The Intersection of Personal and Professional Stress in The Lives of Public Middle School Teachers: A Qualitative Case Study

Abstract

The purpose of this case study was to examine the intersection of personal and professional stress in the lives of public middle school teachers. Many aspects of a teacher’s professional life contribute to stress and burnout, including pressures from administration, time pressures, observations, assessments, workload, classroom management, discipline, student learning, and motivational issues. Many aspects of a teacher’s personal life contribute to stress and burnout, including family responsibilities, finances, and time pressures. In order to overcome pressures at work and home, teachers need to develop successful strategies or coping mechanisms. Other times, teachers burn out and quit the profession. The central research question for this study was, how do public middle school teachers describe the stress that impacts them in their professional and personal lives? The theory guiding this study was burnout theory by Maslach and Leiter. Ten public middle school teachers in central Florida were examined in a case study. To gather data needed for this study, interviews were conducted, a focus group interview was used, and letters written by teachers were examined. Data analysis utilized open coding and the identification of themes or classifications. Understanding patterns and themes of teacher stress, burnout, and coping strategies can help to reduce teacher burnout and attrition.