An Analysis of Factors Influencing Teacher Job Stress Caused by Educational Activity Interference: Evidence from TALIS 2024

Purpose: This study aimed to address this factor by examining teacher-level and school-level variables that influence teacher job stress resulting from educational activity infringement. Methods: This study utilized data from the Teaching and Learning International Survey (TALIS) 2024, conducted on a four-year cycle by the OECD, focusing on 3,098 Korean lower secondary teachers and 169 principals. Given that teachers are nested within schools, a hierarchical linear modeling (HLM) approach was employed to analyze not only the direct effects of individual- and school-level factors but also their cross-level interaction effects. Results: Findings indicate that teacher job stress related to educational activity infringement increased in 2024 compared to 2018, with a particularly notable rise in job stress associated with responding to parental complaints. At the individual level, older teachers reported lower job stress, while higher levels of classroom management efficacy and emotional support efficacy were associated with reduced job stress. In contrast, frequent teacher interventions to control student behavior increased job stress levels. At the school level, teachers in public schools and in schools with larger class sizes experienced higher job stress. A significant cross-level interaction between class size and classroom management efficacy was also identified, indicating that in schools with larger class sizes, higher classroom management efficacy was associated with relatively lower levels of job stress. Conclusion: This study proposes the need for tailored professional development for novice and early-career teachers and training programs aimed at strengthening teacher efficacy, supported by school-, district-, and system-level efforts, while also highlighting the need for structural measures such as class size adjustments and institutional mechanisms for managing parental complaints.