Improving Chinese Teachers' Stress Coping Ability through Group Sandplay

Area of Science:

• Psychology
• Education
• Therapeutic Interventions

Background:

• Teachers face significant work pressure, necessitating effective stress management strategies.
• Existing coping mechanisms require evaluation to identify areas for improvement.
• Group sandplay therapy is explored as a novel intervention for teacher support.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of current coping strategies among teachers.
• To investigate the potential of group sandplay in improving stress coping.
• To compare stress coping strategies before and after the intervention.

Main Methods:

• A study involving 200 teachers, divided into an experimental sandplay group and a control group.
• Both groups received a tutorial on work pressure and its effects.
• The experimental group participated in three days of group sandplay therapy.
• Objective (questionnaire) and subjective (therapist observations) measures were used to assess coping styles.

Main Results:

• The experimental group showed a significant shift from passive coping (M=1.94 to M=0.96) to active coping (M=1.76 to M=2.41).
• Therapists' observations and participant feedback indicated positive changes in stress coping strategies.
• No significant changes were reported for the control group (implied).

Conclusions:

• Group sandplay therapy is an effective intervention for enhancing teachers' stress coping abilities.
• The findings support the use of group sandplay as a method to improve psychological well-being in educators.
• This approach offers a practical solution for addressing the high-pressure environment in teaching.