A Study to Identify the Common Stressor and Coping Strategies Adopted by Teachers in an Inclusive Classroom

Concerns over the high levels of reported work-related stress among teachers is widespread. Surveys from many countries have revealed a notion that the teaching profession imparts high levels of stress affecting teachers’ well-being and willingness to stay in the profession. There is no doubt that teaching is a stressful occupation and it has been proven to be more stressful for those teaching in an inclusive classroom. An inclusive classroom is one in which students with and without disabilities study together. This research starts on the premise that teaching in an inclusive classroom is extremely stressful and strives to determine the main stressors of the teachers in the classroom and the coping strategies used to deal with them. A mixed research method was used in this research. The researchers obtained qualitative feedback from selected teachers teaching an inclusive class while quantitative data was obtained through a survey of 20 teachers teaching other inclusive classes. The results indicated that the main stressor in an inclusive class is students’ behaviour. Most teachers are stressed when they are not able to manage the inclusive class well, due to the variety of students which resulted in them experiencing disappointment. The outcome of the research also showed that teachers constantly engage with their colleagues and adopt other positive strategies such as taking short breaks and doing other activities of interest to cope with stress. The research ends with recommendation that educational institutions should provide additional support and resources for teachers to alleviate the stress levels among teachers to assist them in copying with the stressors more effectively.