Klassen,R.M., Foster,R.Y Sukaina, Bowman,B., (2009).

Teaching in the Yukon: Exploring

teachers’ efficacy beliefs, stress, and job satisfaction in a remote setting,, (48), pp 381-394.

Introduction

The article chosen is ‘Teaching in the Yukon: Exploring teacher’s efficacy beliefs, stress and

job satisfaction in a remote setting’ written by Klassen, Foster, Sukaina & Bowman (2009)

discuss on the influence of cultural and community factors on teacher’s working lives. The

article highlights the job’s beliefs for teachers and how the geographical, community and

cultural factors were related to teachers’ job beliefs. At such, teachers’ motivation is

determined by the degree of job stress and job satisfaction which lead to their engagement

and transformation in teaching. Even though there are many studies have been conducted in

highlighting teachers’ motivation in teaching but those studies maybe over look the

intricacies of teaching in a specific circumstance. This article facilitates in providing insight

into the framework of motivation that infrequently emphasized such as job stress and job

dissatisfaction.

This article which stresses on the job beliefs and how geographical, community, and cultural

factors were related to it shows that teachers nowadays encounter lot of challenges in their

career which could lesser their motivation level in teaching especially in inaccessible setting.

The challenges turn into the factors that affect teachers’ working lives. In order to get

engaged wholly in a job, one should have a high level of motivation to ensure that job done

satisfied and decreased stress level.

In this paper, article summary, critical reflections as well as comments about selected aspect

suggestions to the issue being raised are precisely presented.

Article summary

As indicated in the article, job stress and job dissatisfaction are influenced by physical and

human geography, level of connection with the community and by the community’s cultural

transitions. The major points made in the article include 1) job beliefs for teachers from the

Yukon and western Canada and 2) how geographical, community, and cultural factors were

related to Yukon’s teachers’ job beliefs. Few possible questions which may be asked; what

is the relationship between teachers’ efficacy beliefs, job stress, and job satisfaction for

teachers in the Yukon? Are the levels and patterns of relationship different for teachers in

remote and urban setting? Since there are theories such as job satisfaction has been shown

to influence career decisions and to enhance motivation and performance (Judge et al.,

2001), thus it would be good to get the dept insight regarding teachers’ working lives and

factors influenced their job stress and satisfaction that could point the way to more

understanding of teachers and teaching.

Critical reflection

Teachers’ motivation is important and it influenced by self-and collective efficacy as well as

job two related beliefs such as job stress and job satisfaction. Education is a lifelong

learning meanwhile teaching is the lifelong career. In order to make the lifelong learning is a

triumphant, teachers’ first need to have the interest and passion as well as motivated

enough towards the job.

It is observed that in this article, in Yukon, teachers experienced difficult time that influenced

by the harsh climate and hours of daylight leads to job stress and dissatisfaction. Teachers

need time to adjust themselves with the new weather and surrounding. While adjusting their
life to the new environment, teachers will be affected psychologically. Then, the isolation that

brought by distance can be a big challenge for teachers too which affect their emotional and

psychological well being. Therefore, the self-and collective efficacy and geographical factors

do affect their motivation level. Nowadays we can see that many people choose to join this

noble education field in order to educate the young generation enthusiastically. However,

when they are already in this field and got posted to certain remote areas with so many

challenges that need to be faced every day, their self-esteem will diminish and motivation level

will easily descend. A motivated teacher is one who not only feels pleased with his or

her job, but also is empowered to do the best for excellence and enlargement in instructional

practice.

Several statement also seems to express the authors own disappointment in the reason of

conducting the study that have been overlooked in much motivation research. For example,

Bronfenbrenners much cited ecological approach (1979) continues to provide a useful

model for understanding factors in teaching and the teaching environment. Influences on

teachers and teaching involve more than the microsystem (e.g, factors in the classroom), but

also include influences from the broader layers of the mesosystem (e.g., factors in the

school), the exosystem (community factors), and the macrosystem (cultural factors), the

latter three layers that have been largely ignored in teacher motivation research. (p. 393).

These statement highlights that there are various kind of factors that influence teachers’

motivation not only from one the first layer of the mesosystem. Therefore, Klassen, Foster,

Sukaina & Bowman are called to carry out the study in that particular situation with different

contexts. The article provides trustworthy information and a credible point of view how the

community in remote setting sees the education. However, there is no means provide in

suggesting to improve this kind of situation which involves one community in remote setting.
Recommendation and further research

I think that teachers’ motivation can be enhance gradually by ongoing support from the

respective government or authorities. I personally agreed with the authors that geographical,

cultural and community become the factors that influence teachers’ working lives. I would

suggest that this study to be carried out to another remote area in other part of the world.

Being the only source of manpower in the education field to produce

quality education, there is an urgent need for investigation to counteract the negative

consequences of work-related stress on teachers.

Conclusion

Klessen, Foster, Sukaina & Bowman have presented a realistic research that the factors

influence job and stress depend on the context and also depend on the outside of the

classroom factors as strongly as school-based factors. The links with community and

stakeholder plays an important role in the satisfaction and stress in the classroom. The

article does contain supporting information as the finding shows that those factors do influence

teachers motivation.

Reference

Klassen M. R, Foster Y. R, Sukaina & Bowman C. (2009). Teaching in the Yukon: Exploring

teachers’ efficacy beliefs, and job satisfaction in a remote setting. International Journal

of Educational Research. Retrieved on March 9, 2012 from

http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.ijer.2010.04.002
Ash K. (2007). The Teacher's Role in Motivation. Education Week. Retrieved on March 25,
2012 from

Http://blogs.edweek.org/edweek/motivation/2007/12/student_incentives_revisited.html