Dissertation: Teacher stress and work engagement are reflected in classroom interactions (Chan)

In her dissertation, MA Sze Wah Chan examined Finnish comprehensive school teachers and the role of their occupational well-being in everyday classroom interactions.

According to the study, particularly among lower secondary school teachers, higher levels of stress were associated with lower interaction quality. Teachers who reported more stress provided in average less emotional support, classroom organization, and instructional support for their students.

At the primary school level, by contrast, higher work engagement – shown in feeling energetic, committed, and fully involved in p one’s work – was reflected in stronger emotional and instructional supports in the classroom. Teachers who reported more burnout provided in average less instructional support for their students.

Teachers’ interaction styles shape classroom situations

The study also identified five distinct interactional style profiles among primary school teachers. An interactional style refers to a teacher’s typical way of interacting with students in everyday teaching situations. It is reflected, for example, in how much teachers show appreciation when students try or succeed, how clearly they emphasize rules and expected behavior, and whether they use pressure or feelings of disappointment or shame to manage students’ behavior. These interactional styles were associated with both teachers’ occupational well-being and the observed quality of teacher–student interactions.

“This suggests that teachers’ experiences of their occupational well-being and their ways of interacting in the classroom are closely intertwined,” Chan explains.

Supporting teachers in everyday teaching

Chan’s doctoral research also offers practical perspectives for the everyday organization of teaching work.

Supporting teachers at everyday life may include, for example, workshops that strengthen stress-management skills, mentoring that provides individualized feedback in observed interactions, and reflective practices that help teachers recognize and develop their own interactional styles.

According to Chan, it is important for schools to provide teachers with opportunities and resources for shared reflection, exchanging experiences, and celebrating successes. In-service training could offer additional tools for developing different aspects of classroom interaction and for strengthening work engagement.

“Both the negative and positive dimensions of occupational well-being are concretely visible in classroom interactions. Supporting teacher well-being is therefore not only an individual matter, but a key means of the whole school community in strengthening teacher–student relationships and creating conditions for students’ learning and development,” Chan concludes.

MA (Educ.), MA (Erziehungswissenschaft) Sze Wah Chan defends her doctoral dissertation in teacher education "Teachers’ occupational well-being in relation to teacher–student interactions at different school levels".

Opponent is Professor Siv M. Gamlem (Volda University College) and custos is Professor Eija Pakarinen (University of Jyväskylä). The event will be held in English, on the 13th February 2026 at 12:00 noon, at the University of Jyväskylä, building Agora, auditorium 3.

It can also be remotely followed at https://r.jyu.fi/dissertation-chan130226. 

The dissertation can be read at https://urn.fi/URN:ISBN:978-952-86-1230-8.