Contribution of Hardiness and School Climate to Alienation Experienced by Student Teachers

Abstract

Teacher alienation has been related to job satisfaction, student learning, and burnout. Evidence suggests that the hardiness personality trait could moderate against the negative effects of work conditions that lead to alienation. A multiple regression model using hardiness, school climate, and their product interaction term accounted for 30% of the variance in the alienation scores of 106 student teachers (F = 14.09, p < .0001). Individuals indicating higher levels of hardiness had significantly lower alienation scores across all school climate conditions than their less hardy counterparts did. Data indicate that as the school climate becomes more supportive, student teachers who have high levels of hardiness become progressively less alienated. For those low in the hardiness construct, alienation may actually increase as climate conditions become more supportive.