Chapter 6: Teacher Stress and Classroom Structural Characteristics in Preschool Settings

The Classroom Appraisal of Resources and Demands (CARD) was used to explore stress among preschool teachers (N = 317). The sample yielded reliable difference scores, which measured the gap between a teacher’s appraisal of both classroom demands and the resources available to meet those demands. These scores were used to classify teachers according to risk of stress and were examined for associations with classroom structural characteristics. Teacher stress was related to the number of children with problem behaviors in the classroom.