Are "well" teachers "better" teachers? A look into the relationship between first-year teacher emotion and use of evidence-based instructional strategies.

Abstract

Teachers experience significant stress with 93% reported high levels of stress (Herman et al., 2018), and literature examining teacher stress levels during the COVID-19 pandemic reveals that 30 percent of teachers experience significantly high levels of stress (Silva et al., 2021). Low levels of teacher well-being and higher levels of stress have been linked to punitive behavior management (Jennings & Greenberg, 2009) and lower student academic achievement (Goddard et al., 2000). The aim of the present study is to explore the relationship between teacher emotion and use of evidence-based instructional strategies that promote student success. In this study, 17 first-year teachers completed a novel measurement, inclusive of single-item scales intended to assess feelings of stress, efficacy, and school connectedness, several times a day, each day of the week, for 1 month. The classroom strategies assessment system of evidence-based academic and behavioral instructional strategies was used in weekly teacher observations. Results indicated validity between these single-item scales and established measures of teacher well-being. A positive relationship between teachers' in-the-moment well-being and evidence-based instruction was found, as well as substantial variation in teacher emotional response across days and weeks. Implications and future directions are discussed. (PsycInfo Database Record (c) 2024 APA, all rights reserved).