Satisfaction in the primary classroom : the effects of classroom management

Abstract

Stress has been examined by many researchers. It has been observed and analysed through different aspects and through all its phases. This study aims to focus on the impact that stress leaves on primary school teachers in the Maltese Islands with classroom management as the focal point. In order to carry the study, self-administered questionnaires were distributed among 300 primary school teachers around Malta. The outcome of these questionnaires highlighted that the highest stressors related to classroom management are when children do not listen to instructions, when they behave violently and act in an arrogant manner. The group of teachers with 10 years of experience and under showed significant difference in some sources of stress from the group with 11 years upwards. A similar trend can be observed when comparing teachers educating children in their early years and those educating children in their junior years. The participants all chose different coping strategies. However, the three most commonly used strategies are the following: talking to other teachers and colleagues, searching for new ways on how to motivate children and focusing on the positive side of teaching.