The Future of Education
Teaching Challenges: Portuguese Teachers Levels and Sources of Professional Stress
Mónica Teixeira, University of Madeira (Portugal)
Alda Portugal, Universidade da Madeira (Portugal)
Sofia Major, Universidade dos Açores (Portugal)
Abstract
The issue of professional stress is a global concern, that is also affecting Portuguese teachers, and studies on this phenomenon have legitimized this concern. In this empirical study, a sample of 922 Portuguese teachers who teach from primary to secondary school was constituted, the majority of whom were women, married and had a pre-Bologna degree. The data collection protocol included a questionnaire on sociodemographic and professional characteristics, and a scale to assess the levels and sources of stress of Portuguese teachers. The results of this study suggest that global professional stress at high or very high levels is present in 52.9% of teachers.
The differences in stress levels between teachers who have been relocated from their usual places of residence due to thwir work and those who have not been relocated are significant. The study also revealed that teachers who have more service time in the same school/group have lower stress levels than teachers with less than 5 years of service in the same educational context. Public school teachers who have been relocated from their place of residence, are over 45 years old, women and who have been relocated for less time in their current school have higher stress levels. It will be important to focus on improving procedures for the placement, retention and stability of teaching staff, as the constant instability caused by teacher mobility in Portugal can create conditions for increasing dissatisfaction and stress levels, with all the negative consequences that this may entail for the education system.
Keywords: Stress; Teachers; sources of stress
REFERENCES
Teixeira, M. (2024). Ser(-se) professor em Portugal: Estudo exploratório sobre a relação entre autoeficácia, stresse e satisfação profissional. [Dissertação de Mestrado, Universidade da Madeira].
