Technostress Experienced by Teachers While Adopting Flipped Classroom Strategies in Digital Pedagogy

Abstract

Contemporary education is increasingly shaped by digital technologies, particularly through the flipped classroom model, which enables online content delivery and enhances learner engagement. While this approach fosters autonomy, it necessitates strong technological skills from educators. However, it also leads to technostress, marked by anxiety and fatigue due to the demands of technology, often intensified by a lack of adequate training. The study aimed to examine teachers' experiences with technostress while implementing flipped classroom strategies in digital pedagogy. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) has been employed as a research method. The study has purposively selected 54 experienced teachers of Nadia district in West Bengal who utilized digital tools as digital pedagogy. A semi-structured interview has been used to gather participants' experiences, emotional responses, and coping strategies. Thematic analysis has been done to analyse the data, leading to an analytic narrative that synthesizes the findings. The result shows that technostress among teachers in flipped classrooms arises from various technological and pedagogical factors, including complex technology tools, insufficient support and training, unreliable infrastructure, and information overload. Additional stressors include increased planning demands, redefined teaching roles, assessment challenges, and diverse learner needs. Teachers cope with technostress by utilizing strategies such as professional development, peer collaboration, time management, cognitive strategies, and advocating for supportive policies. Further, the study recommends that the institutions should get support in formulating digital pedagogy policies that emphasise the mental well-being of teachers, and also in contributing the literature related to technology's impact on education.