Chapter 2: Elementary Level Mathematics Teachers’ Stress at a Time of Curriculum Reform in Turkey

Educational innovations can lead to teacher stress, but the actual impact of reform on teachers’ stress levels is a source of controversy. This study examined elementary level mathematics teachers’ stress during a time of mathematics curriculum reform in Turkey. Following transactional models of stress, the relationships among the following constructs were examined: teachers’ perceived resources, teachers’ feelings of readiness and efficacy about the reform, their appraisals of the reform, coping patterns, and adaptive outcomes. Participants were 395 teachers of elementary level mathematics. The variables within the framework of the proposed model were found to be significantly related to each other. It was concluded that teachers have lower anxiety and more positive attitudes when they perceive curricular changes as a challenge rather than a threat.