Belastung und Beanspruchung von Lehrpersonen an Schulen in sozial deprivierter Lage: Identifikation von Belastungsprofilen und Differenzierung anhand von Beanspruchungserleben und Unterrichtsangebot

Work-related stressors such as administrative tasks or challenging behavior by students affect teachers’ health and teaching quality. Empirical research tends to underrepresent the effects of occupational stress on teachers. Particularly in schools in socially deprived areas, it is important to consider the effects of occupational stress on teachers in order to promote teaching quality and thus also the educational success of students in the interests of educational equity, given the disadvantaged starting position of the students. The aim of this study is therefore to identify interindividual differences in the occupational stress experienced by teachers in schools in socially deprived areas and its impact on teachers’ stress experience and teaching quality. In addition, the effect of stress experience on teaching quality is examined. The sample comprises 1911 teachers at Austrian schools in socially deprived areas. A latent profile analysis confirmed the existence of interindividual differences in the form of eight stress profiles. Regression analyses revealed that most profiles differ in terms of stress experience and some profiles differ in terms of self-reported teaching quality. It was also found that teachers’ stress experience has a negative effect on self-reported teaching quality. Professional stress and, in particular, teachers’ stress experience are therefore promising starting points for promoting teaching quality and, with regard to schools in socially deprived areas, greater equity in the education system. Specifically, the results of this study indicate that reducing stress in as many areas as possible, but especially in the field of action (e.g., organizational and administrative tasks, substitutions, grading, time pressure), can have a positive effect on teachers’ stress levels and self-reported teaching quality.