Senior Leadership Team Communication and Educators’ Stress: Implications for Policymakers
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.62695/RNYX7360Keywords:
Stress, Distress, Eustress, Communication, Educators, Senior Leadership TeamAbstract
The way Senior Leadership Teams (SLTs) communicate with educators comprising teachers and Learning Support Assistants (LSEs) can make a difference on their stress. This paper examines this relationship in depth through the use of quantitative data collected from 296 questionnaire responses submitted by educators, and qualitative data elicited from eight interviewed participants (four SLT members and four educators working in Maltese primary, middle and secondary state schools). The study showed that when SLTs use different means of communication, create opportunities for educators to communicate, and are open to such communication, this reduces negative stress in educators.
References
Abowitz, D. A., & Toole, T. M. (2010). Mixed method research: Fundamental issues of design, validity, and reliability in construction research. Journal of Construction Engineering and Management, 136(1), 108. http://dx.doi.org/10.1061/(ASCE)CO.1943-7862.0000026
Agai–Demjaha, T., Bislimovska, J. K., & Mijakoski, D. (2015). Level of work related stress among teachers in elementary schools. Open Access Macedonian Journal of Medical Sciences, 3(3), 484–488. https://doi.org/10.3889%2Foamjms.2015.076
Apulu, I., Latham, A., & Moreton, R. (2011). Factors affecting the effective utilisation and adoption of sophisticated ICT solutions. Journal of Systems and Information Technology, 13(2), 125–143. https://doi.org/10.1108/13287261111135972
Beheshtifar, M., Hoseinifar, H., & Moghadam, M. (2011). Effect procrastination on work-related stress. European Journal of Economics, Finance and Administrative Sciences, 38(38), 59–64. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/264888293_Effect_Procrastination_on_Work-Related_Stress
Bhui, K. S., Dinos, S., Stansfeld, S. A., & White, P. D. (2012). A synthesis of the evidence for managing stress at work: a review of the reviews reporting on anxiety, depression, and absenteeism. Journal of environmental and public health, 2012.
Bischof, N., & Eppler, M. J. (2011). Caring for Clarity in Knowledge Communication. Journal of Universal Computing Science, 17(10), 1455–1473. https://doi.org/10.3217/jucs-017-10-1455
Bolger, N., & Zuckerman, A. (1995). A framework for studying personality in the stress process. Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 69(5), 890. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-3514.69.5.890
Borg, J., & Debono, P. (2007). Teacher stress in state schools. [Diploma long essay, University of Malta]. OAR@UM. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/95746
Borg, M. G., & Falzon, J. M. (1991). Sources of teacher stress in Maltese primary schools. Research in Education, 46(1), 1–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/003452379104600101
Bredeson, P. V. (2000). The school principal’s role in teacher professional development. Journal of In-Service Education, 26(2), 385–401. https://doi.org/10.1080/13674580000200114
Bryman, A. (2012). Social research methods (4th ed.). Oxford University Press.
Burke, R. J., Greenglass, E. R., & Schwarzer, R. (1996). Predicting teacher burnout over time: Effects of work stress, social support, and self-doubts on burnout and its consequences. Anxiety, stress, and coping, 9(3), 261-275.
Chowdhury, M. F. (2014). Interpretivism in aiding our understanding of the contemporary social world. Open Journal of Philosophy, 2014(4), 432–438. http://dx.doi.org/10.4236/ojpp.2014.43047
Cockburn, A. D. (1996). Teaching under pressure: Looking at primary teachers. Taylor & Francis, Inc. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203974438
Cohen, L., Manion, L., & Morrison, K. (2017). Research methods in education (8th ed.). Taylor & Francis. https://doi.org/10.4324/9781315456539
Coppock, V. (2007). It’s good to talk! A multidimensional qualitative study of the effectiveness of emotional literacy work in schools. Children & Society, 21(6), 405–419. http://dx.doi.org/10.1111/j.1099-0860.2006.00072.x
De Nobile, J., McCormick, J., & Hoekman, K. (2013). Organizational communication and occupational stress in Australian catholic primary schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 51(6), 744–767. http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/JEA-09-2011-0081
Dietz, A. S., Driskell, J. E., Sierra, M. J., Weaver, S. J., Driskell, T., & Salas, E. (2017). Teamwork under stress. In E. Salas, R. Rico, & J. Passmore (Eds.), The Wiley Blackwell handbook of the psychology of team working and collaborative processes, (pp.297–315). John Wiley & Sons Ltd. https://doi.org/10.1002/9781118909997
Dworkin, S. L. (2012). Sample size policy for qualitative studies using in-depth interviews. Archives of Sexual Behavior, 41(6), 1319–1320. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10508-012-0016-6
Emerson, L. M., Leyland, A., Hudson, K., Rowse, G., Hanley, P., & Hugh-Jones, S. (2017). Teaching mindfulness to teachers: A systematic review and narrative synthesis. Mindfulness, 8, 1136-1149.
Erven, B. L. (2002). Overcoming Barriers to Communication. https://aede.osu.edu/sites/aede/files/publication_files/Overcoming%20Barriers%20to%20Communication.pdf
European Commission/EACEA/Eurydice. (2021). Teachers in Europe: Careers, development and well-being. Eurydice report. Publications Office of the European Union. https://data.europa.eu/doi/10.2797/997402
Faber, J., & Fonseca, L. M. (2014). How sample size influences research outcomes. Dental Press Journal of Orthodontics, 19(4), 27–29. https://doi.org/10.1590/2176-9451.19.4.027-029.ebo
Galluch, P. S., Grover, V., & Thatcher, J. B. (2015). Interrupting the workplace: Examining stressors in an information technology context. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 16(1), 2. http://dx.doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00387
Gluschkoff, K. (2017). Psychosocial work characteristics, recovery, and health-related outcomes in teaching. [Doctoral dissertation, University of Helsinki]. University of Helsinki. http://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-951-51-3539-1
Han, K. S., Kim, L., & Shim, I. (2012). Stress and sleep disorder. Experimental neurobiology, 21(4), 141.
Harkness, A. M., Long, B. C., Bermbach, N., Patterson, K., Jordan, S., & Kahn, H. (2005). Talking about work stress: Discourse analysis and implications for stress interventions. Work & Stress, 19(2), 121–136. http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/02678370500160068
Harper, D. (2023). Communication. Etymonline. https://www.etymonline.com/word/communication
Hassard, J., Teoh, K., Cox, T., Dewe, P., Cosmar, M., Grundler, R., Flemming, D., Cosemans, B., & Van den Broek, K. (2014). Calculating the cost of work-related stress and psychosocial risks. Publications Office of the European Union. http://doi.org/10.2802/20493
Hillson, D., & Murray-Webster, R. (2006). Managing risk attitude using emotional literacy. PMI Global Congress EMEA Proceeding. Madrid, Spain. https://citeseerx.ist.psu.edu/document?repid=rep1&type=pdf&doi=9fc58965bf2338739862c787b19ad686486d2bf8
Holmes, T. H., & Rahe, R. H. (1967). The Social Readjustment Rating scale. Journal of Psychosomatic Research, 11, 213-218.
Hussain, I., Suleman, Q., & Jumani, N. B. (2018). Occupational stress among secondary school heads: A gender based comparative study. Journal of Education and Educational Development, 5(2), 240–258. https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/EJ1200285.pdf
Ivankova, N. V., & Creswell, J. W. (2009). Mixed methods. In J. Heigham & R. A. Croker (Eds.), Qualitative research in applied linguistics: A practical introduction (pp. 135–161). https://doi.org/10.1057/9780230239517
Keyton, J. (2011). Communication and organizational culture: A key to understanding work experience. Sage.
Killick, S. (2006). Emotional literacy: At the heart of the school ethos. Paul Chapman Pub.
Lazarus, R. S. (1966). Psychological stress and the coping process. McGraw-Hill.
Lazarus, R. S., & Folkman, S. (1984). Stress, appraisal, and coping. Springer.
Leonard, L., & Leonard, P. (2003). The continuing trouble with collaboration: Teachers talk. Current Issues in Education, 6(15), 1–9. https://web.archive.org/web/20160612093732id_/http://cie.asu.edu:80/ojs/index.php/cieatasu/article/viewFile/1615/657
Majid, M. A. A., Othman, M., Mohamad, S. F., Lim, S. A. H., & Yusof, A. (2017). Piloting for interviews in qualitative research: Operationalization and lessons learnt. International Journal of Academic Research in Business and Social Sciences, 7(4), 1073–1080. http://dx.doi.org/10.6007/IJARBSS/v7-i4/2916
Morris, E. (2002). Emotional literacy training for educators: Developing the whole person—linking hearts and minds in all learners. Gifted Education International, 16(2), 133–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/026142940201600207
Mroczek, D. K., & Almeida, D. M. (2004). The effect of daily stress, personality, and age on daily negative affect. Journal of Personality, 72(2), 355–378. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.0022-3506.2004.00265.x
Murphy, L. R. (1995). Occupational stress management: Current status and future directions. In C. L. Cooper & D. M. Rousseau (Eds.), Trends in organizational behavior (Vol. 2, pp. 1–14). John Wiley & Sons.
Nelson, D. L., & Simmons, B. L. (2003). Health psychology and work stress: A more positive approach. In J. C. Quick & L. E. Tetrick (Eds.), Handbook of occupational health psychology (pp. 97–119). American Psychological Association. https://psycnet.apa.org/doi/10.1037/10474-005
OECD. (2020). TALIS 2018 Results (Volume II): Teachers and school leaders as valued Professionals. TALIS, OECD Publishing, Paris. https://doi.org/10.1787/23129638
Pearlin, L. I., Menaghan, E. G., Lieberman, M. A., & Mullan, J. T. (1981). The stress process. Journal of Health and Social Behavior, 337–356. https://doi.org/10.2307/2136676
Prabavathi, R., & Nagasubramani, P. C. (2018). Effective oral and written communication. Journal of Applied and Advanced Research, 3(1), 29–32. https://doi.org/10.21839/jaar.2018.v3iS1.164
Radovic Markovic, M., & Salamzadeh, A. (2018). The Importance of Communication in Business Management. The 7th International Scientific Conference on Employment, Education and Entrepreneurship, Belgrade, Serbia. https://ssrn.com/abstract=3578378
Robson, C. (2002). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers (2nd ed.). Blackwell.
Saunders, M., Lewis, P., & Thornhill, A. (2016). Research methods for business students (7th ed.). Pearson Education.
Schneider, B. (2002). Clarity in context: Rethinking misunderstanding. Technical Communication, 49(2), 210–218. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/233630643_Clarity_in_Context_Rethinking_Misunderstanding
Stuckey, H. L. (2013). Three types of interviews: Qualitative research methods in social health. Journal of Social Health and Diabetes, 1(02), 56–59. http://dx.doi.org/10.4103/2321-0656.115294
Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration. (2014). Tips for disaster responders: Preventing and managing stress. https://www.theschwartzcenter.org/media/SAMHSA.-Preventing-Managing-Stress.pdf
Velentzas, J., & Broni, G. (2014). Communication cycle: Definition, process, models and examples. Recent Advances in Financial Planning and Product Development, 17, 117–131. https://www.academia.edu/36749411/Communication_cycle_Definition_process_models_and_examples
Vella, C. (2007). Stressors of state secondary school heads. [P.G.C.E. dissertation, University of Malta]. OAR@UM. https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/handle/123456789/95180
Wheaton, B., & Montazer, S. (2010). Stressors, stress, and distress. In T. L. Scheid & T. N. Brown (Eds.), A handbook for the study of mental health: Social contexts, theories, and systems (2nd ed., pp. 171–199). Cambridge University Press. https://doi.org/10.1017/CBO9780511984945
Wood, T., & McCarthy, C. J. (2002). Understanding and preventing teacher burnout. ERIC Clearinghouse on Teaching and Teacher Education. (ERIC Document Reproduction Service No. ED4777). https://eric.ed.gov/?id=ED477726
World Health Organization [WHO]. (2020). Doing what matters in times of stress: An illustrated guide. Geneva. https://doi.org/10.37774/9789275123935
