University department chairs need to manage stress to their advantage. Myths pertaining to stress include: (1) stress is harmful; (2) stress should be avoided; (3) stress correlates with level of responsibility; (4) stress is predominantly a male phenomenon; and (5) there is one appropriate coping method. The Chair Stress Cycle provides a broad…

Using a 4-stage stress model, this study examined the relationship between stage 1 (stressors or demands) and stage 3 (stress response or coping) and between stage 3 and stage 4 (consequences of burnout) for 161 school superintendents and 495 principals. Results support the transactional view of stress and the conceptualization of the stress…

Rather than avoid stress, superintendents need to control and use it to their advantage. They should become familiar with the stress cycle, which progresses from stress traps through perceived stress, coping responses, and consequences (burnout). Superintendents can avoid burnout by focusing on important matters, confronting conflict positively,…

This study identifies specific coping techniques helpful to educators in handling the tensions of their jobs, clusters the reported techniques into coping categories, assesses the number and frequency of coping techniques used by educators, and identifies similarities and differences in coping responses. (Author/TE)

The causes and consequences of stress experienced by college faculty were investigated. Stress was defined as any characteristic of the job environment that posed a threat to the individual--either excessive demands or insufficient resources. In addition to identifying stressful job situations, attention was directed to ways that faculty members…

Describes the most frequent stress producers identified by school administrators. Suggests four areas that warrant further training and improvement--time management, interpersonal relations, community relations, and coping with rules and regulations. (Author/WD)

Findings of a study that examined the relationship of administrative role conflict and ambiguity with stress and burnout are presented in this paper. A survey sent to 1,000 Washington State administrators (250 each from the following groups--elementary, junior, and senior high school principals; and superintendents) elicited 741 returns, a 74…

This book provides an overview of recent ideas and research on faculty stress and presents plans of action for stress reduction. Self-assessment instruments, schematic models, and exercises are used throughout the text to assist in understanding, internalizing, and applying the key concepts of stress management. Chapter 1, "Check Your Stress…

Findings of a study that investigated the effect of administrative stressors on administrators' coping responses and the consequences of those responses are presented in this paper. Based on the managerial stress cycle model (Gmelch 1982), the study uses the transactional perspective, which views stress as an individual's physiological or…

When properly managed, stress can serve as a key to successful job performance. This book explores the link between pressure and performance in schools. It shows how to recognize stress as both a facilitator and debilitator of effective performance. Chapter 1 serves as a personal stress checkup. Chapter 2 explores the myths of administrative…

The Administrative Stress Index, a 35-item questionnaire, was designed, validated, and sent to members of the Confederation of Oregon School Administrators to identify perceived job stress, to establish stress categories, and to discover how administrators cope with stress. Usable responses were received from 1,156 elementary and secondary…

Suggestions are given for institutional action to reduce unproductive tension in the professoriate, focusing on stresses related to reward and recognition, time constraints, departmental influence, professional identity, and student interaction. (MSE)

This paper presents findings of a study that: (1) identified the most salient organization, personal, and professional factors contributing to administrator burnout; and (2) determined the relationship among these variables to each of the three dimensions of burnout. Data were obtained from a survey of 1,000 school administrators--169 elementary…

In assessing coping techniques, the individual is the most important variable; no one technique will be successful for an individual in all situations. Also, stress-reduction techniques must be sensitive to individual differences, both culturally and situationally. Consequently, since no one technique will work for everyone, a stress-reduction…

An overview of the most recent ideas on managerial stress is presented along with worksheets and exercises for a program to help educational administrators, their staffs, and secretaries cope with and reduce organizational and personal stress. Research cited includes the author's survey of 1,200 Oregon school administrators and over 200…