The impact of the Texas Assessment of Knowledge and Skills (TAKS) on teacher stress and anxiety as reported by middle school classroom teachers in a selected school district in Education Service Center, Region 20, Texas

摘要

The purpose of this study was to examine the impact of teacher stress andanxiety as reported by middle school classroom teachers in a selected school district inEducation Service Center, Region 20, Texas. The selected district included 13 middleschools where a total of 825 teachers were surveyed.Survey responses were analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Ananalysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed to determine if there were significantdifferences (p>0.05) in response to questions involving selected demographic variables.Findings in the study included the following:1. There was a statistical difference (p>0.05) in state and trait anxiety scoresbetween teachers of TAKS subjects and teachers of non-TAKS subjects.2. Within the two groups of teachers of TAKS subjects and teachers of non-TAKS subjects, there were statistical differences (p>0.05) in the state andtrait anxiety scores, which support that a correlation exists between state andtrait anxiety.3. There was no statistical difference in state and trait anxiety scores betweenteachers of TAKS subjects and teachers of non-TAKS subjects in selecteddemographic variables used for the study.The following are recommendations for further study:1. Only middle school teachers were used in a selected district for this study. Alarger scale study should be conducted to enhance empirical data todetermine if teacher stress and anxiety are impacted by state-mandated testsfor all grade levels.2. This study focused on data collected from 13 public schools. Similar studiesshould be conducted on private and charter schools. A comparison can thenbe made to determine if these schools show comparable results in teacherstress and anxiety.3. The study involved only schools within the city limits. Further researchcould include studies in rural areas to determine if teachers exhibit similarstate and trait anxiety scores as do counterparts within city schools.4. Selected demographic variables in this study were found not to have asignificant difference in teacher stress and anxiety between teachers ofTAKS and teachers of non-TAKS subjects. Further studies should beconducted to determine if other demographic variables contribute to teacherstress and anxiety.