CAUSES, THE IMPACT OF STRESS AND WAYS OF DEALING WITH THE STRESS OF SUBJECT TEACHERS IN PRIMARY SCHOOL AND THE ROLE OF PROFESSIONAL ASSOCIATE PEDAGOGUE

Sažetak

The paper deals with the problem of teacher stress and teachers' attitudes towards stress exposure. The aim of the research was to examine the sources of stress in primary school teachers, the ways in which they deal with stress, and how stress affects them. Also, this research aimed to reveal the opinion of the respondents about the professional associate - pedagogue and how he/she can help them in some segments of work. The research was conducted on a sample of 346 subject teachers in primary school. The results were processed using the SPSS program using descriptive and inferential statistics procedures (t-test for independent samples and correlation analysis). The results of the research shows that teachers believe that underestimation in society is the biggest source of stress (AS = 4.1). They also point out to a large extent political interference (AS = 3.88), injustice in employment (AS = 3.76), and insufficient rewarding of excellence (AS = 3.74). Research has also shown that stress has the greatest impact on teacher health (AS = 3.03). As for coping techniques, they answered that they do not blame themselves for everything that happens at school (AS = 3.73) and that they set a time for rest (AS = 3.55). When it comes to issues related to the professional associate - pedagogue, most respondents believe that the pedagogue should deal more with students and less with administration (AS = 4.2). T-test for independent samples revealed statistically significant differences in student disobedience and classroom discipline (p <0.001) and parents' treatment of teachers (p <0.01) with respect to age. The results of the research show that many factors affect teachers' stress, from society, parents to classroom work, and such a situation significantly affects teachers. Emphasis on the care and satisfaction of workers should be an imperative of every job, including teaching, and it should go from the school level, where it would be more dedicated to cooperation and respect, to external associates who would help teachers to the state that would change its approach to education.