La salud de los docentes y el rendimiento académico de los estudiantes: una revisión sistemática de la literatura
Artículo de revisión
Recibido: 24/09/2023 – Aprobado: 08/11/2023- Publicado: 03/12/2023 ISSN - 2619-6336
DOI: https:/doi.org/10.30554/tempuspsi.7.1.5011.2024
Volumen 7-1 2024
Mónica Lorena Vargas Betancourt Ricardo León Gómez Yepes
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The purpose of this review was to synthetize available evidence on the relationship between school teachers’ health and students’ academic achie- vement. Methods. Systematic searches were conducted, through electronic searches until June 2017. Nine articles fit criteria for analysis. Results. Regar- ding teachers’ health, all studies inves- tigated variables related to teachers’ mental health, such as: stress, mathe- matics anxiety, burnout, depression and wellbeing. As a measure of academic achievement, mathematic tests were the most common outcomes. Eight studies reported that students in classes with teachers suffering from mental health problems have lower scores on standar- dized tests. Conclusions. When teachers suffer mental health problems, they can negatively impact students’ academic achievement. Further research is nee- ded to understand the causes of mental health problems in teachers and to es- tablish the best alternatives to prevent these issues.
El propósito de esta revisión fue anali- zar la evidencia existente sobre la relación entre la salud de los profesores de prima- ria y secundaria y el desempeño académi- co de los estudiantes. Métodos. Se reali- zó una revisión sistemática de literatura a partir de una búsqueda electrónica con corte a 2017. Nueve artículos cumplieron con los criterios de inclusión. Resultados. Los artículos utilizaron como variable de salud, la salud mental; como medida de desempeño académico, las pruebas de ma- temáticas. Ocho estudios reportaron que en grados en que los profesores tenían problemas de salud mental, los estudian- tes obtenían puntajes más bajos en prue- bas estandarizadas. Conclusiones: Los profesores presentan problemas de salud mental que pueden afectar el desempeño de los estudiantes. Se requiere investigar las causas de estos problemas mentales y establecer procesos para prevenirlos.
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Vargas Betancourt, M. L. & Gómez Yepes, R.L. (2024). Teachers’ Health and the Students’ Academic Achievement: A Systematic Review of Literature. Tempus Psicológico, 7(1), 158-189
Universidad de Antioquia. Correo: lorena.vargas@udea.edu.co. ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7853-0915
Universidad de Antioquia. Correo: rleon.gomez@udea.edu.co ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2528-544X
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Introduction
This systematic literature review is part of a large research project aimed at studying the relationship between inner-city public school teachers’ working conditions, mental health, and students’ academic achievement. The review draws from literature in the fields of education and occupational health, and is aimed at providing an overview of studies on the relationship between school teachers’ health with student’s academic achievement.
Researchers in education have long been interested in understanding the elements and mechanisms that can explain students’ academic achievement. A preliminary review of the literature reveals a growing focus on teachers as one of the main factors for students learning particularly in relation to teachers’ working conditions and their impact on academic achievement. Issues related to teachers working conditions that can have a negative impact on students’ academic achievement include ineffective leadership style (Barragán Montaña et al., 2014; Levin & Lockheed, 2012; Moore Johnson et al., 2012), deficient co-workers relationships (Barragán Montaña et al., 2014;
Borman & Dowling, 2008; Johnson & Stevens, 2006; Levin & Lockheed, 2012; Moore Johnson et al., 2012), absence of team work (Levin & Lockheed, 2012; Borman & Dowling, 2008; Vegas & Petrow, 2008), low administrative support (Borman & Dowling, 2008), low salary (Barret et al.,
2006; Borman & Dowling, 2008), limited access to training (Barret et al., 2006; Levin & Lockheed, 2012) and resources (Barragán Montaña et al., 2014; Barret et al., 2006; Johnson & Stevens, 2006), and lack of opportunities to participate in decision-making (Johnson & Stevens, 2006). These findings are valuable for the field of education as they enhance our understanding of factors that affect the quality of students’ educational outcomes.
A common thread of this line of inquiry has been to focus on job satisfaction as a mediating factor between teachers’ working conditions and student achievement. However, the field of occupational health and safety has long been investigating how working conditions impact workers’ health and has generated substantial evidence about “occupational diseases”— which are primarily caused by exposure to negative working conditions. Therefore, drawing from the field of
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occupational health and safety, it is reasonable to hypothesize that negative working conditions can have repercussions on teachers beyond job satisfaction, affecting their health. A preliminary review of international literature seems to support this hypothesis:
For example, in Belgium, Bogaert et al. (2014), found that the prevalence of health problems associated with working conditions is higher among secondary school teachers compared to other occupational groups. In Germany, Bauer et al. (2007) found mental health problems associated with the presence of threatening events in 29.8% of 949 teachers. In Italy, Borrelli et al. (2014) reported that teachers’ depression and anxiety were associated with high job demands and low social support at work.
In Chile, Cornejo (2008) reported depression, anxiety, burnout and stress as the main teachers’ health problems. In Ecuador, 52.7% of 1538 teachers, reported health problems associated with their work; and stress and anxiety where the two more common mental issues (Morales Martinez et al., 2012).
In a study conducted in six Latin American countries Robalino & Körner (2005) found that in the six countries teachers had been diagnosed occupational stress by a doctor, ranging from 27% of teachers in Mexico to 48% of teachers in Ecuador.
In Colombia, Gómez et al. (2009) reported that 15.6% of 343 teachers in public schools had burnout, a syndrome associated with adverse psychosocial working conditions, and reported a 9.46% prevalence in at least one mental health diagnosis (anxiety and depression being the most diagnosed) in a sample of 877 official teachers.
The results of these studies described above allow us to recognize three important points: First, school teachers are exposed to negative working conditions which can affect students’ academic achievement. Second, exposure to negative working conditions also impact teachers’ health. And third, teachers –from different countries of the world, are already facing illnesses, with
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most of them being mental. However, a central question that seems to remain unanswered is to what extent is teachers’ mental health associated with students’ academic achievement. With this systematic review we aim to identify and synthetize available evidence on the relationship between school teachers’ health and students’ academic achievement.
Methods
Studies were included for review if they met the following criteria regarding population, setting, independent variables and outcomes.
Population and setting
The review included studies where participants were either school teachers or one of the populations under investigation, and were working at the time the research was conducted or the data were collected. Key terms selected for these criteria were: School, Teacher, K12, and Education.
Independent variables
The review included publications that assessed health indicators (physical health, mental health, stress, burnout, sickness, sickness absence, work accidents or injuries, symptomatology, happiness). Key terms selected for these criteria were: health, burnout, stress, depression, anxiety, happiness, wellbeing, sickness, accident, absenteeism, injury, symptomatology, medical incapacity, dysphonia, varicose vein, sickness, and illness.
Outcomes
The review included studies that used a measure of students’ achievement or school effectiveness (associated to students’ achievement) as one of the outcomes. Key terms selected for these criteria were: achievement, student growth, school effectiveness, quality, performance, accomplishment.
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Both quantitative and qualitative studies were included, because one of the expected results of this review was to characterize the research done in this area of interest.
The cutoff date of publication of the studies was June 2017. The review included studies
conducted in any country, given its international education perspective.
Studies that did not measure the relationship between teachers’ health and students’ achievement.
The literature search focused on academic studies, including peer reviewed articles, theses and dissertations. An electronic search was conducted using the following databases: Embase, ERIC, EBSCOHOST (for this database we selected the option “All databases”, which included MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS, and PsycINFO), PUBMED, Science Direct and Scielo. The appendix displays the full set of databases used, key terms and search strategy used in each database. The same key terms were used in all databases.
To record relevant information for the review, we used an extraction table. It included the following fields: author, title, year of publication, country where the research was conducted, study design, sample and setting, variables measured (independent, dependent), measures used for each variable, and main findings.
Results
Study selection
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Using the presented search strategy, we identified 2167 articles. After removing the duplicates, 1951 studies were considered. We then reviewed all titles and abstracts and excluded all studies that did not meet our inclusion criteria. Finally, only the full text of 15 products met these criteria and were examined in detail. However, six of these articles were excluded as they did not entirely fit the criteria. Ultimately, we included nine articles for analysis. Figure 1 illustrates the detailed article selection process.
Figure 1
Flow diagram of study selection.
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Description of studies
This section provides a general description of each study included in the analysis and their
main findings.
Bakewell et al., (1988): This study surveyed regular and special education teachers’ perceptions of stress and support in their working environments and assessed the relationship between teacher stress and academic achievement. Researchers assessed teachers’ stress, perceived family and administrative support, advantages and disadvantages in teaching and student academic achievement. The participants included 35 regular education teachers, 28 special education teachers and 58 students. Teachers were interviewed and then the information was coded and rated on Likert scales. Student academic achievement was collected in fall and spring. Results indicated that there was no relationship between teachers’ stress and student academic achievement. A limitation was that the measure of stress was not validated.
Bush (1989): This research aimed to investigate whether teacher mathematics anxiety was related to students’ mathematics anxiety and achievement, teaching practices, and teacher characteristics. Mathematics anxiety was measured using the Mathematics Anxiety Rating Scale for teachers (MARS) and for students (MARS-A). Students’ achievement in Mathematics was assessed using the Mathematics Concepts and Mathematics Problem Solving sections of the Iowa Test of Basic Skills (ITBS). Additionally, for teachers’ achievement in mathematics they used the
sixth-grade version of the ITBS. Teaching practices were evaluated by audio-recording mathematics lesson and then coding time and frequency of different aspects of the lessons. A total of 31 teachers and 584 students completed all measurements. Mathematic anxiety and achievement measurements were taken twice (in September and May). Audio recording of “typical mathematics lesson” was performed 3 times (in October, January and March). Although the author did not explicitly report the results for the relationship between teacher mathematics anxiety and students’ achievement, ANOVA results on students’ ITBS and ITBS problem solving scores by type of teachers (teachers with mathematics anxiety vs teachers with no mathematics anxiety) show that students’ scores are similar
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Tempus Psicológico
in both groups of teachers and that teachers’ level of anxiety only explains 1% of the variance in students’ performance (ANOVA: R^2=0.01).
The study of Goldman et al., (1997) aimed to identify the impact of the teachers´ mental health consultation on educators and students of elementary schools. The authors measured teachers’ readiness to use consultation and consultation effectiveness, students’ cognitive competence and academic achievement. They worked with six schools, involving 209 students and 91 teachers who completed all measurements (answered in fall, spring (year 1) and spring (year 2)). The results indicated that teachers’ consultation effectiveness has a highly significant positive association with student academic achievement.
The research conducted by Beilock et al., (2010) assessed the relationship between teachers’ math anxiety and students´ academic achievement using a longitudinal design. The participants included 17 female teachers´ of first and second grade, 52 boys and 65 girls. The study measured math anxiety, students´ math achievement, gender ability beliefs, and teachers’ math knowledge.
According to the results, teachers’ math anxiety has a significant negative effect on girls’ math achievement (r = −0.28, p =0.022), but not on boys’ math achievement (r = −0.04, p = 0.81).
In the research conducted by Hadley & Dorward, (2011) they investigated the relationship between teacher anxiety about mathematics, anxiety about teaching mathematics, student mathematics achievement, and instructional practices. General Mathematics Anxiety was measured using the MARS-R, while anxiety about teaching mathematics was assessed using a 12-point Likert scale. Classroom instructional practices were evaluated using a designed a scale, and student achievement was measured with the State end-of-year mathematics test. The study involved 692 elementary teachers and the authors found that students’ mathematics achievement was not related
to teachers’ general anxiety about mathematics. However, there was a low but statistically significant relationship with teachers’ anxiety about teaching mathematics (r = -.09, p < .05).
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The study by Hoglund et al., (2015) investigated whether teachers’ burnout and classroom quality predicted children’s social and academic adjustment in high-needs schools, from kindergarten to 3rd grade. They evaluated teachers’ burnout, classroom quality, externalizing behaviors, teacher-child relationship quality, school engagement and literacy skills (a measurement for academic achievement). The study involved 65 teachers and 461 children, with collected three times: in January, March/April and May/June. One of their results was that being exposed to more burned-out teachers predicted significantly less growth in children’ literacy skills over the term (ES=.03). More burned-out teachers also were related to classroom quality, child externalizing behaviors, teacher-child relationship and school engagement (ES =.03; simple slope=.03, t[55]= 1.99, p <.05).
The study conducted by McLean & Connor (2015), was aimed to explore whether teachers’ depressive symptoms affected the quality of the classroom-learning environment and students’ academic achievement in the third grade. Teachers’ depression was measured with the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale adapted for this purpose. Classroom Quality was assessed with CLE rubric and student achievement was determined using the Woodcock-Johnson III Test of Achievement (including letter-word identification, picture vocabulary, passage comprehension, math fluency, applied problems) and the Gates-MacGinitie Literacy Test (a reading test) for determined student achievement. The study involved 8 schools, 27 teachers and 523 third-grade students. The results showed that there was no change in student academic achievement as risk for depression increased in teachers (coefficient = -0.0005; p = .896). However, if students began the school year with weaker math skills and were with teachers who reported more depressive symptoms, there was a weaker math achievement.
The purpose of the study by Klusmann et al. (2016) was to examine the relationship between teachers’ emotional exhaustion and students’ mathematics achievement, as well as to identify the characteristics that moderate this relationship. The authors measure teachers’ emotional exhaustion using the Maslach Burnout Inventory, and the students’ achievement using a standardized national
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test covering various mathematical topics, including numbers and operations, space and shape, pattern and structures, sizes and measurements, data, frequency and probability. The study involved 1102 mathematics teachers, 22,002 4th-grade students and 16,737 parents as participants. Researchers controlled for the characteristics of teachers, classroom and students. The results indicated a negative correlation between exhaustion and students’ academic achievement (B =
-4.56, p < 0.01). Furthermore, this correlation was even stronger in classes with a high percentage of language minority students (B = -1.66, p < 0.05).
In the study conducted by of Collie & Martin (2017), the authors initially examined whether teachers’ perceived autonomy support (PAS) was associated with adaptability, well-being and organizational commitment. Subsequently, they determined if these constructs were related to student’s numeracy achievement. Specifically, teachers’ well-being was assessed using four items from Parker and Martin Scale, while student’s achievement was evaluated using a multiple-choice test. The study involved 115 high school teachers for phase one and 100 high school teachers for phase two. Data were collected from 1685 students. According to the results, teachers’ well-being was directly linked to students’ numeracy achievement (β = 0.21, p = 0.031). PAS was associated with students’ numeracy achievement through its impact on teachers’ well-being (β = 0.15, p = 0.03, 95% CI [0.04, 0.33]) and also with adaptability via teachers’ well-being (β = 0.17, p = 0.04, 95% CI
[0.04, 0.35]).
Context of the studies
According to the results presented in Table 1, research regarding the relationship between teachers´ health and students’ academic achievement has primarily been conducted in the US (6), Canada (1), Germany (1), Australia (1) and South Africa (1). Research in this area began in the late 1980s, but it is in the last decade that the majority of the studies have been published, most of them appearing as a journal articles.
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Table 1
Summary of the studies included
Author | Title | Year | Region | Type of publication |
(Bakewell et al., 1988) | Teacher stress and student achievement for mildly handicapped students | 1988 | US | Research report |
(Bush, 1989a) | Mathematics Anxiety in Upper Elementary School Teachers. | 1989 | US | Journal Article |
(Goldman et al., 1997) | Teacher consultation: Impact on teachers’ effectiveness and students’ cognitive competence and achievement. | 1997 | US | Journal Article |
(Beilock et al., 2010) | Female teachers’ math anxiety affects girls’ math achievement. | 2010 | US | Journal Article |
(Hadley & Dorward, 2011) | Investigating the relationship between Elementary Teacher Mathematics Anxiety, Mathematics Instructional Practices, and Student Mathematics Achievement. | 2011 | US | Journal Article |
(Hoglund et al., 2015) | Classroom risks and resources: Teacher burnout, classroom quality and children’s adjustment in high needs elementary schools. | 2015 | Canada | Journal Article |
(McLean & Connor, 2015) | Depressive Symptoms in Third-Grade Teachers: Relations to Classroom Quality and Student Achievement. Teachers’ emotional exhaustion is negatively related to students’ achievement: Evidence from a large-scale assessment study. | 2015 | US | Journal Article |
(Klusmann et al., 2016) | 2016 | Germany | Journal Article | |
2017 | Australia | Journal Article |
(Collie & Martin, 2017)
Teachers' sense of adaptability: Examining links with perceived autonomy support, teachers' psychological functioning, and students' numeracy achievement
Design of the studies
Table 2 presents a summary of the main elements of the design of each study. Six of the studies are primarily quantitative and longitudinal, while the remaining three are cross-sectional. Eight articles are non-experimental and one is quasi-experimental. Only one of the studies utilized
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both qualitative and quantitative data. The teachers’ samples varied from 17 to 1102 and the students’ sample varied from n=58 to n=22002. Eight studies were conducted in elementary schools (one of which included measures from a kindergarten) and one was conducted in high schools.
Regarding the variables assessed, all research studies proposed several variables and used different instruments. In terms of the health variable, one study measured stress, three studies measured mathematics anxiety (with one of them also measuring anxiety about teaching math), two studies measured burnout (with one only assessing emotional exhaustion), one study examined
mental health consultation, one focused on depression and one on wellbeing. Concerning the output variables, eight studies measured student achievement using mathematics tests, and four of them also included reading and comprehension skills in their assessments.
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The quality of the studies was assessed using the "Quality Assessment Tool for Observational Cohort and Cross-Sectional Studies” (NIH, 2014). According to this guide, the overall quality score for a research point to the potential for bias in the studies, thereby reflecting the internal validity
of the research. For the assessment, each criterion (question) was rated using Y (Yes), N (No), CD (Cannot Determine), NR (Not Reported) and NA (Not Applicable).
Table 3 presents the results of the quality assessment for each study. All studies presented the research question or objectives, defined the population and selected subjects from similar populations, but none of the studies presented a justification of the sample size. Only four studies stated inclusion and exclusion criteria. Furthermore, in all studies, exposure measures were reliable and measured across all participants. Only one study did not clearly define the exposure measure.
Concerning the outcome measure, in all studies dependent variables were clearly defined, valid and reliable. Longitudinal studies had at least one-year period; thus, there was sufficient time to expect to see an association between the independent variables and the outcome.
As an overall quality rating, five studies obtained a “less likely for bias” rating (Collie & Martin, 2017; Hadley & Dorward, 2011; Hoglund et al., 2015; Klusmann et al., 2016; McLean & Connor, 2015). This means that results presented by these five studies have more probability to reflect the true relationship between variables. The studies of Bakewell et al. (1988), Bush (1989), Goldman et al. (1997) and Beilock et al. (2010), obtained a “more likely for bias” rating. This suggests that their results are more likely to not accurately represent the true relation between the assessed variables.
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Of the nine studies included in the analysis, one (Bakewell et al., 1988) reported no association between the independent and dependent variables, specifically teachers’ stress and students’ academic achievement (spelling, math and reading).
Four studies (Collie & Martin, 2017; Goldman et al., 1997; Hoglund et al., 2015; Klusmann et al., 2016) reported an association between teachers’ mental health outcomes and student achievement. Collie & Martin (2017) reported a positive association between teachers' well-
being and students' numeracy achievement (β = 0.21, p = 0.031). Goldman et al. (1997) found an increment of students’ scores when teachers’ consultation effectiveness were moderate and high [Moderate: F (1,16)= 16.33, p<.001; High: F( I , 14)=15.35, p<.01]. According to Hoglund et al. (2015), teacher burnout predicted significantly less growth in students’ literacy skills (ES=.03). Klusmann et al. (2016) concluded that students’ with more exhausted teachers obtained lower scores on their mathematics tests (β = -4.56, p <.01), even when controlling for teachers’ years of experience (β = 3.34, p <.05), teaching certificate in mathematics (β = 7.46, p<.01), and individual student characteristics.
Four studies presented “not conclusive” results in the sense that they all reported association
between teachers’ health and student achievement; however, in the case of Bush (1989), he found that only 1% of the variance of student achievement was explained by teachers’ health. Beilock (2010), reported that teachers’ mathematic anxiety was associated with girls’ mathematic achievement (r = −0.28, p=0.022) but not boys (r = −0.04, p= 0.81). Hadley & Doward (2011), concluded that there was an association between students’ achievement and teachers’ anxiety
about teaching (r = -.09, p < .05) but not with teachers’ anxiety. Finally, McLean & Connor (2015), reported and association between teachers’ depression and student achievement but only for those students that had low mathematics scores from the beginning of the year (coefficient = -0.009; p =
.030).
Three types of recommendations emerged from the results of the different studies. Authors of earlier studies (Bakewell et al., 1988; Bush, 1989) suggested more research (longitudinal) on teachers’ mental health and student achievement. Two studies (Beilock et al., 2010; Hadley &
Dorward, 2011) proposed better training new and current teachers for their professional development and improvement of their skills, specifically in mathematics teaching. Finally, five studies advocated for the implementation of mental health programs for teachers at schools (Collie & Martin, 2017; Goldman et al., 1997; Hoglund et al., 2015; Klusmann et al., 2016; McLean & Connor, 2015).
This systematic literature review was part of a large research project aimed at studying the relationship between public school teachers’ working conditions, mental health, and students’ academic achievement in Colombia. The goal of this review was to identify and synthetize the available evidence regarding to the relationship between school teachers´ health and students’
academic achievement. Nine studies met the criteria for inclusion in the analysis. From the results, several points are worth highlighting.
First, interest in the relationship between teachers’ health and student academic achievement appears to be stronger in the United States than in other regions of the world, with some research conducted in Canada, Europe and Australia (Collie & Martin, 2017; Hoglund et al., 2015; Klusmann et al., 2016). It is interesting to note that even though we used one of the most important scientific databases for Latina America and the Caribbean, we found no publications on the topic. This result presents an important opportunity for our project to contribute evidence on this international and comparative education subject, as the issue of teachers’ health and students’ academic achievement is a concern for many educational systems worldwide.
Second, regarding measures of teachers’ health, all studies focused on mental health variables. None of the studies included physical health variables, such as voice disorders, varicose
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veins, cardiovascular diseases or musculoskeletal disorders, which are also prevalent in this occupational group (Scheuch et al., 2015). Stress (Bakewell et al., 1988), mathematics anxiety (Beilock et al., 2010; Bush, 1989; Hadley & Dorward, 2011), burnout (Hoglund et al., 2015; Klusmann et al., 2016), depression (McLean & Connor, 2015) and well-being (Collie & Martin, 2017) were the variables used in the studies. It is important to note that mental health problems have been studied in the field of occupational health and safety, particularly their association with working conditions (specifically exposition to psychosocial risk factors), to the point that the International Labour Organization (ILO) finally included mental and behavioral disorders in the occupational diseases list (Kim & Kang, 2013).
Third, math scores in standardized tests were the main measure of students’ academic achievement and were used in eight of the reviewed studies. The debate over whether standardized test should be the main measure for students’ learning and whether mathematics or literacy skills (such as reading and comprehension) are the main competences expected from an educational system continues. Some authors, such as Arnove et al., (2013) and Hopson et al., (2009) are proposing alternative ways to evaluate students’ achievement, including valuing students’ differences and designing evaluations adapted to the local characteristics of individual educational systems in each country. However, at least on the issue analyzed in this review, scores in standardized tests were the chosen measure for students’ academic achievement.
Fourth, the analysis of the methodological aspects of the studies shows that research on this topic is mostly quantitative. Only one study included a qualitative component (Bakewell et al., 1988). Six studies used longitudinal designs. Although longitudinal designs are more robust than
cross-sectional designs because they allow researchers to gather more information in multiple points in time and observe participants’ behavior at different moments, the three cross-sectional studies included in this review obtained a “less likely for bias” score.
Regarding the findings on the relationship between mental health and students’ achievement, only Bakewell et al. (1988) did not find an association. However, this study received a “more
likely bias” score during the quality assessment. Specifically, in this study the instrument used for measuring stress was not validated, making it impossible to determine whether it measured stress or another construct. On the other hand, all studies with higher quality assessment scores reported an association between teachers’ mental health and student achievement. In other words, students in classes with teachers experiencing mental health problems also had lower academic achievement scores in standardized tests.
Another point of interest in this review is the recommendations proposed by researchers. The most common recommendation is to implement training activities and consultation after detecting mental health problems. While these activities are relevant for assisting teachers in the short term, they may not be sufficient. The field of occupational health and safety has shown that it is important not only to attend the cases of workers who already have an illness, but also to implement programs that prevent workers from being exposed to risk factors (Tsutsumi & Shimazu, 2016). This means that if working conditions are affecting teachers’ health, then it is also essential to change these working conditions or the exposure to them. Identifying which workings conditions may be related to teachers’ mental health is one step in this direction.
As stated at the beginning of this paper, this review is part of a larger research project aimed at contributing to the understanding of factors that are associated with students’ academic achievement. It is a research that bridges the fields of education and occupational health and
the results of this systematic review provide further motivation to continue this line of inquiry, as the results indicate that teachers’ poor mental health can have a negative impact on students’ achievement. We also hope to raise awareness of this subject in the field of international and
comparative education, as research is showing that teachers’ health and their working conditions is not a local concern, but global issues shared by different countries. Finally, we aim to draw attention in the field of occupational health, which, at least in Colombia, has not yet thoroughly examined the working conditions and health of this specific group.
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According to this review, teachers are suffering mental health problems and it can become a factor that negatively impacts students’ academic achievement. Further research is needed to understand the causes of mental health problems in teachers and to establish the best alternatives to aid them to overcome such problems.
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'health':ab OR 'burnout':ab OR 'stress':ab OR 'depression':ab OR 'anxiety':ab OR 'happiness':ab OR 'wellbeing':ab OR 'accident':ab OR 'absenteeism':ab OR 'injury':ab OR 'symptomatology':ab OR 'medical incapacity':ab OR 'dysphonia':ab OR 'varicose veins':ab OR 'sickness':ab OR 'illness':ab
AND ('school':ab OR 'teacher':ab OR 'k12':ab OR 'education':ab) AND ('achievement':ti OR 'student growth':ti OR 'school effectiveness':ti OR 'quality':ti OR 'performance':ti OR 'accomplishment':ti) AND 'teacher':ti
abstract:(health OR burnout OR stress OR depression OR anxiety OR happiness OR wellbeing OR sickness OR accident OR absenteeism OR injury OR symptomatology OR “medical incapacity” OR dysphonia OR “varicose veins” OR sickness OR illness) AND abstract:(School OR teacher OR K12 OR Education) AND title:( achievement OR “student growth” OR “school effectiveness” OR quality OR performance OR accomplishment) AND title:teacher
(including MEDLINE, PsycARTICLES, PsycBOOKS, PsycINFO1)
AB ( health OR burnout OR stress OR depression OR anxiety OR happiness OR wellbeing OR sickness OR accident OR absenteeism OR injury OR symptomatology OR medical incapacity OR dysphonia OR varicose vein OR sickness OR illness ) AND AB ( School OR teacher OR K12 OR Education ) AND TI ( achievement OR “student growth” OR “school effectiveness” OR quality OR performance OR accomplishment ) AND TI Teacher
1 Using this options the following databases also were included: Academic Search Premier, AMED, America: History & Life Articles & books, American Bibliography of Slavic and East European Studies, American Doctoral Dissertations, Arctic & Antarctic Regions, Art Full Text , Art Index Retrospective, ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, Audiobook Collection (EBSCOhost), Bibliography of Asian Studies, Business Source Premier, CINAHL, Communication & Mass Media Complete, eBook Academic Collection (EBSCOhost), eBook Collection (EBSCOhost), EconLit, GreenFILE, Historical Abstracts, L'Année philologique, Library, Information Science & Technology Abstracts, MAS Ultra - School Edition, MathSciNet via EBSCOhost, Military & Government Collection, MLA Directory of Periodicals, MLA International Bibliography, New Testament Abstracts, Old Testament Abstracts, Philosopher's Index, Primary Search, PsycCRITIQUES, Psychology and Behavioral Sciences Collection, Regional Business News, RILM Abstracts of Music Literature (1967 to Present only), SocINDEX
189
(ab:(health OR burnout OR stress OR depression OR anxiety OR happiness OR wellbeing OR sickness OR accident OR absenteeism OR injury OR symptomatology OR "medical incapacity" OR dysphonia OR varicose vein OR sickness OR illness)) AND (ab:(school OR teacher OR k12 OR education)) AND (ti:(teacher)) AND (ti:(achievement OR “student growth” OR “school effectiveness” OR quality OR performance OR accomplishment))
Teachers’ health and the students’