The Relationship between School Climate, Self-Esteem and Coping Strategies among Secondary School Teachers and Headmasters

Abstract

The aim of the research was to map the coping strategies used by secondary school teachers and headmasters and at the same time to reveal the correlation with the school climate, self-esteem, and other variables. A questionnaire battery was used consisting of OSI-R (Inventory of Occupational Stress), which evaluates emotional and cognitive stress management and coping strategies (personal resources for coping with stress), one-dimensional assessment scale to determine the social climate among the teaching staff, and the Rosenberg self-esteem scale. The research sample consisted of 250 secondary school teachers and 377 headmasters from the Czech Republic. The existence of a significant positive relationship was confirmed between a positive perception of the school climate and all coping strategies - social support, relaxation, self-care, and rational/cognitive coping. Headmasters have significantly higher self-esteem compared with secondary school teachers and they have a significantly better perception of the school climate than the group of teachers.