The effect of preschool teachers’ stress states on classroom climate

This study aims to examine in-depth such factors as stress and classroom climate that determine the quality of preschool education. The research sample consisted of 300 teachers and 300 classes in 27 kindergartens identified using the purposive sampling method in Izmir, Turkey’s third-largest city. The study was carried out using the exploratory correlational pattern, one of the correlational research types. The Child Care Worker Job Stress Inventory was used in the study to determine teacher stress states and the Classroom System Observation Scale was used to determine classroom climate. The correlation between teachers’ stress states and classroom climate was determined using correlation analysis and t-test. According to the study, there is a significant relationship between teacher stress and classroom climate, and it was found that teachers’ stress states particularly affect democratic classroom environments and cause negative effects on the flexibility dimension of classroom climate. © 2020 ASPE