teaching may be superior to stress-management training alone. Future research needs to adopt more longitudinal designs and examine the interplay between individual and organizational characteristics in the development of teacher stress and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond.

Teachers’ emotional exhaustion before and during the COVID-19 pandemic: Neither emotional exertion nor vacation feeling

Purpose

In this paper, we use latent change models to examine the changes in in-service teachers’ emotional exhaustion before and during the COVID-19 pandemic. As a result of the pandemic, teachers are confronted with challenging tasks, which can lead to stress and burnout. Resultingly, teachers’ stress experiences have been examined in different studies. However, often the change in those experiences remains unclear. Against this background, we investigate longitudinally how the emotional exhaustion of a cohort of German teachers changes. In addition, we examine whether gender, age, teaching degree studied, or the amount of time spent in distance learning affected the change during the pandemic.

Methods

We surveyed German veteran teachers (N = 382) about their emotional exhaustion at three measurement points. The first two surveys were before the COVID-19 pandemic (t₁: winter 2016/2017; t₂: spring: 2019), and the third measurement point was after the first lockdown Germany in summer 2020 (t₃). To answer the research questions, we used neighbor-change models.

Results

Emotional exhaustion increased between the first two measurement points (t₁, t₂) but decreased in the following period (t₂, t₃). The changes in the two periods did not differ significantly from each other. Neither gender, age, nor the teaching profession studied influenced the change in emotional exhaustion. The hours spent in distance learning were also not a significant predictor.

Conclusion

In summary, the COVID-19 pandemic does not appear to be associated with higher emotional exhaustion across the veteran teachers. However, there are some teachers whose emotional exhaustion rises to high levels. Those teachers deserve special attention.

Teacher Trainees’ Well-Being—The Role of Personal Resources

Teacher well-being is intrinsically associated with their personal resources, including health literacy and occupational self-regulation. However, there are few empirical findings on teacher trainees’ health literacy. Furthermore, occupational self-regulation has so far only been associated with indicators of occupational well-being. From a public health perspective, research on teacher trainees’ general well-being will benefit from taking both research aspects into account. In this study, we analysed data from 407 teacher trainees in Germany. Latent profile analysis confirmed the four occupational self-regulatory types (healthy-ambitious, unambitious, excessively ambitious, and resigned), which differed significantly on the health literacy dimensions self-regulation, self-control, self-perception, proactive approach to health, communication and cooperation, and dealing with health information. The health literacy dimensions of self-regulation and self-control were mainly related to occupational self-regulation. Independently of each other, the self-regulatory types and the health literacy dimensions of self-regulation, self-control, and proactive approach to health predicted teacher trainees’ general well-being. If both constructs are considered together, the health literacy dimensions explain more variance in teacher trainees’ general well-being than the self-regulatory types. Research and practical implications are discussed.

Promoting Student Teachers’ Well-Being

Abstract. Student teachers’ well-being is particularly important in times of teacher shortage. To prevent student dropout and promote students’ well-being, demands and resources within university teacher education need to be identified. Demands like workload or time pressure can lead to emotional exhaustion in the long-term, while resources like emotional support may foster well-being. By conducting a quantitative, longitudinal study on 903 student teachers from German universities, we investigate the relationship between the emotional support of peers (as a resource) and emotional exhaustion (an indicator of well-being). In addition, we conducted a qualitative study to analyze demands as possible reasons for dropout during teacher education. Latent change score models indicate that emotional exhaustion first increases and then slightly decreases over the course of three semesters. Emotional support by peers remains stable over time. The bivariate latent change model suggests that social support is not a predictor of later emotional exhaustion. The qualitative study analyzed three main dropout intentions: performance problems, lack of study motivation, and study conditions. Especially study conditions at university can be adjusted and act as a resource to increase students’ well-being.

Chinese English as Foreign Language Teachers' Self-Efficacy and Motivation as Predictors of Burnout

In contemporary education, educators are a central and focal component of academic structures accountable for education growth. Educators have an effective role in presenting and planning an effective and important academic program. However, they usually experience burnout due to their stressful job that affects the procedure of their teaching. So, considering the variables that help them in mitigating their burnout should be taken into account. The concept such as educator efficacy has recently attracted significant attention in education fields which by itself emphasizes educators and gets them into the focus of attention in education. Also, the concept of motivation has a strong relationship with the expert aspect of the educators and its significance for language educators and their students are increasingly gaining respect in various worldwide settings, in which lower educators' motivation is generally a reason for distress. To focus on the predictability role of these constructs on teachers' burnout, 428 female and male Chinese English as Foreign Language (EFL) teachers from more than 17 cities in nine provinces of China were asked to fill out the three scales, namely, teacher motivation, efficacy, and burnout. The main results of the study, achieved through Pearson Correlation, postulate that the relationships exist among the variables of the study, and by running multiple regression analysis, it is revealed that both variables, namely, self-efficacy and motivation, were the predictors of teachers' burnout, while self-efficacy was a better predictor. Regarding the applications, educator training plans can focus more on educator self-efficacy and motivation, because of their proven important role in decreasing educator burnout.

The Role of Teacher-Student Relationships in Predicting Teachers' Occupational Wellbeing, Emotional Exhaustion, and Enthusiasm

Wellbeing is regarded as a core dimension of an individual's prosperity in the field of positive psychology. Underlying this multifaceted framework are emotive, mental, and societal forms of wellbeing, which can be based on constructive connections in the workplace. Career wellbeing among educators is linked to optimal mental functioning and their positive career experience is characterized in terms of the existence of constructive dimensions like enthusiasm at the workplace. Also, emotional exhaustion or fatigue is another central element in the research on educator burnout and it has an important effect on educators' expert lives, alternatively, the excellence of teacher-student relationships is significant in the process of language learning. Due to the significant effect of the above-mentioned construct, this review tries to focus on the prominence of teacher-student relationships in this domain. The results from the review of the literature specified that high-value teacher-student relationships keep educators away from being emotionally exhausted since it can enhance the quantity of enthusiasm and lessen the amount of exhaustion. In a nutshell, this review of literature has suggestions for academics and experts in search of increasing teachers' occupational wellbeing.

Association between Emotional Exhaustion and Tobacco Consumption in Teachers

Teachers have been reported as having high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE). It has also been observed that tobacco consumption (TC) is higher during stressful events. However, there is little evidence about the association between EE and TC among teachers. A total of n = 560 teachers took part in this study, where 71.79% (n = 402) were women. For data gathering, the EE dimension of the Maslach Inventory for teachers was used, along with a TC questionnaire and the sociodemographic data of the participants. A binary logistical regression model was used for statistical analysis. Regarding TC, over 30% of teachers declared that they smoked; 65% of the teachers presented medium-high EE and 31% of teachers presented high EE. Teachers who said they were smokers had a greater risk of presenting high EE (OR: 1.7, p < 0.05), along with younger teachers (≤44 years; OR: 2.1, p < 0.01). In addition, teachers with high EE also have a high risk of TC. The present study reports an association between TC and high EE category among teachers, regardless of gender. An important association is also observed between the under-45 age group and high EE. These results indicate that teachers should have psychological support and interventions aiding them with facing work stress and TC habits, especially for younger teachers.

A Study of Student-Teachers' Emotional Experiences and Their Development of Professional Identities

A reciprocal relation has been identified between teacher emotion and teacher professional identity. However, the underlying mechanism explaining this complex interaction remains underexamined. Moreover, limited attention has been paid to the emotional dimension of student-teachers' development of professional identity during university coursework. To bridge this gap, the present study explores how student-teachers' emotions reciprocally interact with their professional identities, drawing data from questionnaires, reflections, and interviews with students taking courses related to language teaching in a teacher-training university. Both quantitative and qualitative data delineated the intertwined trajectories of student-teachers' emotional experiences and the development of professional identity in the learning process of becoming teachers. Mainly triggered by course-related factors, student-teachers experienced a wide array of emotions, of which the polarity and intensity were determined and mediated by their goals and actions deriving from their professional identities. Those aroused emotions, in turn, signaled the developmental process of professional identity and promoted or hindered their emerging identities. This paper concludes with some implications for initial teacher education programs.

Occupational Burnout Prevalence and Its Determinants Among Physical Education Teachers: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Burnout can be defined as an occupational syndrome resulting from poorly managed chronic workplace stress. It is characterized by three dimensions: feelings of energy depletion or exhaustion; increased mental distance from one's job, or feelings of negativism or cynicism related to one's job; and reduced professional efficacy. Teachers are among the human service professionals particularly vulnerable to occupational burnout. Teaching is a highly demanding and challenging task, in that requires constant confrontation with different stakeholders (students and their parents, administrators). Among teachers, physical education teachers have been particularly understudied even though a recently published systematic review has found that they are exposed to high levels of stress. To better explore burnout syndrome among physical education teachers, the present systematic review was undertaken, searching up to six languages. Fifty-six studies were included in the present review. The reported rate of high emotional exhaustion ranged from 11.52 to 60.6%, according to the single study. Pooling together 12 studies and totaling 2,153 physical education teachers, the prevalence rate of high emotional exhaustion was computed to be 28.6 [95% CI 21.9–35.8]. The reported rate of high depersonalization ranged from 3.6 to 45.2%, according to the single study. Pooling together 11 studies and totaling 2,113 physical education teachers, the prevalence rate of high depersonalization was computed to be 14.5% [95% CI 8.0–22.4]. The reported rate of low personal accomplishment ranged from 13.63 to 55.6%, according to the single study. Pooling together 12 studies and totaling 2,153 physical education teachers, the prevalence rate of low personal accomplishment was computed to be 29.5% [95% CI 23.8–35.4]. The reported rate of overall burnout ranged from 10.0 to 51.6%, according to the single study. Pooling together 7 studies and totaling 1,101 physical education teachers, the prevalence rate of overall burnout was computed to be 23.9% [95% CI 13.6–36.0]. No evidence of publication bias could be found, both visually inspecting the funnel plot and conducting the Egger's linear regression test. Burnout imposes a significant burden among physical education teachers. Based on the information contained in the present systematic review and meta-analysis, tailored interventions could be designed to mitigate such a burden. However, due to the limitations of the studies included in the present systematic review and meta-analysis, further research in the field is urgently warranted.

Systematic Review Registration:https://osf.io/69ryu/, identifier: 10.17605/OSF.IO/69RYU.

Examining the dimensionality of pre-service teachers' enthusiasm for teaching by combining frameworks of educational science and organizational psychology

The aim of this study was to obtain a holistic understanding of pre-service teachers’ enthusiasm for teaching (a subject) by examining its structure as well as relevant factors that may be related to it in the first phase of teacher education. For this purpose, we considered two strands of research: educational science and organizational psychology. Accordingly, the professional competence model and the job demands and resources model helped to identify factors that are associated with pre-service teachers’ enthusiasm for teaching. Responses of 211 pre-service biology teachers indicated that enthusiasm for teaching can be considered as one-dimensional. Moreover, we found positive relationships between enthusiasm for teaching and academic self-concept, intrinsic career choice motives and occupational commitment. In contrast, we detected negative relations between enthusiasm for teaching and both emotional exhaustion and intention to quit. No significant relations could be found for enthusiasm for teaching and both professional knowledge and extrinsic career choice motives. Our findings highlight the importance of enthusiasm for teaching in the earliest stage of teachers’ careers. Thus, our study points out relevant factors that could help to maintain high enthusiasm and to keep (pre-service) teachers healthy and in the profession.

Inkongruente Erwartungen an den Vorbereitungsdienst als Prädiktoren emotionaler Erschöpfung

Zusammenfassung. Die vorliegende Studie untersucht die wahrgenommene Erfüllung von Erwartungen von Lehramtsanwärterinnen und -anwärtern an den Vorbereitungsdienst. Basierend auf empirischen Befunden aus der Arbeits- und Organisationspsychologie wird erwartet, dass nicht-erfüllte Erwartungen an den Vorbereitungsdienst mit einem Anstieg an emotionaler Erschöpfung assoziiert sein könnten. Es wurden 1109 Lehramtsanwärterinnen und -anwärter der Sekundarstufe I zu Beginn des Vorbereitungsdienstes (Erwartungen) und ein Jahr später (erfüllte Erwartungen) mit einer neu entwickelten Skala zu positiven („ Nutzen“) und negativen („ Kosten“) Wahrnehmungen des Vorbereitungsdienstes sowie ihrer emotionalen Erschöpfung befragt. Die Kosten-Nutzen-Skala konnte (erfüllte) Erwartungen an den Vorbereitungsdienst zu beiden Messzeitpunkten ausreichend gut erfassen. Auch die emotionale Erschöpfung wurde reliabel erfasst, wobei ein signifikanter Anstieg an emotionaler Erschöpfung im Untersuchungszeitraum festgestellt wurde. Response Surface Analysen wiesen auf einen Anstieg an emotionaler Erschöpfung im Untersuchungszeitraum hin, wenn Erwartungen an den Vorbereitungsdienst bezüglich dessen Kosten und Nutzen nicht mit der tatsächlichen Wahrnehmung übereinstimmten. Die Ergebnisse werden auf der Grundlage der aktuellen empirischen Befundlage diskutiert. Zuletzt wird ein Ausblick auf anschließende Forschungsarbeiten gegeben.

Work-family conflicts, cognitive appraisal, and burnout: Testing the mediation effect with structural equation modelling

Work-family conflict constitutes an important source of occupational stress predicting teachers' burnout, and cognitive variables have shown to be core structures in explaining human adaptation to stress. Nevertheless, the role of cognitive appraisal needs to be fully analysed to comprehend how it can mediate the relationship between stress and burnout. In order to understand the potential mediation of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between stress and burnout, we adopted conceptual models of stress that highlighted the value of cognitive appraisal on positive and negative reactions to work demands. Also, we analysed the potential moderation of sex and age in the relationship between work-family conflict, cognitive appraisal, and burnout due to inconsistent findings on how these personal variables can interfere on these relations. In this study, we used structural equation modelling (SEM) to test the mediating of cognitive appraisal in the relationship between work-family conflicts and burnout. A survey with measures of work-family conflicts, cognitive appraisal, and burnout was administered to the participants consisting of 438 Portuguese teachers from kindergarten through high school, aged between 28 and 67 years (M = 46.85; SD = 7.88), 304 of whom were females (69.41%). The results confirmed that cognitive appraisal partially mediated the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout. The mediation effect of cognitive appraisal on the relationship between work-family conflict and burnout was invariant regardless of teachers' sex or age. In sum, cognitive appraisal should be considered in order to understand teachers' adaptation to work.

Motivation and Continuance Intention towards Online Instruction among Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: The Mediating Effect of Burnout and Technostress

In-service teachers have various emotional and motivational experiences that can influence their continuance intention towards online-only instruction during the COVID-19 pandemic, as a significant stress factor for their workplace. Derived from the Self-Determination Theory (SDT), Job Demands–Resources Model (JD–R), and Technology Acceptance Model (TAM), the present research model includes technological pedagogical knowledge (TPK) self-efficacy (SE), intrinsic (IM) and extrinsic (EM) work motivation, and occupational stress (OS) (i.e., burnout and technostress which have been examined in tandem) as key dimensions to explain the better continuance intention among in-service teachers to use online-only instruction (CI). Data for the research model were collected from 980 in-service teachers during the COVID-19 outbreak between April and May 2020. Overall, the structural model explained 70% of the variance in teachers’ CI. Motivational practices were directly and indirectly linked through OS with CI. The findings showed that IM has the most directly significant effect on teachers’ CI, followed by TPK-SE, and OS as significant, but lower predictors. IM was positively associated with TPK-SE and negatively associated with EM. The results offered valuable insights into how motivation constructs were related to OS and to a better understanding online instruction in an unstable work context, in order to support teachers in coping during working remotely.

Assertiveness and adaptation: Prospective teachers' social competence development and its significance for occupational well-being

BACKGROUND

Difficult social interactions with students are reported to be among the main stressors of beginning teachers, and although social competence has been suggested to represent a vital resource for their transition into practice and early-career adaptation, this assumption has rarely been empirically studied.

AIM

We conducted two studies to investigate the predictive validity and development of prospective and beginning teachers' social competence. In Study 1, we examined, whether social competence predicts beginning teachers' emotional exhaustion. Study 2 investigated whether university teacher training contributes to social competence development among prospective teachers.

SAMPLE

The samples of both studies are based on large-scale assessments. Participants in Study 1 were 1,758 beginning teachers who had been tracked since their entry into university teacher training. Study 2 included 831 prospective teachers who were surveyed over a total period of two years.

METHODS

Data were analysed utilizing a structural equation modelling approach (Study 1) and latent change score modelling (Study 2).

RESULTS

The results of Study 1 revealed that social competence negatively predicts emotional exhaustion. Further, beginning teachers' reports of classroom management functioned as a mediator within that relationship. According to the findings in Study 2, prospective teachers showed no significant enhancements of social competence within one year of university teacher training. However, there was a significant change considering the two-year interval.

CONCLUSIONS

Social competence, as a predictor of occupational well-being, may constitute one important resource for the early-career adaptation of beginning teachers. However, efforts to promote social competence within university teacher training should be increased.

Der Verlauf von lehrbezogenen Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen angehender MINT-Lehrkräfte im Studium

Zusammenfassung. Selbstwirksamkeitserwartungen (SWE) gelten als zentrale Komponente der Motivation von Lehrkräften und sind ein wichtiger Aspekt in der Entwicklung einer professionellen Kompetenz. Bisherige Studien zeigen aufgrund verschiedener Zielgruppen, unterschiedlicher Domänen und variierender SWE-Konstrukte divergente Befunde bzgl. der Entwicklung von lehrbezogenen SWE im Verlauf des Studiums sowie bzgl. des Einflusses von Praxisphasen. Um zu differenzierten Aussagen zu kommen, wurden zwei Erhebungen durchgeführt, die 1. ausschließlich Studentinnen und Studenten eines Lehramts rekrutierten, 2. mit MINT-Fächern die Domänen eingrenzten und 3. auf lehrbezogene SWE hinsichtlich Planung, Durchführung und Reflexion von Lernsequenzen fokussierten. In einem Querschnitt mit N = 1165 Testpersonen von sechs Hochschulen konnten wir zeigen, dass sich die lehrbezogenen SWE als recht stabil im Verlauf des Studiums erweisen und dass Praxiselemente einen geringen Einfluss haben. Ein realer Längsschnitt mit einer Teilstichprobe von N = 47 Testpersonen zeigte jedoch positive signifikante Effekte der SWE bzgl. Planung, Durchführung und Reflexion von Lehr-Lern-Situationen in einer Prä-Post-Erhebung vor bzw. nach einem Seminar mit Praxisphasen. Dabei scheinen sich Praxiselemente – wenn sie von den Studentinnen und Studenten mit konkreten Situationen in Verbindung gebracht werden und durch ein konstruktives Feedback begleitet sind – positiv auf die SWE auszuwirken. Beziehen sich die SWE eher auf abstrakte und nicht unmittelbar mit einer Situation verbundene Erfahrungen, bleiben diese offenbar konstant.

Der BilWiss-2.0-Test

Zusammenfassung. In diesem Beitrag wird ein revidierter Test zur Erfassung des bildungswissenschaftlichen Wissens von (angehenden) Lehrkräften, der BilWiss-2.0-Test, vorgestellt, und es werden Hinweise auf die psychometrische Güte der mit dem Instrument gemessenen Testwerte präsentiert. Das bildungswissenschaftliche Wissen umfasst neben unterrichtsnahen Inhalten auch Kenntnisse bspw. über Bildungstheorie, Schulorganisation oder Wissen über den Lehrerberuf. Die Kurzform des revidierten Wissenstests beinhaltet 65 Items, die Langform des Tests 119 Items aus sechs verschiedenen Inhaltsbereichen. Auf der Datengrundlage von 788 Lehramtsstudierenden mehrerer Universitäten wurden 2-PL-Partial-Credit-IRT-Modelle geschätzt. Bezüglich der faktoriellen Struktur zeigte sich in Strukturgleichungsmodellen für die Kurzform, dass sich die sechs Inhaltsbereiche gut als sechs untereinander korrelierende latente Faktoren abbilden lassen. Für die konvergente und prognostische Validität der Testwertinterpretationen sprechen a) schwache statistisch signifikante Korrelationen zwischen der Testleistung und der Anzahl der besuchten relevanten inhaltsspezifischen Lehrveranstaltungen und Studienleistungen und b) statistisch signifikant schlechtere Wissensleistungen von Studierenden, die mindestens einmal eine Prüfung wiederholen mussten, im Vergleich zu Personen, die keinen Wiederholungsversuch benötigten.

My Turn to Make a Difference: Efficacy Trends among Induction Physical Educators

Purpose: This study provides a longitudinal examination of the influences enhancing or constraining the development of efficacy in ten induction physical educators. Method: Over a span of three years, data from structured interviews and responses to the Physical Education Teaching Efficacy Scale were collected at seven time points. Utilizing a mixed-methods approach, data were analyzed for qualitative themes and quantitative trends through the lens of various factors known to influence the career cycle. Results: In the personal environment, the presence of positive individual dispositions, the ability to balance competing demands, and high levels of perceived support emerged as constructive enhancers of efficacy. In the organizational environment, positive influences included the ability to meet the expectations of stakeholders and perceived confidence related to the tasks of teaching. Over time, significant differences existed for the survey categories measuring efficacy in content knowledge, accommodating skill level differences, teaching students with special needs, and instruction. Furthermore, significant differences also occurred related to gender, geographical location/setting, and school classification. Conclusion: Efficacy levels in beginning physical educators are highly dynamic and context-specific, but the presence of high levels of perceived support, both personally and organizationally, can positively enhance the efficacy of induction teachers related to balancing demands both inside and outside the classroom. Implications include the necessity for authentic and thorough preservice training and upon employment, access to adequate resources.

Work Burnout and Engagement Profiles Among Teachers

The focus of the current study was to examine teachers' well-being in terms of work engagement and burnout by using a person-oriented approach. The participants (n = 149, 70.5% female) were subject-matter teachers from 22 schools from metropolitan Helsinki area in Finland. The first aim was to examine the kinds of profiles we can identify based on work burnout and engagement among teachers. The second aim was to study how the identified profiles differed in job-related demands and resources and personal resources in terms of resilience. Based on the demands-resources model, we expected to find profiles that differ in terms of key resources and demands. The sample was acquired as a convenience sample and the data was collected using online self-report questionnaires. The measures were work engagement, work burnout, work demands/resources (workload and control) and resilience as the personal resource. In addition, changes and effects of the economic circumstances were accounted for with two binary variables assessing the effect on class sizes and material resources. We identified two profiles among teachers: engaged (30%) and engaged-burnout (70%) profiles. We found that those in the engaged profile group had more job and personal resources, such as control and resilience, whereas those in the engaged-burnout profile group experienced more work demands, such as workload.

Förderung sozial-emotionaler Kompetenz von angehenden Lehrkräften

Zusammenfassung. Der Lehrerberuf ist gekennzeichnet durch stetige soziale Interaktionen, deren erfolgreiche Bewältigung hohe Anforderungen an die sozial-emotionalen Fähigkeiten der Lehrkräfte stellt. Insbesondere zum Berufseinstieg werden Unterrichtsstörungen und soziale Konflikte als häufigste Stressoren erlebt. Die vorliegende Studie stellt ein theoretisch fundiertes Training sozial-emotionaler Kompetenz für Lehramtsstudierende vor, das auf die sozialen Herausforderungen des Berufs vorbereiten soll. Es umfasst die Vermittlung theoretischen Wissens und die Durchführung praktischer Übungen in den Bereichen Wissen über Emotionen, Regulation von Emotionen sowie soziale Fähigkeiten. Die Evaluation des 13 Sitzungen umfassenden Trainings wurde über ein quasi-experimentelles Prä-Post Design mit insgesamt N = 137 Studierenden in Trainings- ( N = 99) und Vergleichsgruppe ( N = 38) realisiert. Effekte des Trainings konnten in allen Bereichen nachgewiesen werden, wobei insbesondere die emotionale Selbstaufmerksamkeit (Wissen über Emotionen) und die Anwendung kognitiver Umbewertung (Regulation von Emotionen) zu nennen sind. Im Bereich soziale Fähigkeiten zeigte sich das Training lediglich für das Konfliktmanagement wirksam. Gemeinsam mit der großen Akzeptanz bei den Studierenden sprechen die Ergebnisse für den Nutzen der Implementierung solcher Programme in die universitäre Ausbildung von Lehrkräften.

The longitudinal effects of induction on beginning teachers' stress

Background

Teaching is a stressful profession especially for beginning teachers. Induction programmes can support beginning teachers. Little is known concerning which elements of induction programmes can influence (the change in) teachers’ stress over time.

Aims

This study aims to investigate the growth of stress causes and stress responses during the first 3 years of professional practice and to reveal the influence of induction arrangement elements on the initial level as well as the change in stress levels over the 2 years that followed.

Sample

Longitudinal data from a sample of 393 beginning teachers (56.5% female) were collected at three measurement occasions. All teachers were offered four different induction arrangement elements.

Method

Results of multiple group confirmatory factor analysis confirmed longitudinal measurement invariance. Multivariate latent growth curve modelling (MLGM) was conducted to examine the initial status, the subsequent linear growth, and the influence of the individual induction arrangement elements on the stress causes and stress responses.

Results

MLGM results show that perceived stress caused by high psychological task demands increases over time (d = 0.22), whereas perceived stress caused by negative pupil aspects decreases over time (d = −0.52). Further, workload reduction decreases the level of perceived high psychological task demands, negative social aspects, and all the stress responses. Perceived support for effective teaching behaviour decreases the level of perceived negative emotions and discontent. Further, school enculturation has an influence on the change in perceived discontent over time.

Conclusions

Perceived stress causes and stress responses can change over time. Specific induction arrangement elements appear to be powerful elements to reduce the level, and the change over time, of specific perceived stress causes and stress responses.

Validating the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ-II) Using Set-ESEM: Identifying Psychosocial Risk Factors in a Sample of School Principals

School principals world-wide report high levels of strain and attrition resulting in a shortage of qualified principals. It is thus crucial to identify psychosocial risk factors that reflect principals' occupational wellbeing. For this purpose, we used the Copenhagen Psychosocial Questionnaire (COPSOQ-II), a widely used self-report measure covering multiple psychosocial factors identified by leading occupational stress theories. We evaluated the COPSOQ-II regarding factor structure and longitudinal, discriminant, and convergent validity using latent structural equation modeling in a large sample of Australian school principals (N = 2,049). Results reveal that confirmatory factor analysis produced marginally acceptable model fit. A novel approach we call set exploratory structural equation modeling (set-ESEM), where cross-loadings were only allowed within a priori defined sets of factors, fit well, and was more parsimonious than a full ESEM. Further multitrait-multimethod models based on the set-ESEM confirm the importance of a principal's psychosocial risk factors; Stressors and depression were related to demands and ill-being, while confidence and autonomy were related to wellbeing. We also show that working in the private sector was beneficial for showing a low psychosocial risk, while other demographics have little effects. Finally, we identify five latent risk profiles (high risk to no risk) of school principals based on all psychosocial factors. Overall the research presented here closes the theory application gap of a strong multi-dimensional measure of psychosocial risk-factors.