How much pressure are teachers in Germany under? Which teachers are particularly affected, and what impact does this have on their health?
The results of the fourth representative survey conducted as part of the German School Barometer show that an overwhelming majority of teachers currently perceive both their colleagues (92 percent) and themselves (84 percent) as being under high or very high levels of strain.
For more than three quarters of teachers, working at weekends is the norm, while the majority find it increasingly difficult to recover during their free time.
The high workload is taking its toll: More than half of teachers (very) frequently experience physical exhaustion and fatigue. Almost one in two also report feeling restless and suffering from neck pain, while one third experience sleep problems.
Given the teacher shortage and the high levels of stress reported, we asked how many teachers were planning to reduce their teaching hours in the coming school year. The results show that more than one in ten teachers intend to work fewer hours.
“Teachers are under enormous pressure. They are having to accelerate digitalisation at record speed, monitor COVID-19 regulations, help students catch up on learning, compensate for staff shortages, and integrate a growing number of Ukrainian children and young people who have fled the war into schools,” says Dr. Dagmar Wolf, Head of Education at the Robert Bosch Stiftung.
Almost all teachers believe that negative patterns of student behaviour have increased since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic in spring 2020. This proportion has risen further since the German School Barometer survey conducted in September 2021. Eighty percent of respondents now report a sharp increase in concentration and motivation problems, compared with 67 percent in 2021. Almost twice as many teachers as six months ago are observing aggressive behaviour among their students.
When asked about support available to children and young people, almost three quarters of teachers point to school social work services. Consultations with school psychologists are available at almost half of grammar and vocational schools, compared with only one third of lower secondary, intermediate secondary and comprehensive schools and one quarter of primary schools.
A comparison between September 2021 and April 2022 also shows that teachers now estimate the proportion of students with significant learning gaps to be considerably higher, rising from 33 percent in September 2021 to 41 percent in April 2022. This is particularly true of schools where more than half of the students speak a language other than German at home.
Three quarters of teachers say that students at their school are currently not receiving the support they need to close existing learning gaps. The same proportion believe that promoting students’ mental wellbeing should take priority over covering the curriculum.
The good news is that despite the many challenges and high levels of pressure, around three quarters of teachers are satisfied with their profession.
“People become teachers because they believe in what they do. But chronic overload takes a toll on both health and job satisfaction. Schools therefore urgently need additional staff. This includes social educators and school social workers, as well as administrative staff who can ease the burden on school leadership teams.”
At the time of the survey in April 2022, dealing with COVID-19 measures was the biggest challenge facing teachers (38 percent). This was followed by teacher shortages (26 percent) and student behaviour (21 percent).
