Causes Of Teacher Stress

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7 Hakanen (2006) identified the conditions known to cause occupational stress for teachers which are overcrowded classrooms that stretch the pupil-teacher ratio, work load in terms of lessons per week, preparations, setting and checking examinations and preparing reports, 8 unmotivated learners, classroom management and time pressure Kyriacou (2001). In addition to these, teachers have to manage classrooms, work with colleagues, school administration the children’s parents and over and above all these manage their personal lives a fact acknowledged by (Kitenga (2009). 9 The study by Jepson and Forrest (2006) indicated that primary school teachers reported many ‘incidences’ of stress than those their secondary school counterparts. This may…show more content…
One author defines occupational stress as “the discrepancy between the demands of the environment/ workplace and the individual’s ability to carry out and complete these demands”. This is mainly due to the bulk of works placed on the shoulder of a teacher. Teachers who have assignment overloads are more prone to health-related issues and low job satisfaction. 16 According to Hepburn and Brown (2001) teacher work overload is related to paper work, time budgets, and excessive deadlines. They also acknowledge that the teaching profession has become increasingly stressful as teachers have to meet many almost impossible deadlines and many responsibilities excluding the excessive amount of time they spend on work related tasks. Aside from these, most of their extra time are spent in settling issues concerning pupils’ behavior, computing grades, decorating and cleaning their classroom, home visitation and others. However, workload-related stress may be attributed to one’s inability to manage time properly and to give priority to relevant…show more content…
To achieve the collective goals of an institution, there is a need for sound interpersonal relations among members. Similarly, Frone (2000) and Fox et al. (2001) argued that conflict between and among colleagues at the workplace leads to decreased job satisfaction, lower organizational commitment, higher turnover intentions, and increased counterproductive work behavior. All this is not good for the organization and for individuals. 18 Hoy et al. (2002) mentioned that a healthy school climate is characterized by positive relations among teachers, school administrators, learners and parents. On the contrary, an unhealthy school climate is characterized by poor and unpleasant relations and this becomes a source of stress. Rovai et al. (2005) define school climate as “the internal characteristics of a workplace that differentiates one school from another and influences the behavior and well-being of

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