In this master’s thesis, we examine the experience of stress and the self-assessed resilience of special and rehabilitation pedagogues (SRP) in relation to their workplace and professional development phases. The study includes SRP working in the special program of upbringing and education (PPVI), in an adapted education program with a lower educational standard (NIS), and SRP for the implementation of additional assistance at elementary schools (DSP). In the theoretical part, stress is defined as a physiological, psychological, and behavioral response to stressors, while occupational stress is presented as a frequent phenomenon in teaching professions due to high responsibility, diverse demands, and emotionally demanding situations. We further explain the process-based concept of resilience and the role of protective and risk factors in teachers’ wellbeing and professional development. Resilience is understood as a dynamic interaction between personal and contextual resources that enables effective adaptation to challenging school situations, and we describe the characteristics of six professional development phases.
In the empirical part, we conduct a quantitative study on a sample of 93 SRP teachers. The results show that the level of occupational stress is not statistically significantly different with regard to workplace or professional development phase. The most frequently reported stressor is administrative work, followed by work overload, time pressure, and the low status of the teaching profession. These findings are consistent with national and international research, which emphasizes administrative burdens as a leading cause of stress in education. Differences in the frequency of stressors are, however, observed across professional development phases and workplaces.
Regarding self-assessed resilience, SRP evaluate their resilience as high. The results indicate that SRP rely more strongly on protective factors, while at the same time being exposed to contextual risk factors. The level of resilience does not statistically significantly differ between professional development phases, but statistically significant differences are observed between workplaces. Statistically significant differences are also evident in experience and exposure to protective and risk factors across workplaces and professional development phases.
The findings highlight the importance of reducing administrative burdens, strengthening teamwork, and ensuring support mechanisms, especially for DSP practitioners and teachers at the beginning of their careers. Future research should consider larger samples, include qualitative approaches, and examine the effectiveness of programs aimed at strengthening teacher resilience and well-being within school environments.
|
