1. Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
Data Analysis
Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
& Susan Vanderburg

2. The Process… Brainstorming: Themes, concepts, general impressions
Lists—Descriptive Themes—Relational Themes
Made Lists of common concepts
Discussed Descriptive Themes
Discussed Relational Themes
Talked about general questions (so what?)
Divide and conquer responsibilities

3. List of Stressors Professional Personal
Testing, Testing, Testing (EOG’s, & quarterly benchmarks)
Parents of Students (Lack of support, General attitudes towards teachers)
Student Behavior Problems
Lots of Grading, Lesson Plans, Copying, Report Cards, Meetings, etc.
Professional Development (ex: National Boards)
Different philosophies of teaching compared to administrators
Not enough time to get it all done (taking work home, working nights and weekends)
Child Care
Emotional Needs of Teenagers
Sick Family Members (mother-in-law, children, spouse)  Re-organizing work schedule
Family Tragedies: Recent Death (including a murder) of Family Members
Major Personal Health Issues (cancer, diabetes, blood clot)
International Adoption
Friends in Need – Finding time to help
Economic Hardship
Buying a Home
Trying to Sell Home
Family Responsibilities (caring for a nephew, spending time with family watching games, going to family birthday parties etc.)

4. Things that are important
Family (13/16)
Job (10/16)
Faith/God (6/16)
Friends (6/16)
Time for self (2/16)
Students
Pets
Education
People
Making Good Choices Treating people right
Community
Taking care of self
Making a difference in society
Positive role model for children
Meeting goals
Reading

5. Sources of Support Family Parents Husband Children Sister
Brother-in-law
In-laws
Nephew
Daughter
Wife
Friends
Church Friends
Teachers as Mentors
Adminstrators
Parents of Students
Teacher Assistants
Student Teachers
Students
Teamates/Colleagues

6. MAJOR THEME Teaching is an all encompassing profession
The demands of their professional lives often overlap and spillover into their personal lives
Personal lives and professional lives were intertwined
Although sometimes the demands of their careers lead to stress in their personal lives, for some teachers, they view the overlap to be a necessary and positive aspect of who they are as teachers and as individuals.

7. TAKING WORK HOME
“I tend to take work home with me a lot, both literally and figuratively. I mean, there’s always planning and grading, but I take the day home with me, as well…I’m obsessing about work, outside of work” (Susan, Interview 1, p. 2).
“Early on I wanted to be successful in the classroom and so there were times [when] I would even take papers to grade home from the first semester into Kinko’s while I was making copies for the next day working on lesson plans and it may be 2:30 or 3:00 in the morning and having to be back up and in school by 8:15. So I spent a lot of time doing that and I felt like I was sacrificing [my] personal life [to my] professional [life]” (Ako, Interview 3, p. 4.)

8. Long Hours at School
“I was here till 7:00 or 8:00 at night…coaching [and then] grading papers” (Susan, Interview 3, p. 3).
“I could spend 12 hours a day here at the school and still feel like I don’t have things done” (Bethany, Interview 1, p. 2).
“Then after they [the students] leave, I stay at school another 2 or 3 hours usually preparing for school the next day. And answering s, talking to parents, whatever I need to do there, [including] meetings after school, we have lots of after school meetings” (Moore, Interview 1, p. 5).

9. OVERLAP OF PROFESSIONAL AND PERSONAL LIVES
“I live 2 blocks from the school. You know, it’s all very intertwined…I like that my neighbor is somebody that I see at school. I like the fact that I teach with people that go to my church. I like all that overlap” (Moore, Interview 4, p. 3)
“I try to do things outside [of school for my students], like I’ll go see if they have a game to play; I like going and seeing them outside of school and a lot [of my students] will invite me to different things…I want to build that sense of community in my class and [have] that tie with the parents, too. Things like cover dish dinners” (Bethany, Interview 3, p.)

10. Relational Themes
More common for professional to spillover into personal compared to personal into professional
Married teachers seem less overwhelmed than single teachers
First and Second career teachers seem to handle or at least perceive stress differently
Ako-Definition of stress as it relates to perception of balance

11. Spillover more prominent from professional lives to personal lives
“Professional. Definitely. Because I’m realizing more and more … that it’s like 95% of my life. I think the time, just trying to get it all in. And having to like, suck it up that sometimes I work 12 hour days and there is still so much left undone. … you just go and go and go and you never really caught up. Um. So that’s frustrating. MJ – Interview 3, p. 19 11

12. Spillover continued
It’s upsetting. I mean, there are days when I’m spending time with my daughter, but I’m not spending time; like my mind is somewhere else. Like I’m feeding her dinner, but I’m just spooning it in her mouth or I’m just shoveling it on her plate. I’m not really interacting with her, because my head is thinking about, “How am I going to get those kids to read in two months?” Susan Interview 4 p. 5 12

13. Married and Single Teachers
I’ve got a wonderful husband. Very supportive. Very, um, loving. He goes out of his way to show how much he loves me. Um, and I think my kids are the best. So, that’s very rewarding to me. Um. That’s very rewarding.” (MJ – Interview 1, p. 10)
I do well handling stress unless it just gets to be too much and then I have to go to my wife and she is good at talking me through those kinds of things, you know developing a plan with me to get through those things, so. Beth—MB6
I didn’t have a personal life. I have a king size bed and my whole bed was filled with my papers and I slept with my papers and I never caught up, ever. Phoebe page 2

14. First and Second Career Teachers
First Career
[Work] It affects a lot of how I manage my time, because I don’t give outside things as much time as I give work. I’m more focused on work, but you see the older teachers that are like, “I leave work at work and I go home” and I’m like, “I can’t do that, yet!” Beth-IM
Right now my career and just school is incredibly important in my life. I hope that that won’t be the way in the next thirty years, but because it’s only my second year and I don’t really have as much family obligations, you know the school is very important to me Susan-Pheobe

15. First and Second Career Teachers Cont.
Well, to me, stress would be if I don’t enjoy coming to work. I mean, if I didn’t like coming to work that would be a stress riser and I don’t feel that at this school. Ako-#1
Well, you know, I have had your issues, but they don’t keep me up at night. You know I try and deal with them and there are some that they’ve had it for the last five years in school and it’s something that I know I can’t fix. You know I can do my best, but some things I just can’t fix. I try not to let that keep me up at night. –Beth-MB

16. Definition of Stress as it relates to the perception of balance

17. Coping Mechanisms-Ako
“I try to be an orderly person, everything in order, and the greatest stress factor that I can see that teachers might have is if they don’t prepare for the next day and I try every night. Now, sometimes I watch T.V. and don’t, but most of the nights I try to plan something ahead that would be an activity or what I plan on doing. Like I already have in my mind what’s going to happen tomorrow and, I think, that lowers stress levels.” (Barnes, Interview 1, p. 5)

18. So What??? Contemplating teaching as a career.
Why did they become teachers and how did that impact their stress level?
Things that are “important” are they consistent throughout the interview?

19. Balance?
Teachers often report difficulty in balancing their personal and professional lives (Burden 1982; Gu & Day, 2007)
Struggles in their personal lives often influenced their professional lives & vice versa
Differences in how this balance plays out over the course of their careers
Often more difficult in the beginning
Mary Julia

20. Spillover Family Systems Theory (Cox & Payley, 1997)
“When experiences in the home or at work are brought by one individual into the other domain, affecting that individual’s performance of roles and experiences within the second domain” (Stevens, Kiger, & Riley 2006, pp ).
Can be positive or negative
More likely under conditions of stress & burnout (Appel & Kim-Appel, 2008)
Mary Julia

21. Spillover & Balance
Spillover: the greater the demand from work, the less likely an individual is to feel balanced (due in part to long demanding hours)
Especially when they miss personal events such as a spouse’s birthday party or a child’s sporting or school event.
(Keene & Quadagno, 2004)
Susan

22. Factors associated with Teaching that Increase the Likelihood of - Spillover
School Pressures
National Standards
Psychological Burdens
Having to teach Required Material
Lesson plans, grading, etc. often taken home
(Gu & Day, 2007)
Family Pressures
Spouse
Children
Financial Difficulties
Mary Julia

23. Factors associated with Teaching that Increase the Likelihood of + Spillover
Supportive Leadership/
Administration
Promotion
Desire to Teach
Positive experiences with Students
(Gu & Day, 2007)
Family Support
Loving Spouse
Mary Julia

24. Gender Differences Satisfaction with Work Job Flexibility
For women
For Men
Satisfaction with Work
Job Flexibility
Related Significantly to perceptions of Spillover
Job Characteristics were less relevant to their perceptions of Spillover
Mary Julia
* For both men and women, their perception of the amount of work-family spillover of their partner was associated significantly with their own perceptions of family cohesion.
(Stevens, Kiger, & Riley, 2006)

25. Gender Differences
Literature suggests that mothers participating in the workforce often struggle with feelings of guilt because of inherent historically rooted values in the broader society.
“A good mother is a construct socially embedded within Western society and the image is typically further portrayed in the media with news media focusing on the negative effects of child care” (Guendouzi, 2006).
Whereas Western society views employment as a necessary condition for Fathers – in order to be a good father one must be an active participant in the workforce.
Susan

26. Factors Relating to Mothers and Spillover
A study conducted by Novak and Thommason suggests that:
accessibility (the well being of the child depends on how accessible the mother is)
happiness (happiness of the mother will affect happiness of the child)
separate spheres (mothers must be happy and fulfilled to benefit their children)
are the most dominate positions that arise when women discuss motherhood (as cited in Guendouzi, 2006).
Susan

27. Gender Differences
Literature suggests that, “when work is seen as interfering with the time and energy needed at home, working parents, especially working mothers, become dissatisfied with their jobs” (Grandey et al., 2005).
According to research, most employees expectations are based on a male model that presumes a nonworking spouse to manage a worker’s personal needs and children.
While both women and men must make personal adjustments to maintain their family responsibilities, research indicates that women spent more time conducting household chores and spend more time caring for children (Keene & Quadagno, 2004).
Susan

29. Consequences of Spillover
Some studies suggest more positive benefits
increased economic resources,
improved self-esteem,
enhanced social integration
Some studies indicate that multiple role commitments lead to negative consequences such as
mental and physical exhaustion
STRESS!!!
Keene, J.R., & Quadrangno, J. (2004).
Susan 29

30. Literature Review: STRESS Stress: Teacher Stress:
“an unpleasant emotional state” (Rieg, Paquette, & Chen, 2007)
Other definitions discuss the physical, emotional, and mental responses to demands in our daily life (Brown & Nagel, 2007).
When one views a set of demands as outweighing the resources available for dealing with the demands then stress is created (O’Donnell, Lambert, & McCarthy, 2008).
Teacher Stress:
“a response syndrome of negative effects resulting from the teachers’ job” (Reig, et al 2007).
When teachers view the demands of their job as outweighing their resources they report feelings of stress (O’Donnell et al. 2008).

31. Stressors
Stressors (elements that trigger feelings of Stress) include:
School climate: working relationships, material resources, students’ behavior, and parent/community involvement
Parent conflict, poor relationships with supervisors, student behavior, and self-efficacy
Pre-service teachers were more concerned with meeting the needs of ALL students, working with nontraditional family units, and utilizing their instructional time effectively.
Beginning teachers were stressed about the competitive pressure placed on them to be better than other districts, schools, or teachers
(Reig, Paquette, and Chen 2007) (Grayson & Alvarez, 2007)

32. Literature Review: Burnout
CARD (Classroom Demands and Classroom Resources); measure the factors that lead to teachers’ stress and/or burnout
Teachers’ perceptions of their demands and resources directly impact their level of stress. If their demands out- weighed their resources they showed higher levels of stress.
Poverty status: Teachers in low socio-economic communities reported higher levels of stress than teachers in high socio-economic communities.
Fall versus Spring: Teachers reported higher levels of stress during the spring term. The speculation was that there were more pressures regarding tests, accountability, and discipline later in the year.
(O’Donnell, Lambert, & McCarthy, 2008)

33. Literature Review: Burnout
Men and Women who are married with children reported lower levels of burnout
These individuals interacting with family members have gained the skills to work through stressful problems that tend to cause stress.
These individuals use their family as a support system through stressful times.
(Greenglass & Burke, 1988)

34. Literature Review: Burnout & Gender
Grayson and Alvarez (2007) studied the elements of stress and what causes teachers to burnout. Nagel and Brown (2008) state that when teachers view stressors as unmanageable or overwhelming burnout occurs.
Three Levels of Burnout; from the MBI; Maslach Burnout Inventory (Greenglass Burk, 1988)
1. Emotional Exhaustion: “feeling emotionally overextended and drained by others”
More often reported by women across professions
Societal expectations impact the role of teacher and mother leading to greater amounts of Emotional Exhaustion.
2. Depersonalization: a disconnection from or aversion towards the people you are serving (i.e., students)
More often reported by men across professions (Grayson, Alvarez 2007 & Greenglass, Burk 1988)
3. Personal Accomplishment: lack of self-confidence and/or self-efficacy in one’s job

35. Coping Strategies Respond to the symptoms Learn to delegate
Develop a sense of humor
Have a life outside school
Be prepared for adversity
Know your limitations
Know when it’s time to quite
Differentiate b/n success and obedience
Malikow, M. (2007); Nagy, M.L. (2006).

36. References
Appel, J., & Kim-Appel, D. (2008). Family systems at work: The relationship between family coping and employee burnout. The Family Journal: Counseling and Therapy for Couples and Families, 16, Brown, Sheri, & Nagel, Liza. (2004) “ Preparing Future Teachers to Respond to Stress: Sources and Solutions,” Action in Teacher Education Vol 26(1), Burden, P. R. (1982, February). Personal and professional conflict: Stress for teachers. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators, Phoenix, AZ. Grandey, A, A., Cordeiro, B. L. & Crouter, A. C. (2005). A longitudinal and multi-source test of the work-family conflict and job satisfaction relationship. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 78, Grayson, Jessica and Alvarez, Heather. (2008) “School climate factors relating to teacher burnout: A mediator model,” Teaching and Teacher Education. Athens, OH; Vol 24. Greenglass, E.R., & Burke, R.J. (1988). “Work and family Precursors of Burnout in Teachers: Sex Differences,” Sex Roles Vol. 18(3/4), 36

37. References
Gu, Q., & Day, C. (2007). Teachers’ resilience: A necessary condition for effectiveness. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, Guendouzi, J. (2006). “The guilt thing”: Balancing domestic and professional roles. Journal of Marriage and Family Life, 68, Keene, J.R., & Quadrangno, J. (2004). Predictors of perceived work-family balance: Gender difference or gender similarity? Sociological Perspectives, 47, Malikow, M. (2007). Staying motivated and avoiding burnout. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 3, Nagy, M.L. (2006). Changes for avoiding burnout in teachers and advisors. The Education Digest, 72, Stevens, D. P., Kiger, G., & Riley, P. J. (2006). His, hers, or ours? Work-to-family spillover, crossover, and family cohesion. The Social Science Journal, 43, Tye, B. B., & O’Brien, L. (2002). Why are experienced teachers leaving the profession? [Electronic version]. Phi Delta Kappan, 84, Rieg, Sue A., Paquette, Kelli R., and Chen Yijie. (2007) “Coping with Stress: An Investigation of Novice Teachers’ Stressors in the Elementary Classroom,” Education, 128(2), O’Donnell, Megan, Lambert, Richard, and McCarthy, Christopher. (2008)“School Poverty Status, Time of Year, and Elementary Teachers’ Perception of Stress.” Journal of Educational Research. Vol. 102(2).

38. Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
Balancing Work and Family Life: A Qualitative Study Examining the Lives of Teachers Methodology February 17, 2009 ELC 688 University of North Carolina Greensboro
Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
& Susan Vanderburg

39. Phenomenological Study
How do teachers experience the phenomenon of balance between work and home?
How do teachers perceive that balance?

40. Conceptual Framework*
Other Relevant Terms:
Key Terms:
Personal vs Professional factors
Limitations
Mother’s experience/guilt
Male detachment
Resilience
Reciprocal (work—home)
Spillover
Stress
Support
Coping
*We will continue to develop the conceptual framework as the study evolves

41. Definitions
Spillover: a term used to describe the overflow of experiences from one system into another system or subsystem (Cox & Paley, 1997)
Stress: physical, emotional, and mental reactions to certain environmental stimuli (Brown & Nagel, 2004)
Support: giving moral or psychological aid or encouragement to others (google.com)
Cope: to face and deal with responsibilities, problems, or difficulties, esp. successfully or in a calm or adequate manner (dictionary. com)

42. Methodology Structured Interviews
6-8 Elementary teachers
8-10 Secondary teachers
Study sites (Names of schools will be given pseudonyms to maintain anonymity)
Teachers from Morehead Elementary, Pilot Elementary, Gravelly Hill Middle School, Smith High School

43. Research Setting/ Study Sites
2 different Elementary Schools
1 Middle School
1 High School
Morehead Elementary
Pilot Elementary
Gravelly Hill Middle
Smith High
* 480 students
* Student Demographics:
42% Black, 36% White, 11%
Hispanic, 7% Multiracial, 4%
Asian
* Teacher Demographics:
60% White, 40% Black
* Expressive Arts Magnet
894 students
58 teachers
436 students
37 teachers
1222 student
101 teachers

44. Data Collection/ Participant Selection
Hour interviews
Tape record—transcription
Teacher Working Condition Survey
Research Participants
4 white females Primary
2 white males 2 black females Primary
8 secondary

45. Consent Procedure for access Risk Benefits
Requesting access from relevant school personnel
Explain the possible benefits/risks of participating in study
Obtain consent via consent forms
Risk
Increase Stress
Fear of judgment
Confidentiality
How will their story be used
Benefits
Sharing experience can validate
Therapeutic

46. Subjectivity

47. Trustworthiness Transcriptions Recorded Interviews
Feedback from participants on interview transcriptions and analysis
Document of participants provided explanation of research

48. Interview Questions Tell me about yourself.
How does personal and professional life overlap/intertwine?
Tell me about your experience as a teacher?
Is this a typical school year? If not, how is it different?
What are the most rewarding aspects of your job?
What are the most demanding aspects of your job?
How do you spend the majority of your day? How does that make you feel?
What are the current stressors in your life?
What does stress mean to you?
How do you cope with stress?
What strategies do you use to reduce stress?

49. References
Casey, Kathleen. (1993) I answer with my Life: Life Histories of women teachers working for social change. New York: Routledge.
Cox, M. J., & Paley, B. (1997). Families as systems. Annual Review of Psychology, 48,
Maxwell, J. A. (1998). Designing a qualitative study. From Handbook of Applied Social Research Methods (pp.69-98). Thousand Oaks: Sage.
Peshkin, A. (1988). In search of subjectivity- - one own. Educational Researcher. 17,17-21.
Stevens, D. P., Kiger, G., & Riley, P. J. (2006). His, hers, or ours? Work-to-family spillover, crossover, and family cohesion. The Social Science Journal, 43,

50. Mental Health and Wellbeing in the Lives of Teachers: Problem Statement February 10, 2009 ELC 688 University of North Carolina at Greensboro
Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore & Susan Vanderburg

51. Setting the Scene
Higher Standards + Initiatives like “No Child Left Behind” + Plus other Responsibilities = Teacher Stress & Burnout
Burnout: Absenteeism, Irritability with Students, Feelings of Discouragement and Apathy (Nagy, 2006)

52. Purpose: Practical
High amounts of teacher turnover (O’Donell, Lambert, & McCarthy, 2008; Tye & O’Brien, 2002)
Need to facilitate teacher mental health and well-being
Healthy, Satisfied Teachers = Happy, Successful Children
Need to Support Teachers

53. Purpose: Personal
Feel obligated to help our teachers manage stress and find work-life balance
Desire to see increased teacher retention in our schools

54. Research Purpose What we know
(Burden, 1982; Gu & Day, 2007):
Teachers entering profession with high expectations and then experience reality
Demands of everyday school life (accountability, paperwork, student behavior problems, lack of parental support) lead to stress, guilt, and feelings of burnout
Work and Home Spillover

55. Research Purpose What we do not know:
How do environmental conditions impact educators’ feelings of empowerment?
Is there a spillover between home environment and work, especially in regards to stress?
Is there a link between school environment and stress/burnout?

56. Research Questions
How do teachers balance home and school responsibilities?
What are the current stresses in teachers’ lives?
How do teachers cope with stress? What strategies do teachers use to relieve/reduce stress?
Gender/ethnicity differences?
Beginner teachers vs. Veteran teachers?
Primary vs. Secondary teachers?
Are there differences depending on the family make-up?

57. References
Burden, P. R. (1982, February). Personal and professional conflict: Stress for teachers. Paper presented at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Teacher Educators, Phoenix, AZ.
Grandey, A, A., Cordeiro, B. L. &Crouter, A. C. (2005). A longitudinal and multi-source test of the
work-family conflict and job satisfaction relationship. Journal of Occupational and Organizational
Psychology, 78,
Grayson, J., & Alvarez, H. (2008). School climate factors relating to teacher burnout: A Mediator model. Teaching and Teacher Education, 24,
Gu, Q., & Day, C. (2007). Teachers’ resilience: A necessary condition for effectiveness. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23,
Guendouzi, J. (2006). “The guilt thing”: Balancing domestic and professional roles. Journal of Marriage and Family Life, 68,
Keene, J.R., & Quadrangno, J. (2004). Predictors of Perceived Work-Family Balance:
Gender Difference or Gender Similarity? Socialogical Perspectatives, 47(1), 1-23.
Malikow, M. (2007). Staying motivated and avoiding burnout. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 3,
Nagy, M.L. (2006). Changes for avoiding burnout in teachers and advisors. The Education Digest, 72,
O’Donnell, M., Lambert, R. & McCarthy, C. (2008). School poverty status time of year and Elementary teachers’ perception of stress. Journal of Educational Research, 102,
Tye, B. B. & O’Brien, L. (2002). Why are Experienced Teachers Leaving the Profession? [Electronic version]. Phi Delta Kappan, 84,

58. Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
Balancing Work and Family Life: A Qualitative Study Examining the Lives of Teachers ELC 688 University of North Carolina Greensboro
Ako Barnes, Bethany McKee-Alexander, Mary Julia Moore
& Susan Vanderburg