<p class="first" id="d1714098e91">Stress and burnout are pervasive among public school
teachers and amplified in urban
schools, where job demands are often high and resources low. Relatively little is
known about factors contributing to stress and burnout among urban school teachers
specifically, or how these aspects of teacher occupational wellbeing relate to their
use of effective classroom practices. Rather than utilizing objective measures, extant
research has relied heavily on teacher self-report of antecedents and consequences
of stress and burnout, which have also rarely been examined in tandem. To address
this and other gaps in the literature, the current study examined the interplay of
job demands and resources, stress and burnout, and effective classroom practices (operationalized
as warm-demanding teaching). Two discrete observational measures, in addition to teacher
self-report, were collected from a sample of 255 teachers in 33 low-income, urban
middle schools. Findings indicated that White teachers, female teachers, and teachers
in low-income schools reported higher stress and burnout. Teachers reporting more
self-efficacy, affiliation with colleagues, and student emphasis on their academics
(i.e., more resources) reported lower stress and burnout; furthermore, adding resources
to the model attenuated associations between student disruptive behaviors and stress
and burnout. In turn, stress was associated with lower levels of observed demanding
teaching (instructional dialogue); however, surprisingly, burnout was related to higher
levels of observed teacher warmth (sensitivity). We discuss these findings in light
of prior research and consider implications for future research and professional development
for teachers.
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