Index of Teaching Stress™

The ITS is a 90 item self report measure normed on 1,488 teachers. It is designed to be used as either a part of individual case consultations or as a screening measure to identify situations where excessive levels of stress are being experienced by the teacher in relation to teaching a specific student.The ITS evaluates a teacher's level of stress in three domains (Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder, Student Characteristics and Teacher Characteristics). The domain and sub scales alert the clinician to specific needs or perceptions that impinge on or may be disrupting the teaching process, and the teacher-student relationship. The subscales of the ITS assess teaching stressors related to the following student characteristics: emotional lability, learning limitations, aggressiveness, anxiety, ADHD type behaviors. The ITS also assesses teaching stressors related to the teacher's perceptions of loss of satisfaction from their teaching role, sense of competence, lack of support, disruption of the teaching process, and frustration working with the student's parents.The ITS's validity data indicates that teachers who are highly stressed in relation to a specific student may alter their teaching behaviors in negative ways toward both that student and other students in their class; that they are actively considering leaving the profession; and that their physical health is being affected. The ITS allows the clinician to be aware of the teacher's need for specific forms of support, which is critical if any teacher-based-intervention is being considered for the targeted student.When used as a screening measure, the ITS helps teachers to self-identify particularly distressing teaching situations, and helps the clinician to prioritize cases. The ITS recognizes that teachers create the learning environment that facilitates student success.The ITS includes a Professional Manual, a reusable Item Booklet, a hand-scorable carbonless Answer Sheet, and a two-sided Profile Form. Based on the purpose of the evaluation, the ITS Profile Form provides the clinician with a choice of comparison samples (i.e., Randomly Selected Student Normative Sample, Behavior Problem Student Normative Sample), for use in the interpretation of examinee responses.

Richard R. Abidin, EdD, Ross W. Greene, PhD, and Timothy R. Konold, PhD