Teachers play a vital role in ensuring that lessons and classroom activities are effectively delivered. Their pedagogical skills, such as instructional strategies, classroom management, and assessment practices, are essential in promoting student learning. When teachers are mentally and emotionally well, they tend to be more motivated, confident, and effective in applying these pedagogical skills (Alizadegani et al., 2014). Moreover, teachers who experience positive emotions in their profession often find greater meaning in their work (Moskowitz & Dewaele, 2021) and develop stronger self-awareness, which enhances their teaching practices and supports student learning (Wood, 2021).
However, teachers’ distress has become a significant concern that can negatively affect their pedagogical skills. Teaching is a demanding profession that often exposes educators to stress, fatigue, heavy workloads, and burnout (Candeias et al., 2021; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2020). When distress is prolonged and not effectively managed, it can impair teachers’ ability to plan lessons, engage students, and implement effective instructional strategies. In severe cases, it may lead to mental health issues such as depression, which further diminishes teaching effectiveness and negatively impacts student outcomes. Therefore, it is important to manage distress to sustain high levels of pedagogical competence (Orlanda-Ventayen & Ventayen, 2021).
In many cases, teachers also carry multiple roles beyond the classroom, including responsibilities as parents, breadwinners, and community members. These overlapping demands, combined with challenges such as excessive workloads, students’ low academic performance, and interpersonal conflicts in the school environment, can intensify their level of distress. As a result, their capacity to effectively deliver instruction, maintain classroom engagement, and adapt teaching strategies may be compromised. Therefore, understanding teachers’ distress and its effects is essential in supporting and improving their pedagogical skills.
