Are teachers really as stressed as the media depict? : A quantitative study about the effects of organizational communication on teacher stress and teacher engagement applying the JD-R model.

The shortage of primary school teachers in The Netherlands leads to more work tasks and an increase of work pressure for teachers who are currently employed. Previous research towards the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model has indicated that different job demands can cause work stress. Yet, it remains unclear how organizational communication effects teachers’ well-being. The aim of this research is to contribute to research on the effect of organizational communication on teachers’ levels of stress and engagement by applying the JD-R model. A quantitative research has been conducted among 207 Dutch primary school teachers. The effects of collegial communication, communication structure and communication climate on teacher stress and teacher engagement have been measured. In addition, the mediation effects of quantitative demands (workload) and decision latitude have been included in the research. The results of the research showed that collegial communication, communication structure and communication climate, when acting as a resource, reduced teachers’ levels of stress and increased teachers’ levels of engagement. Moreover, quantitative demands mediated the relation between each organizational communication variable and teacher stress and decision latitude mediated the relation between each organizational communication variable and teacher engagement. Thus, the effect of the organizational communication variables proceeded partially via quantitative demands and decision latitude. The outcomes of this research offer a principal for a renewed JD-R model that includes the meaningful role of organizational communication. Furthermore, this research emphasizes the importance of well implemented organizational communication in schools.