Date

12-2018

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Sarah Hutter

Keywords

Common Core State Standards, High-stakes Testing, Teacher Stress, Teacher Stress Inventory

Disciplines

Curriculum and Instruction | Education

Abstract

The purpose of this quantitative, causal-comparative study was to explore the relationship between Common Core state-mandated, high-stakes testing and the stress levels, as measured by the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI), of a convenience sampling of 204 secondary teachers in southwest Ohio who were assigned to teach Common Core high-stakes testing subjects and teachers not assigned to teach Common Core high-stakes testing subjects. This study sought to determine whether the Common Core state-mandated, high-stakes testing in the state of Ohio impacted teacher stress. The primary instrument used was the Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI), which was available through an online survey platform. Upon collection, the data were analyzed by conducting an independent-samples t-test. The results of the t-test showed no statistically significant impact on teacher stress. Even though the mean total stress score was lower for teachers of non-high-stakes Common Core testing courses (M = 2.52), the mean for teachers of high-stakes Common Core testing courses was only slightly higher (M = 2.59). Therefore, the study determined that the Common Core state-mandated, high-stakes testing had no statistically significant impact on the stress levels, as measured by Teacher Stress Inventory (TSI), of Ohio teachers assigned to teach Common Core high-stakes testing subjects. Future research should focus on a larger test sample with more demographics and other variables, as well as longitudinal data that examine the effects of high-stakes accountability and teacher stress.

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