JMIR Publications

ABSTRACT

Background:

Consumer technology is increasingly being adopted to support personal stress management, including by teachers. Multi-disciplinary research has contributed some knowledge of design and features that can help detect and manage workplace stress. There is less understanding however of what facilitates engagement with ubiquitous ‘off-the-shelf’ technologies, particularly in a specific occupational setting. An understanding of features that facilitate or inhibit technology use, and the influences of contexts on the manner of interaction, could improve teachers’ stress management opportunities.

Objective:

The aim of the study was to investigate interaction features that facilitated or inhibited use of four consumer technologies chosen by teachers for stress management, as well as the influence of the educational contexts. We also examined how wellbeing technology use could be better supported in the school.

Methods:

The choice of consumer technologies was framed for teachers according to stress-management strategy and digital features. A longitudinal study intended for six weeks in the summer term (2020) was extended into the autumn term for up to 27 weeks so working from home in the summer could be contrasted with being back in school, due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Teachers chose to use either a Withings smartwatch or Wysa, Daylio or Teacher Tapp Apps. Two semi-structured interviews and online surveys were conducted with 8 teachers in England in the summer term, and 6 of them took part in a third such interview in the autumn term. Interviews were analysed thematically.

Results:

Technology elements and characteristics such as passive data collation, brevity of interaction, discreet appearance, reminders and data visualisation were described by teachers as facilitators. Lack of instructions and information on features, connectivity, extended interaction requirements and non-differentiation of activity and exercise data were described as barriers. Meso-contextual barriers to engagement were also reported, particularly when teachers were back on school premises, including temporal constraints, social stigma and lack of private space to destress. Teachers had ideas for feature improvements and how educational leadership normalising teachers’ stress management with consumer technologies could benefit the school culture.

Conclusions:

Having pre-selected their stress management strategies, teachers were able to harness design features to support themselves over an extensive period. There could be an important role for digital interventions as part of teachers’ stress management which school leadership would need to leverage to maximise their potential. The findings add to the holistic understanding of situated self-care and should inform developers’ considerations for occupational digital stress support.