Are you technostressed?

COVID-19 has had a profound effect on how we perform our jobs. Due to lockdowns and social distancing requirements most teachers globally have been forced to step out of the classroom and sit behind the computer screen. This sudden pivot to online learning has brought the teaching community into unchartered territory with ICT (Information and Communication Technology) suddenly the main means by which we delivered our classes.

One impact of using ICT is technostress, a form of stress derived from using ICT. This presentation will explore the results of a case study of English teachers at a university in Tokyo. In this study, qualitative and quantitative data collection was used to collect data regarding teachers' technostress creators, inhibitors and the role of leadership. This presentation will explore their experiences of technostress and the main contributing factors to this, strategies they developed to cope and how leadership has and should assist teachers in managing technostress. As educational institutions may continue to operate online or blended models in the future, an understanding of technostress is important in assisting teachers and maintaining optimum occupational health.