Special Education Teachers’ Perceived Stress towards Transformational Teaching

Abstract

The impact of psychological factors on transformational teaching (TFT) performance has been widely considered in inclusive and special education. The main aim of this cross-country study was to investigate the role of bio-psycho symptoms (BPS), mindfulness and subjective well-being as serial mediators of the relationship between perceived stress and TFT among Indonesian and Thai special education teachers. A total of 368 participants––177 teachers from Indonesia and 191 teachers from Thailand––completed self-report measures assessing the mentioned variables. Descriptive and correlational analyses were conducted. Serial mediation analyses found that in addition to the negative direct effect of stress on TFT, subjective well-being was a mediator among Indonesian special education teachers, while BPS, mindfulness and personal well-being were serial mediators among Thai special education teachers. They can be recognised as partial mediations on the proposed model. Findings suggest that the effect of stress on TFT is weakened by mindfulness and subjective well-being. Importantly, special education teachers may benefit from evidence-based stress management interventions and mindful-wellness programmes to achieve better implications for their teaching.