The longitudinal effects of induction on beginning teachers' stress

Background: Teaching is a stressful profession especially for beginning teachers. Induction programmes can support beginning teachers. Little is known concerning which elements of induction programmes can influence (the change in) teachers' stress over time.

Aims: This study aims to investigate the growth of stress causes and stress responses during the first 3 years of professional practice and to reveal the influence of induction arrangement elements on the initial level as well as the change in stress levels over the 2 years that followed.

Sample: Longitudinal data from a sample of 393 beginning teachers (56.5% female) were collected at three measurement occasions. All teachers were offered four different induction arrangement elements.

Method: Results of multiple group confirmatory factor analysis confirmed longitudinal measurement invariance. Multivariate latent growth curve modelling (MLGM) was conducted to examine the initial status, the subsequent linear growth, and the influence of the individual induction arrangement elements on the stress causes and stress responses.

Results: MLGM results show that perceived stress caused by high psychological task demands increases over time (d = 0.22), whereas perceived stress caused by negative pupil aspects decreases over time (d = -0.52). Further, workload reduction decreases the level of perceived high psychological task demands, negative social aspects, and all the stress responses. Perceived support for effective teaching behaviour decreases the level of perceived negative emotions and discontent. Further, school enculturation has an influence on the change in perceived discontent over time.

Conclusions: Perceived stress causes and stress responses can change over time. Specific induction arrangement elements appear to be powerful elements to reduce the level, and the change over time, of specific perceived stress causes and stress responses.