With
respect to the validity of the TSI, it is apparent from the
preceding sections that the occupational stress experienced by
teachers is actually a multiple factor construct, that these
factors are significantly related to one another, and that the
stress factors were experienced by the norm group of 3,401
teachers at moderate levels. Also, the overall construct framed
by the Teacher Stress Inventory is related to a number of work,
job, and organizational variables in terms of both predicted
directions and magnitudes. Teacher stress is related more to
environmental events, and the teachers' perceptions of these
events, than it is to personal or professional variables such as
teacher gender, age, education level, number of students, and
number of years teaching. Thus, the majority of the hypothesized
relationships were confirmed. As additional data and findings
are contributed by present TSI users, these relationships will
be extended, confirmed, refuted, or modified.
With respect to the
reliability data, it is apparent that the TSI is adequately
reliable in terms of its alpha, split-half, test-retest, and
alternate-forms reliability estimates. Thus, it can be used for
both research and other field purposes, as well as for making
group-to-group and individual-to-group comparisons. |