Teacher stress at lockdown times: case study on Santa Ana canton in Manabí province, Ecuador

Abstract

Stress is a genetically programmed reaction to deal withsituations that put people's collective and individual security at risk. Very low or very high levels of stress, however, make it a risk factor,  both from  the  standpoint  of psychophysiology  and  behavior.  The  SARS-CoV-2 pandemic,and the confinement that it gave rise to,was anabrupt and disruptive process, some of  which traits are  still  present.  From  the  teachers'  perspective, learningenvironmentshaschanged, as did the nature and timing of interaction with their students. Teaching strategies had to be modified in at least two aspects: methodologies to guide learning,and synchronous and asynchronous interaction with their students. Teachers' work from home during lockdownis stilla   learning   process   about   the   new   education   and   school   management   in   virtual environments. Using quali-quantitative methods in the study of a case, the goalof this article was to analyze how "exceptional" situations affect human stress, by suddenly and prolongedly modifying the patterns of action and interaction of people and social groups. With the teachers with the highest perceived stress, the experiential and subjective elements of perceived stress were studied in depth. In this way, three types of main stressors, with a high incidence, were identified.