Stress and Stress Management in Japan Overseas Cooperation Volunteer Teachers

Abstract

Japanese Overseas Cooperation Volunteers (JOCV) is a Japanese official volunteer program. Under this program, I was dispatched to a primary school in Mozambique for two years as a P.E. teacher. During the two years I faced many kinds of stress and tried to manage them. My experiences motivated me to conduct this research. This study aimed to explore the causes and management of stress by JOCV teachers. Previous research found that the major causes of stress of JOCV members were lack of language skills, cultural differences, and health problems. However, that research did not specifically address JOCV members who work as teachers in schools. In this research using a questionnaire, data was collected from twenty-one JOCV teachers, who were dispatched to developing countries for about two years. The items of the questionnaire are about the details of their activities, kinds of stress they faced, and the ways they managed stress. This research found that the major causes of stress among JOCV teachers were lack of language skills. Furthermore, experienced teachers faced stress due to gap of teaching, and learning environment between Japan and their host countries, inexperienced teachers faced stress due to human relationships. Moreover, this research found that there were five main types of stress management used. The findings of this research suggest that before being dispatched it is important for JOCV teachers to be aware of the stress that they may face in developing countries and to prepare for it.