Kimberly Nizolek

Date Approved

7-10-2015

Embargo Period

7-13-2017

Document Type

Thesis

Degree Name

M.A. School Psychology-Professional School Psychology

Department

Psychology

College

College of Science & Mathematics

Advisor

DiHoff, Roberta

Subject(s)

Special education teachers--Job stress; Mentally ill teenagers

Disciplines

Special Education and Teaching | Student Counseling and Personnel Services

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to evaluate teacher stress and its effect on negative student behaviors in an alternative school setting. Teacher stress is defined as a negative state held by a teacher that includes unpleasant emotions, such as anger or sadness, as a result of their work and it appears when events and responsibilities exceed one's coping mechanisms (Kyriacou, 2001; Lazarus, 1993). Teachers working in alternative schools may report a high level of stress based off of their working environment. When teachers feel stressed, they may not be able to provide the necessary support to their students to succeed in the classroom (Kipps-Vaughan, 2013). It is important for students to have a high quality student-teacher relationship in order for them to achieve academic success (Spilt, Koomen, & Thijs, 2011). Students' negative behavior in the classroom has been associated consistently with teacher stress and burnout (Blase, 1986; Geving, 2007; Yoon, 2002; Borg and Riding, 1991; Brouwers & Tomic, 2000; Evers et al., 2004; Gable et al., 2009; Hastings & Bham, 2003; Kokkinos, 2007; Kyriacou, 2001; Lewis, 1999; Sutton & Wheatley, 2003; Tsouloupas et al., 2010). Although there is an abundant amount of research on how students' behaviors affect teachers' stress levels, there is not much research that deals with how teachers' stress affects students' behaviors in the classroom (Geving, 2007).

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