Abstract :
Stress is as old as man and is found in all aspects of life. Teaching is one of the most stressful jobs according to past researchers and the world over teachers have complained about almost every aspect of their job. Primary education is very important to a child because it lays the foundation for later learning. Today, great pressure is placed on the primary school teacher to ensure that children placed under him/her do qualify to National schools, which will guarantee a bright future hence reducing the complexities and uncertainties, which befall those who fail their primary education. What happens to people during the workday has profound effects both on the individual employee’s life and the society as a whole and thus these effects can not be ignored if the quality of life is to be high. This study sought to identify factors contributing to stress among primary school teachers in public primary schools and the coping strategies employed in dealing with it in Ngong Division, Kajiado North District in Kenya. This study employed survey research design. Twenty five (25) primary schools were selected by use of stratified random sampling. Since Ngong Division has five zones, 5 schools were selected from each zone. Four (4) male and four (4) female teachers were randomly selected from each of the 25 schools to make a total of 200 teachers. A questionnaire was designed to explore the general level of teacher stress, the sources of teacher stress, the coping actions used by teachers, and what actions teachers think could be taken by schools and the government to reduce teacher stress. Data gathered from the items was organized, coded and analyzed with the help of statistical packages for social science (SPSS) program. Both descriptive statistics and inferential statistics were used to analyse data. Descriptive statistics made use of the frequencies and percentages of each response. Inferential statistics on the other hand was used to test hypothesis using Pearson Chi-Square tests. The study found the following: 33 % of teachers who took part in the study experienced stress to a greater extent, the main factors causing occupational stress among teachers to a greater extent were public’s attitude and misunderstanding about teachers’ workload, high number of pupils in class, pupils’ poor attitudes toward classroom tasks and pupils’ misbehavior. The most effective coping mechanisms were found to be getting to know pupils as individuals, practicing religion, avoiding confrontations and reading certain books of interest. The study recommended all stakeholders in education (school heads, teachers Ministry of Education, policy makers, parents ) to work together towards establishment of right policies and programs that cater for the welfare teachers’ stress free working environment.
Abstract Info
Author: Kitenga, Beth Nduku
Course / Degree: M.Ed.
Institution: Kenyatta University
Journal: Journal of Research Abstracts – JRA
Year: 2009
Citation
Kitenga, B. N. (2009). Factors Contributing to Occupational Stress and Coping Mechanisms among Primary School Teachers in Ngong Division of Kajiado North District. Journal of Research Abstracts – JRA, Volume 3, 2009.
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