Stress and coping strategies used by special education and general classroom teachers

Abstract

This research was undertaken to shed light on sources of stress, effects and coping strategies used by general (mainstream) classroom teachers and special education teachers. A total of 139 teachers, from eight private schools in Beirut, Lebanon, were selected to participate in a study using the Pullis Inventory of Teacher Stress (PITS). The teachers, 100 general classrooms and 39 special educators, were directly involved at one point in time in teaching students with special educational needs. The responses to the questionnaire items were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a correlation coefficient. Results showed that there was no significant difference between special education and general (and at times integrated) classroom teachers in relation to all sources and effects of stress. Moreover, Pearson’s correlation coefficient (r) showed that most sources of stress had a weak-positive correlation with the coping strategies; yet most effects of stress had a weak-negative correlation with the coping strategies. © 2018, International Journal of Special Education. All rights reserved.