FAU education scientist develops new model for research on demands in the teaching profession

New, comprehensive theoretical model considers the relationship between pressures, demands and resources in the teaching profession

Numerous studies have looked at stress, demands and pressures in the teaching profession, yet the actual information that has been gained is relatively small considering the amount of work that has been done. Dr. Michael Stiller from FAU’s Chair of General Educational Science II has developed a research model that considers the areas left out of previous research, meaning that stress and demands specific to the teaching profession can be researched more comprehensively to obtain better results.

What demands and pressures are specific to the teaching profession? What personal resources do teachers need in order to meet the demands of their work? These questions are the main focus of research into demands in the teaching profession. Dr. Stiller compared and analysed all studies on this area carried out over the last 10 years. He came to the conclusion that a disproportionate amount of research is done on certain phenomena and areas, while others are neglected. In particular, the close relationship between demands, pressures and personal resources have not yet been considered in enough depth with regard to the teaching profession.

Based on these findings, Dr. Stiller has developed a theoretical model that considers all factors that are relevant to research into demands in the teaching profession and the relationships between them. For example, he developed a model resource pool which can be adapted to include all personal resources that determine how well a teacher deals with the demands of the profession. The way in which the different resources affect one another is also considered in this basic model. For example, strong social skills and cognitive abilities can compensate for a lack of professional experience. These kinds of effects have remained largely unexamined in previous research.

Dr. Michael Stiller’s book ‘Belastungen, Ressourcen und Beanspruchungen bei Lehrkräften’ has recently been published by Klinkhardt-Verlag.

Further information:

Dr. Michael Stiller
Phone: +49 911 5302590
michael.stiller@fau.de