From the abstract:

"The aim of this article is to develop a questionnaire to record typical professional requirements in the teaching profession that can arise from antinomic areas of tension. The theoretical basis is Helsper's concept of antinomies, which was used to work out the corresponding antinomy-related requirements. Two separate surveys were used to obtain data from teachers(_n1= 244, _n2= 501), which formed the basis for the factor-analytical evaluations. The results show that the theoretically assumed eleven antinomy-related requirements in the two independent data sets can each be accurately mapped with three items per factor and exhibit appropriate scale reliabilities. Measured against the possible scale range, the majority of the scales show above-average values, i.e. they tend to be experienced frequently. Furthermore, the majority of the scales show positive correlations with the professional role experience of negative valence and negative correlations with the professional role experience of positive valence. Thus, a compact instrument with good psychometric properties could be presented, which can be used both in empirical research and in connection with practical occupational questions."

Highlights:

• 33 items to record the experience of the 11 antinomies according to Helsper
• Examination of the psychometric quality on two independent samples
• Indications of above-average frequency with which teachers experience the individual antinomies
• Positive correlations of the scales with the professional role experience of negative valence (e.g. frustration, exhaustion)
• Negative correlations of the scales with the professional role experience of positive valence (e.g. experience of competence, self-confidence)
• Exploration of study scenarios: School development, stress experience, biographical approaches, professionalization measures

The publication is available open access at Springer:

Kärner, T., Peker, H., Maué, E. & Goller, M. (2025, online first). Antinomic areas of tension as job-typical requirements in the teaching profession: Operationalization and psychometric validation of a questionnaire. Journal of Educational Science. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11618-025-01341-z

The study was a collaboration between Tobias Kärner (University of Hohenheim), Hakan Peker, Elisabeth Maué (both University of Konstanz) and Michael Goller (Department of Vocational and Business Education).