Continuous working day vs. divided working day and health of teachers: An exploratory study

Abstract

The new regulation that regulates the school hours can affect the work of teachers and their health. The objective of the present study was to compare two groups of teachers who worked in different working days (continuous and divided) in order to explore their psychological state according to their working day. The sample consisted of 76 teachers, whose mean age was 38.72 years (SD = 9.29) and their teaching experience was 9.88 years. The levels of job strain, burnout, self-efficacy and job satisfaction were evaluated, as well as a 3-day measurement of the perception of physical fatigue, mental fatigue and mood at the beginning and end of the day. The results show that there are no differences in levels of job strain, burnout, self-efficacy or job satisfaction between groups. However, the teachers of the continuous work day perceive significantly less mental load and less physical fatigue and their mood is significantly better and more stable compared to those of the split day. These results are discussed in an attempt to provide a perspective focused on the health of the teachers to the debate that arises regarding the implementation of the continuous working day.