ATLAS, a psychobiological model of teacher stress in classroom interactions

Teachers are a particularly stressed occupational group with above-average burnout rates compared to other professions. Teacher stress significantly challenges teachers’ health, classroom interactions, and positive student development. Preventing this stress is of utmost importance. Proven frameworks help us understand and buffer teacher stress. However, each approach has its specific strengths and limitations in understanding the complex problem of teacher stress. We propose the comprehensive ATLAS Model of Psychobiological Teacher Stress in Classroom Interactions that builds on and extends existing frameworks. ATLAS considers objective measures, biological and interactional processes, the temporal dimensions of acute and chronic stress, and the effects of cumulative stress. The ATLAS Model permits us to understand (1) how teacher stress impairs teachers’ ability to provide an effective learning environment and (2) how this affects students’ learning and social development. (3) Finally, the model describes how teacher and student behavior shape dysfunctional classroom environments. A better understanding of the interplay between psychobiological stress in teachers, the classroom environment, and student development may help teacher education, schools, and healthcare providers mitigate adverse health outcomes and ultimately improve education quality.