Key Factors Affecting Mathematics Teachers' Well-Being and Stress Levels: An Extended Engagement Theory

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2022 Dec 29;20(1):548. doi: 10.3390/ijerph20010548.

Abstract

The mathematics teachers' profession often has many challenges. It also occupies important positions at the K-12 education level, in which mathematics knowledge is the basis of all scientific fields. This tends to cause high-stress levels and a negative effect on well-being. Mathematics teachers' well-being has been less examined, and therefore this study aims to determine the factors affecting mathematics teachers' well-being and stress levels. The 210 data points collected from Chinese mathematics teachers using a web-based questionnaire were analyzed for reliability and validity, then model fit and SEM were applied for model validation after removing 3 invalid data points and incomplete responses. The results showed that behavioral and cognitive engagements significantly affect teachers' well-being, while the affective engagement was insignificant. The TPMK was the strongest significant predictor that had a positive impact on improving well-being and reducing stress levels. In addition, the stress level of mathematics teachers was influenced by gender and age. Finally, it was proven that teachers' well-being significantly reduced stress levels. This study's implication was to provide information on how to reduce stress levels.

Keywords: TPMK; engagement; mathematics teacher; stress; well-being.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Educational Personnel*
  • Humans
  • Mathematics
  • Reproducibility of Results
  • School Teachers / psychology
  • Students* / psychology

Grants and funding

This research was funded by the School of Mathematics and Statistics, Guangxi Normal University, China.