Abstract:

Several researches on the working conditions of university teachers indicate that this kind of job is very stressful. Most of them were conducted through subjective tests in which the subjects indicated their level of perceived stress after a working day. Now, devices that can measure physiological alterations have allowed researchers to measure stress level in different work activities. This study compares three types of teaching activities to determine which of them involves higher levels of stress through the analysis of skin conductivity variations. A portable device can measure electrodermal activity (EDA) and heart rate (HR) in real working conditions, among other variables. EDA and HR are common indicators of stress and alertness and may indicate early signs of burnout in university teachers. A longitudinal study was conducted to compare the modifications on EDA and HR due to teaching activity at the university level. The results were compared to those obtained during non-teaching activities that are related to the lecturers’ work and during driving. Three measurements were conducted with three subjects during two academic years. No significant variations were found in HR, but the results show a significant increase in EDA for teaching activity compared to those obtained for driving and non-teaching activities. The results obtained are limited by the sample and do not allow generalizations, however, they open the door to new research that allows us to study in depth the effect of face-to-face teaching on teachers.

Keywords:

Electrodermal activity, galvanic skin response, heart rate, teaching, stress recognition.