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Vol. 39 (Number 46) Year 2018. Page 19

A research of the psycho-emotional state of a teacher under the influence of social changes

Una investigación del estado psico-emocional de un maestro bajo la influencia de cambios sociales

Anna V. KANDAUROVA 1; Nadezhda N. SURTAEVA 2; Vladimir V. AFANASIEV 3; Olga A. IVANOVA 4; Ravil G. REZAKOV 5

Received: 05/06/2018 • Approved: 19/07/2018


Contents

1. Introduction

2. Literature review

3. Materials and methods

4. Results

5. Discussion

6. Conclusion

Bibliographic references


ABSTRACT:

The study revealed the peculiarities of the response to changes, the establishment of links between the development of emotional burnout and stress, a decreased resilience and the use of nonconstructive behavior strategies by teachers in situations of change.
Keywords: psycho-emotional state of the teacher, professional stress, coping behavior of the teacher

RESUMEN:

El estudio reveló las peculiaridades de la respuesta a los cambios, el establecimiento de vínculos entre el desarrollo del agotamiento emocional y el estrés, una disminución de la resiliencia y el uso de estrategias de comportamiento no constructivo por parte de los maestros en situaciones de cambio.
Palabras clave: estado psico-emocional del profesor, estrés profesional, comportamiento de afrontamiento del profesor.

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1. Introduction

The educational space at the present stage more often acts simultaneously as a subject of study, experimentation, modernization and criticism on the part of scientists, teachers, public, and politicians. Such attention to education today is quite natural. In the middle of the last century, D. Lawton established the law of the periodic change of public attitudes towards the teacher, depending on the socio-economic situation of the society development, highlighting the optimism and the disappointment stages (Mitina, 1997). It is likely that the current stage of development of the Russian society is connected with the disappointment in education on the one hand. On the other hand, the active state policy in the field of education initiated the upgrading of modern education. At the same time, the teacher, being the key figure in the educational system, is experiencing the entire spectrum of influence of the changes from global trends, increasing responsibility to the public for the quality of educational services, to changing the basic professional functions and changing attitudes towards oneself by students, their parents, and public. It is easy to imagine that a modern teacher is in a state of constant stress, tension, risk of choice and decision making, and is experiencing a state of emotional discomfort. The problem of emotional burnout in the pedagogical profession does not lose its relevance. At that, the impact of social changes on the daily and professional activities of a teacher, on their emotional state, has not been studied separately. The aim of the work is to find out how the teacher experiences the negative impact of the changes: whether actively coping with them, resolving the tense situation, or passively accepting it as a necessity, adapting to the changes. Theoretical comprehension and empirical study of the state of the teacher will help to determine the direction and degree of required assistance.

2. Literature review

Daily implementation of multi-variant interaction, conflict resolution and contradictions, as well as performance of professional functions requires the teacher to have considerable emotional and emotional expenses. The problem of stressors in the pedagogical profession, of course, is not a new problem. It is “by virtue of the profession” - according to V.A. Yanchuk and E.I. Sapego, the profession of a teacher carries a significant probability of the emergence and development of a professional deformation of the personality” (Yanchuk and Sapego, 2017). The stress of pedagogical activity was often the subject of study in modern psychological works by A.A. Baranov, Yu.M. Kyzyaeva, D.R. Merzlyakova (2010), and R.A. Subbotina (2016). The works of the scientists emphasize that the activity of the teacher is one of the most psychologically complex, containing a significant number of stress factors. The latter include the growth of requirements for the teacher's professional competences, the growth of educational and scientific-methodical workload, the daily tension of work, the complex multi-variant interaction, constant stresses on the visual, auditory and voice apparatus and others (Baranov et.al., 2010). Since the beginning of the 2000s, professional stress in the pedagogical profession has been actively studied by V.А. Bodrov (1985), T.L. Kryukova (2008), A.B. Leonova (2016), and T.V. Temirov (2008). In particular, A.B. Leonova stresses that the problem of professional stress becomes especially urgent “during the crisis periods of the development of society, which impose increased demands on mobilizing the adaptive potential of professionals” (Leonova, 2016). The author claims that the most important factor in the development of occupational stress is the need to respond quickly in changing conditions with a high degree of risk. According to A.B. Leonova, the search for methods of ensuring psychological well-being at this stage is not in analyzing the causes of occupational stress, but in assessing human adaptive resources (Leonova, 2016). The teacher's gradation is conditioned by the social evaluation of pedagogical activity, uncertainty and routine, as A.A. Baranov believes (2010). The modern factors include the decline in the value of professional pedagogical activity against the background of the decline in its prestige in society (2012). V.A. Bodrov also names insufficient correspondence of material compensation of the teacher's work among of the influencing factors (Bodrov, 1985). The professional group of teachers in modern conditions, thus, is the most vulnerable to emotional burnout, as T.V. Temirov summarizes (Temirov, 2008). Despite the fact that the Russian psychology relatively recently started to actively study the problems of psychological and emotional burnout - since the beginning of the 1990s - a significant theoretical basis has now been formed. At the same time, foreign psychological researches were carried out decades earlier: Aldwin C.M., Revenson T.A. (1987); Billings A.G., Moos R.H. (1984); Carver C.S., Scheier M.F., Weintraub J.K. (1989); Haan N. (1977), Parkes K. R. (1984).

The term “burnout”, according to many sources belongs to H. Freudenberg, where he put the meaning of a new special state of physically and mentally healthy people in an emotionally tense situation (Freedenberg and Lewis, 2000).

The national science uses the variants of emotional or professional burnout. The term “emotional burnout”, which includes a new semantic hue as a result of shifting the emphasis on professional deformation (Bogdanova, 2012), turned out to be acceptable for the Russian discourse. Subsequently, the concept of the “emotional burnout syndrome” was established. Many psychological problems in the field of health leading to psychosomatic diseases are associated specifically with chronic fatigue syndrome, emotional burnout (Bodrov, 1985).

Studying the phenomenon of professional burnout, researchers distinguish various categories of its symptoms: physical, emotional and spiritual; emotional burnout and the feeling of reduced efficiency; feelings of helplessness and despair, poor emotionality, deterioration in physical condition, isolation from others (Kessler et.al., 1985; McGrath and Ellison, 2014). Lately, while searching for ways to improve the quality of national education, the problem of psycho-emotional professional difficulties of the teacher has become more relevant than ever. Emotional burnout is studied together with deformation of the teacher's social status, emotional ill-being, personal conflict, chronic fatigue syndrome, and professional stagnation. It is a no coincidence that, characterizing the national pedagogical corps, and considering its two leading trends - feminization and aging, E.A. Yamburg offers the metaphor of the “tired grandmother” (Yamburg, 2014). Along with that, within the search for a solution to this problem, diametrically opposed concepts are being developed: well-being, emotional intelligence, social and emotional competence, resistance to change, readiness for risk and change, coping with difficulties, social (emotional) well-being. Simultaneously, most of the work has been carried out in the framework of psychological approaches and addressed to individual phenomena (temperamental, gender or characteristic features of the teacher, the style of school management, the characteristics of the students’ contingent, etc.). The existing works do not analyze the impact of factors of social changes in reality, and the results are not focused on prevention, prevention and assistance to the teacher. Consequently, it becomes obvious that the “tired grandmother” is not only the result of feminization and aging, it is the cumulative result of the influence of the totality of changes in society.

The unprecedented speed and scale of social changes in reality are noted in various scientific disciplines. The category “social changes” is more often considered in sociological and philosophical works. But pedagogy keeps studying the changes in all components of the educational space: from changes in the actual subjects of education, the format to the content and technology of education. At the same time, the teacher, as a key figure, as an actor and conductor of changes in educational relations, located in the epicenter of influence and occurring changes, experiencing stress from instability and uncertainty, often turns out to be beyond the field of view of researchers. It is fair to say that the works on sociology and social psychology emphasize the role of a human being in situations of change. Even A. Schütz argued that “a person loses “social navigation” in the comprehensive process of social change” (Schütz, 1988). G.M. Andreeva emphasizes that the position of the researcher in modern human sciences should be connected with the definition of the place and role of the human being in the context of change, since “the only condition for the survival of a person is the degree of understanding of what is happening around, a more or less adequate interpretation of it” (Andreeva, 2009). It is worth turning to the works of P. Sztompka, who introduced the metaphor of “trauma” into the scientific conceptual field of sociology. P. Sztompka argued that the changes are traumatic for all spheres of social order and everyday life of citizens. According to the concept of traumatic changes developed by him, social changes have traumatic consequences for an individual due to the devaluation of norms, traditions, rules governing social life. In particular, the author noted the following: “As long as the new way of life is not fixed and not sanctioned in new cultural rules, traditional culture loses its quality by itself, becoming problematic, imposed, hostile, obsolete, and accompanied by conflict” (Sztompka, 2001). National sociologist, V.A. Yadov, supporting the concept of P. Sztompka, draws attention not so much to the peculiarities of the social structures of society that are experiencing dramatic changes, but rather to the internal mental well-being of citizens (Yadov, 2012). And yet, Alvin Toffler came closest to the problem of man in conditions of change. The state of a person experiencing stress (shock, disadaptation, destruction) under the influence of changes, A. Toffler described more than half a century ago in his book “The Shock of the Future”, published in 1970 (Toffler, 2008). Sharing the concept of traumatic changes P. Sztompka, A. Toffler developed the theory of adaptation (and in fact - disadaptation) of a person in conditions of change. The innovative approach by A. Toffler was that for a man more important and absolutely different is not the direction of change, but their speed (Toffler, 2008). And if in the middle of the last century the basic postulate of the theory of adaptation by A. Toffler was that the shock of the future for a human being is due to the gap between the speed of change and the limited speed of the human adaptation reaction, then in the next half century the psycho-physiological potentialities of the human body hardly increased. It is impossible to refrain from quoting from his book due to its modernity: “Doctors and managers have similar complaints of that they do not have time to follow the latest discoveries in their fields. Today, practically no meeting or conference is held without a ritual mention of “the challenge we are being thrown upon by changes”. Many are concerned that the transformation is out of control” (Toffler, 2008). According to E.P. Belinskaya, a vivid expression of the intensive processes of social change actualized the subject's problem in a changing world for the entire spectrum of humanities (Belinskaya, 2015).

Since the main mission of pedagogical activity is to prepare the younger generation for a future life, for future changes, the “fatigue” of a typical Russian teacher is a consequence of the depletion of the teacher's psycho-physiological resources in response to the impact of already existing changes. It can be confidently asserted that modern social changes are particularly important and at the same time most painful for the teacher. In the middle of the last century, A. Toffler wrote: “Our schools are turned into the past and are oriented not to the emerging new society, but to the already outdated system. Great efforts are made to reproduce an industrial human being - that is, punching people fit for survival in a system that will die before they themselves” (Toffler, 2008). Today, all its components have changed and continue to change in the educational space-subjects of educational relations (teachers, children, parents, partners); the content and forms of education and upbringing; technology and techniques; format of education against the backdrop of the development of computer technology, etc. Regulatory and legal materials declare all new changes, including those related to the requirements for the teacher (for example, the Professional Standard of the Teacher, the attestation models). At the same time, the concern for health, the successful adaptation of the most important subject of the educational space - the teacher, has not yet been reflected in pedagogical research. In addition, the appeal to existing work in the field of ways to minimize the negative impact of changes on an individual also does not give an optimistic forecast.

The impact of social change on an individual is mainly studied in terms of adaptation, such as: adaptation of scientists to social changes, the adaptation of Russian businessmen to social changes, identity of the individual in conditions of social changes, etc. (Belinskaya, 2015; Bokhan, 2017). Studies of the impact of social change on the personality and professional activity of the teacher are mainly concentrated in the field of psychology (Baranov et.al., 2010; Bogdanova, 2012; Temirov, 2008). Pedagogy studied certain questions of the prevention of emotional burnout, professional deformation (Temirov, 2008; Sheregi, 2016; Yanchuk and Sapego, 2017). However, the impact of changes on human health in national science has not been the subject of independent research. It should be said that psychiatrists Thomas Holmes and Richard Rahe conducted extensive research on the impact of life changes on health in the late 1970s. The idea of linking emerging diseases of people with the changes taking place with them was not put forward at all. According to the results of their research, the authors compiled a scale of stressfulness of life events and came to the conclusion that the limits of physiological adaptation of a person are not unlimited; the life changes that are taking place wear out the person's psycho-physiological resources, at the same time, the more radical the change, the greater the costs are required; that the continuing need for adaptation requires excessive excitation of the human endocrine system, entails resistance at first, then fatigue, and down to apathy and exhaustion of the body (Toffler, 2008). On the other hand, it is known that change is the essence of sociality itself (Sztompka, 2001). According to G. Selye, life is impossible without stress to some extent (Selye, 1979). A. Toffler states: “Changes are not just a necessary element of life, but life itself. Figuratively speaking, life is adaptation, adaptability” (Toffler, 2008). At the same time, probably, based on the concept of the traumatic changes of P. Sztompka, A. Toffler enumerates the consequences of the depletion of man's adaptive capacities under the influence of unceasing changes, namely:

- Embarrassment, violation of social orientation, violation of reflection of reality;

- A feeling of constant fatigue, uncertainty, causing fear, tension or excitability and irritability;

- In all cases there is a point after which there is no reverse move, - a point of apathy and loss of emotionality (Toffler, 2008).

For the sake of justice, it should be noted that in some modern studies the category of change is seen as a determinant of stress, an intrapersonal conflict. For example, T.G. Bokhan and colleagues believe that “... the emotional tension that accompanies stress reflects the conflict in the value-semantic fields of the person's life world, behind which stands the struggle of opposing trends - the desire for stability, on the one hand, and for changes, on the other ..” (Bokhan, 2017). The study and analysis of work allows us to conclude that it is necessary to address human resources as a potential for coping with difficulties and changes in the context of prevention of occupational stress and emotional burnout.

The epistemology of the problem of coping is actively developing in modern humanitarian science; theoretical foundations of coping behavior as a kind of social behavior of a person overcoming difficult life situations and crises as an independent scientific direction took shape in Western psychology in the 60s of the XX century: Haan N. (1977); Lazarus R.S., Folkman S. (1984); Moss R.H., Schaefer J.A. (1986). National psychology started studying coping behavior and the analysis of coping strategies in the 90s of the last century.

Within the framework of the methodology of the subject approach, the human behavior that copes with life difficulties is considered to be conscious and purposeful (Subbotina, 2016). Russian-language version of the semantics of the concept of “coping”, according to the dictionary by V. Dal, has the semantics of “harmony”: “To cope, to overcome the obstacle, the difficulty, and the circumstances.” With regard to the concept of “coping”, science has not yet formed an unequivocal opinion, this concept is used together and instead of the concepts of “protection” (Nartova-Bochaver, 1997). Most often, “coping” is used as a synonym for the mechanism or strategy of coping or defensive behavior.

As can be judged from the analysis of the literature, there is also no unambiguous classification of coping strategies. Thus, R. Lazarus and S. Folkman single out two groups of strategies for the problem resolution parameter or a change in their own attitude to the situation (Lazarus and Folkman, 1984). R.C. Kessler, R.H. Price, and C.B. Wortman distinguish three leading strategies: problem-oriented coping, as counteraction and problem management; emotionally-oriented, as the regulation of emotions, including protection from negative emotions and seeking support (Kessler et.al., 1985). S.K. Nartova-Bochaver considers a problematic situation as a basis for classification (Nartova-Bochaver, 1997). L.A. Kitaev-Smyk offers two possible coping strategies: active and passive behavioral response (Kitaev-Smyk, 1983).

The manuscripts by J. McGrath and E.V. Libina are of the interest. The first author proposes to include preventive coping: “positive experience will increase the potential of a person and the negative experience will weaken it” (McGrath and Ellison, 2014). E.V. Libina proposes to classify coping strategies in terms of modality (cognitive, emotional and behavioral), focus (on others, on oneself, on subject) and intensity (active and passive) (Libina, 2008). Modern researches by K.A. Bochaver, L.M. Dovzhik (2016), R.A. Subbotina (2016), S.A. Khazova (2013), M.R. Khachaturova (2013), et.al. cover the studies of coping behavior in the channel of the resource approach According to M.R. Khachaturova, “at present, the concept of coping is used to study the behavior of a person in any difficult life situation” (Khachaturova, 2013). The foreign studies by Maddi S.R. (1999), Skinner E.A., Edge K. (2002), Weber H. (2003) attempt to make the classification of the coping strategies; and Nakano K. proved the destructive influence on the health of non-productive strategies (1991), while Rexrode K.R., Petersen S., O’Toole S. actively develop diagnostic procedures (2008).

Thus, the analysis of results and materials allowed the existing scientific knowledge in the field of sociology, social psychology, and psychology to be integrated into the field of pedagogy. The pedagogical research is based on the assumption of a possible connection between the emotional burnout of the teacher and his strategies for minimizing the destructive impact of changes in professional and daily life.

3. Materials and methods

The study used well-known standardized methods: “Stress in your work” questionnaire (Yu. V. Shcherbatykh); stress-resistance self-assessment (S. Cohen, G. Willianson); professional burnout diagnostics test (MBI) (K. Maslach, S. Jackson) as adapted by N.E. Vodopianova; questionnaire for differential diagnostics of the reduced working capacity state (A. Leonova, S. Velichkovskaya); resilience test (Hardiness Survey by S. Muddy) as adapted by D.A. Leontiev; “Coping behavior in stress situations” questionnaire (T.L. Kryukova), the coping behavior mechanisms method by E. Heim (Libina, 2008; Osin and Rasskazova, 2013). Empirical data were supplemented by the results of conversations and storytelling sessions with teachers.

The study was carried out on the basis of the Moscow City Pedagogical University and the Tyumen Regional State Institute for the Development of Regional Education during three years In the study conducted practicing teachers of Moscow, St. Petersburg, Tyumen and Omsk regions, in the number of 1,346 people aged 26 to 60 years. Anonymous questionnaires and correction of the responses were used to minimize deviations for various reasons. Analysis of the answers showed that bias due to gender, nationality was not found, minor bias is related to the age of respondents.

4. Results

The first parameter of the study was the stress level. Diagnostic examination of practicing teachers confirmed the prevailing stably increased level of occupational stress (Table 1).

Table 1
The level of stress among practicing teachers

Indicators of stress level in points

Stress in your work

(Yu.V. Shcherbatykh)

Self-assessment of stress resistance

(S. Cohen, G. Willianson)

Average sample

66

23.3

Critically high

61-72

21-34

High

49-60

12-20

Average

30-48

6-12

Low

0-29

2-5

Maximum value for the sample

69

33

The minimum value for the sample

32

11

Respondents noted that they respond to occupational stress with headache, high blood pressure, palpitations, sleep disorders, emotional breakdowns (depression, feelings of hopelessness, irritability, anger, etc.), loss of energy, and apathy. According to the responses, the main factor of stress of the teacher is constant changes, causing a lack of free time for preparation for classes, for reading, for communication with colleagues, for recreation. F. E. Sheregi cites the data that today 46% of teachers work with academic overload, 38% of them work on 1.5 rates, 8.4% on 2 rates; 64% of teachers perform the duties of a form teacher. In addition to basic work, 82.9% of teachers perform work in excess of the norm in the main place (Sheregi, 2016). According to our data, the average load of a modern teacher is one and a half bets in urban schools and more - in rural schools; more than 86% of them are form teachers.

The next parameter of diagnosis was the level of emotional burnout (Table 2). The surveyed group of teachers demonstrates an elevated level in all indicators.

Table 2
The results of diagnosing the emotional burnout of practicing teachers

Level (in points)

Emotional exhaustion

Depersonalization

Professional success (reduction of personal achievements)

High

25 and more

11 and more

30 and less

Average

16-24

6-10

31-36

Low

0-15

0-5

37 and more

Average sample value

45

21

44

Maximum value for the sample

54

30

48

The minimum value for the sample

19

8

33

As can be seen from the results, even the minimum value of the indicator of emotional burnout in the sample (19 points) corresponds to the average level of emotional burnout on the scale. For a deeper analysis of the causes and factors that cause stress and emotional burnout, the method of storytelling was used in the group of teachers. Storytelling is an independent narrative technique for studying personal stories that reflect the state, experiences of subjects in the perspective of their life experience. The main goal of storytelling was the identification of semantic structures from the stories of teachers in the process of active listening and group reflection. The results of the storytelling showed that the teachers characterize the state of emotional burnout as a syndrome of chronic fatigue, the frequent appearance of depressive states, the feeling of helplessness and senselessness of their activity, a low evaluation of their professional competence, a decrease in the psycho-emotional background and mood, fatigue, lack of initiative, and apathy. The totality of conditions determined by the syndrome affects the overall performance of the teacher, leads to a decrease in the results of work, and satisfaction with life. The results of the diagnosis of the health status are shown in Table 3.

Table 3
Indicators of efficiency of teachers

Indicators / Degree

Fatigue

Monotony

Satiation

Stress

Low

up to 15

up to 15

Up to 16

Up to 16

Moderate

From 16 till 25

From 16 till 25

From 17 till 24

From 17 till 24

Expressive

From 26 till 31

From 26 till 30

From 5 till 30

From 5 till 30

High

From 32 and higher

From 31 and higher

From 31 and higher

From 31 and higher

The mean of the sample in points

18

26

28

29

The minimum value for the sample

12

19

18

41

Maximum value for the sample

23

34

35

23

The received data confirmed the expressed level of stress, critical values of monotony and satiety, while the level of fatigue in the average value is moderate. Based on the empirical data of the results of storytelling, the authors can conclude the following:

- Teachers for the most part feel emotionally tense, depressed, and tired. Many of them feel the state of emotional burnout;

- The main factors of the stressful and emotionally stressed state of the teacher are the constant changes in professional and daily life, the growth of demands from management and society, and a large amount of reporting documentation;

- Lack of free time not only for recreation, communication, but also for professional development;

- Professional functions (preparation and conduct of lessons, pedagogical and educational interactions and even a large educational and methodical workload) are not called by teachers as causes of stress and fatigue. Teachers are aware of the need for self-organization and self-government.

Thus, the actual pedagogical task today is not so much the study of stressors and symptoms of emotional burnout of a teacher, but rather a specific help. The authors turn to the life resources of the teacher in the search for a solution to this problem.

The next parameter of the study is the resilience of the modern teacher. The authors of the methodology see the resilience as a system of beliefs and values of a human being about the world and themselves, which allows for withstanding and coping with difficult and stressful situations. Resilience as a personal quality allows a person to cope with the sense of anxiety and uncertainty that accompany the choice of the future as an unknown as opposed to an unchanging past in the situation of an existential dilemma (Osin and Rasskazova, 2013). In the adapted version, resilience consists of three relatively independent components: involvement, control, and risk acceptance. Involvement shows how much a person enjoys own activity; control - how a person chooses own activity, own way; taking risk shows how a person evaluates life: as an eternal stress, or as a way to gain experience (Table 4).

Table 4
The results of assessing the viability of teachers

Indicators in scores

Resilience. Life-sustaining

Involvement

Control

Acceptance of risk

Average value by key

80.72

37.64

29.17

13.91

Standard deviation

18.53

8.08

8.43

4.39

Average sample value

56.3

24.7

23

8.5

Minimum value

49

18

19

4

Maximum value

72

36

27

11

 

The results showed a reduced resilience level of teachers in general and all its components (56.3 points compared with the standard value - 80.72). In the version of S. Maddi, the development of the three components ensures the preservation of health, efficiency, subjective activity in overcoming life difficulties, prevents the emergence of an internal emotional strain due to persistent coping in situations of uncertainty, choice, stress, risk, and manifestation of coping strategies (hardy coping). Therefore, it is necessary to turn to the next parameter - coping strategies (Kryukova, 2008; Nabiullina and Tukhtarova, n.d.) (Table 5).

Table 5
Preferred coping strategies by teachers

 

Coping strategies

Coping behavior by the method of E. Heim

Level (in points)

Problem-oriented copying

Emotionally-oriented
copying

Avoidance-oriented

Cognitive coping strategies

Emotional coping strategies

Behavioral coping strategies

High

66-79

52-76

50-69

8-10

6-8

6-8

Average

53-65

38-51

39-49

5-7

3-5

3-5

Low

24-52

20-37

20-38

2-4

1-2

1-2

Average sample value

56

51

38

7

5

5

As can be seen from the data in Table 5, teachers, when faced with problems and difficulties, use possible coping strategies situationally, intuitively, since none of the respondents showed a high level of development of coping strategies. Consequently, teachers do not have the knowledge and experience of applying coping behavior, showing a tendency to adaptive, passive response to stress and tension caused by changes.

5. Discussion

The need for a constant and flexible adaptation of the teacher to a changing world leads to a permanent state of stress, causes a state of “endless fatigue”.

Comprehension and discussion of the obtained results allows concluding the following:

- The state of the modern teacher is characterized by an increased level of emotional burnout and stress; reduced resilience level;

- Teachers call that the main reasons for that are permanent, dynamic changes in professional and daily life;

- At that, the teachers themselves do not have the knowledge and experience of coping behavior.

Empirical evidence is supported by storytelling materials. Thus, 84% of teachers can hardly imagine the content of the concepts of coping strategy and coping behavior. Answering the question about the ways of rest, mechanisms of coping with professional fatigue, stress, teachers call sleep, watching television, rarely - reading. For example, the storytelling materials contain the following: “I understand that everything that is required of us probably really needs to be done, but when everything is done, I have no energy to check the homework of my son...”; “I once wanted to get the highest professional category as a confirmation of my level, it seemed to me that it was important for me and the children and their parents. Now I do not have time for own development, also it is almost not reflected in the salary, and I do not have the desire at all”; “How do we rest? We don't. Activity change is the best way to rest. Once classes end, elective courses start. Once elective courses end, we need to fill in the journal”. “The teacher is the one, who is always studying. So we are studying new requirements, new forms for filling, and feeling at the same time endless fatigue”.

- Strategies for human behavior in complex situations should be divided into two alternatives: coping behavior and protection (adaptation). Identical psychological mechanisms that are different in orientation are at the heart of coping (coping) and protection (adaptation) is at the heart of coping and protection (adaptation). Active response to changes, in our opinion, is more in line with problem-oriented coping, while passive reactions should be viewed as emotionally-oriented coping.

- The mechanism of psychological protection (adaptation), because of the type of emotionally-oriented strategy, causes a rapid decrease in emotional oppression and anxiety, according to the principle “here and now”, but does not solve the problem (Nabiullina and Tukhtarova, n.d.). The need to reduce emotional anxiety is the goal of psychological protection. However, the more emotionally the teacher responds to difficulties, the more emotional resources they spend (Baranov et.al., 2010), which wears out the person's psycho-physiological resource and contributes to the development of emotional burnout.

- The psychological mechanism of coping is more plastic and addresses cognitive, emotional and behavioral resources of a person, while providing a solution to the problem, and reducing emotional stress is a consequence. Coping strategies shape life and social experience, multiplying personal resources, increasing resilience.

- Strategies preferred by teachers are mostly adaptive. According to the Lazarus method, teachers choose confrontational copying, distancing, and escape-avoidance. According to the methods of Kryukova and Heim, the application of emotionally-oriented strategies also corresponds to the sign of adaptive coping behavior.

6. Conclusion

The conducted research gives a general idea of the psycho-emotional state of the modern teacher during the period of permanent and dynamic social changes in Russian reality, which makes researchers think about the measures of prevention and assistance to the teacher.

This is a very obviously promising research direction. Theory and practice of coping behavior require their theoretical and practical approbation in the system of professional development of teachers, in conditions of internal training. Additional training of teachers is needed to prevent the adaptation trend that depletes the psycho-emotional resources of teachers, leading to emotional burnout (Kandaurova, 2017) are needed in order to minimize the negative impact of the changes. The effectiveness of the training is determined by the quality of programs and scenarios for training teachers to master the theory and practice of coping behavior, which include trainings, seminars, and exercises. The development of the experience of coping behavior among teachers will contribute not only to the prevention of occupational stresses, the improvement of the quality of education, but also to the increase in the resilience of the person as a whole.

Bibliographic references

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1. Candidate of Sciences (Pedagogy), Associate Professor, Associate Professor of the Department of Humanities, Socio-Economic, and Fundamental Studies; Omsk State Agrarian University, Tara branch; Omsk Oblast, the town of Tara, Russian Federation, 646530, 18 Tyumenskaya Str

2. Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy), Professor, Professor of the Department of Education and Socialization of Herzen State Pedagogical University Of Russia; Saint Petersburg, Russian Federation, 191186, 48 Moyka River Embankment, bld. 11.

3. Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy), Professor, Doctor of the Department of Pedagogy of the Institution of Pedagogy and Psychology of Education of the Moscow City University; Moscow, Russian Federation, 129226, 2nd Selskohozyaystvennyi lane, bld. 4. vladimir-afanasiev@rambler.ru

4. Professor, Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy), Professor of the Department of Pedagogical Methods for Ongoing Education of the Institution for Ongoing education of the Moscow City University; Moscow, Russian Federation, 115191, 2nd Tulskiy alley, bld. 4.

5. Professor, Doctor of Sciences (Pedagogy), Head of the Scientific Research and Development of the Moscow City University; Moscow, Russian Federation, 129226, 2nd Selskohozyaystvennyi lane, bld. 4.


Revista ESPACIOS. ISSN 0798 1015
Vol. 39 (Nº 46) Year 2018

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