The Effects of the Schools’ Humor Climates on Perceived Stress Levels of the Teachers

Abstract

Purpose of the study is to determine the effects of the schools’ humor climates on the perceived stress levels of teachers. The sample of the study, which is a predictive correlational study, is made up of 387 teachers. In data collection, the Humor Climate Scale and the Perceived Stress Scale were used. Consequently, constructive humor climates (positive humor and supervisor support) were more dominant in schools than the destructive ones (negative humor and outgroup humor). In addition, the perceived stress levels of teachers were not high; but they seldom experienced inadequate self-efficacy and sometimes stress/distress perception. The results of the study also revealed that negative humor and outgroup humor climates of the schools were significant predictors of the perceived stress/distress levels of teachers. In this case, we can conclude that the presence of negative humor climates and outgroup humor climates in schools, which are negative and destructive, increases the perceived stress/distress levels of teachers.

Keywords

• teacher
• humor
• humor climate
• stress
• perceived stress