The Study On The Occupational Stress Of Teachers At Special-posts In Rural Schools

In2006, the Chinese Ministry of Education, Ministry of Finance, Ministry ofPersonnel and the Central Staffing and Organization Administration promulgated “ANotice to Implement the Plan of Placing Teachers on Special Posts in Rural SchoolsCarrying Out Compulsory Education”, jointly starting off with the “Plan of PlacingSpecial Posted Rural Teacher posts”. Thus, the rural teachers at special posts havecome into being. These rural teachers constitute a special group. Upon theirgraduation from universities and colleges, they become new teachers and work inschools in poor and remote rural areas, on a contract basis for a period of only threeyears, after which they have to face a reselection in their career. They must, therefore,be confronted with different stresses. The occupational stresses in rural teachers atspecial posts not only make an impact on their mental and physical health, but are alsoclosely associated with the Plan of Placing Rural Teachers at Special Posts and thecause of compulsory education in rural areas.The author of this paper targeted429rural teachers at special posts in HProvince in Central China in this research, using methods of observation,questionnaires and interview. A thorough investigation has made on the occupationalstresses of the rural teachers at special posts from angles of work load, factor fromstudents, factor from examinations, interpersonal relationship, career development,love and marriage, knowledge and skills, work and living environment, etc.This paper consists of four chapters. The first chapter introduces the reason whythe author has chosen the theme, the value of the research paper and the methods ofinvestigation. The second chapter focuses on the results of the investigation. Analysisof the date of investigation shows that the level of professional stresses of the ruralteachers at special posts in H province is comparatively high, with responses of highstresses, or very high stresses being up to66%of the total. The score of stress sourceis in descending order from work treatment, fact from students, career development,examination factor, work-load, living environment, love and marriage, knowledge andskills, and interpersonal relationship. Moreover, the teachers at special posts havedifferent levels of sensitivity on the sources of stresses because of their difference in age, gender, teaching experience and so on. The third chapter shows the reasonswhy these teachers have high professional stresses and why different teachers havedifferent levels of sensitivity on professional stresses.The fourth chapter presents counter-measures and suggestions. Based on theresults of the survey, the author concludes this paper with the following suggestionswith an aim to relieve the rural teachers at special posts from their stresses.1.Guarantee and improve the treatment of the rural teachers at special posts.2. Provideassistance and join hands to solve the problems arising from left-behind children frommigrant workers families.3. Support and encourage the rural teachers at special postsin their career development.4. Rationalize teaching assignments to rural teachers atspecial posts and solve their problems of teaching subjects other than their ownuniversity majors.5Improve and optimalize the living environment for ruralteachers at special posts.6. Pay close attention to the issues of love and marriage ofthe rural teaches at special posts.7. Offer advices and assistance to help thespecial-posted teachers to release stress.8. Rural teachers at special post make aneffort to adjust themselves to adapt to the environment.9. Strictly abide by entryqualification and do a fine job in selecting those suitable for the special posts.10. Paymore attention to the special-posted teachers who have taught for two years.