The role of stressors and supports in early childhood education instructional quality

Abstract

This study determined the impact of kindergarten teachers' stress levels and the level of support they received on the instructional quality in an early childhood education (ECE) setting. Specifically, a sequential explanatory mixed-methods design was utilized to link the quantitative and qualitative data. The researchers distributed the survey questionnaires to the 54 kindergarten teachers from Philippines' Davao Central District; voluntarily, they participated in the survey. Meanwhile, eight kindergarten teachers were interviewed. The findings of the survey revealed that the teachers' stress levels were generally moderate. However, the teachers' stress levels were high when it came to time management and work-related stressors. Furthermore, the teachers' perceptions of support revealed that they received a high level of support from their families, co-teachers, and the school administration. In terms of the correlation between the variables, the results showed that only professional distress has a significant influence on support from the family and school administration. The participants shared their issues and concerns with regard to the stress they experienced, which somehow had an impact on their delivery of instruction. These include challenges with parental involvement, difficulties in using technology in the new normal setting, the overlapping of teachers' tasks impeding student learning, inadequate preparation of instructional materials, insufficient instructional time, and a lack of monitoring students' progress. Therefore, this study recommends enhancing educational practices and promoting the well-being of teachers in similar contexts.