Work Stress

Work Stress among Government Higher Secondary School Teachers

in Thiruvananthapuram District

                                                             ABSTRACT

In relation to the profession of teaching, where a teacher is viewed as dispensers of knowledge; teachers are increasingly perceived as facilitators of knowledge.  Although the teaching profession in senior secondary level attracts a large number of job aspirants because of the social status, good pay, job security etc there are a number of factors that lead to work stress  to teachers working in this department. These factors lead to   poor performance and productivity. So a survey among HSST’s in Thiruvananthapuram District was conducted to know the various stress factors and ways of managing stress. The findings lead to the fact that majority faces the problem of work overload.

Key words

Occupational stress, performance, job satisfaction

1. Introduction

Teacher is said to be the social engineer who builds up the society. In this technological era, the role of teacher is changing and challenging. They have a lot of barriers to achieve their objectives. Occupational Stress is one of the barriers which cause a negative attitude in teachers which in turn affect the students, as well as the educational programmes. Stress effects both the teacher and the learners in the teaching process (Forlin, Douglas and Hattie,1996). Kyriacou (1987) who has carried out varies studies on teacher stress, defines teacher stress as the experiencing of unpleasant feelings such as depression, anger, worry, irritableness and tension which are formed as a result of working as a teacher. 

Stress at work resulting from increasing complexities of work and its divergent demand has become a prominent and pervading feature of the modern organizations. Stress as opined by Robinson (2007), is a pressure of adverse influences, circumstances (such as stress of teaching) that disturbs the natural physiological balance of the body. Malow-Iroff and Johnson (2006) are of the view that stress is the individual’s response to the events (such as response to our biological temperament, interaction with others and the environmental conditions in which one is placed, etc. and the events themselves are stressors. Life events and the stress they place on the individual are not the problem until the individual fails to handle the situation competently and engages in poor coping skills. Occupational stress may be the result of the individual characteristics of the person or related to his/her environment (Bachkirova, 2005).

Each profession causes a specific level of stress.  Although the teaching profession has traditionally been regarded as low stress occupation (Ansarul Hasan, 2014) but during the past two decades the situation is somersaulted (Olivier & Venter,2003). Now a day’s teaching is among the professions that cause more stress compared to other professions (Figen Eres and Tatjana Atanasoska, (2011); Pithers, 1995).

Stress sources of teachers may be summarised as low motivation in students, discipline problems, the pressure of time and the work load, being assessed by others, colleague relationship, conflict and indefiniteness of roles, bad  working conditions and self-respect, students’ discipline problems, the inadequate support of colleagues, family and friends (Detert, Derosia, Caravella and Duquette, 2006; Kyriacou, 2001). In addition, students’ being late to school, their failure and students’ not doing homework may cause stress in teachers (Adams 2001; Joseph, 2000). It is important for educational organizations to study and manage rationalistically the stress sources of teachers who have the important duty of educating individuals.

2. Stress and Higher Secondary School Teachers (HSSTs)

Teaching is becoming more challenging as a profession: a more paper work, more bureaucracy and more unruly classes.  Worldwide surveys reveal widespread concern about the effects of stress on teachers’ sense of well-being and their willingness to stay in the profession. Compared to the general population, teachers are at risk for higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of job satisfaction (Schonfield, 1992). Borg et. al., (1991) reported that up to one third of the teachers perceive their occupation as highly stressful. It is clear that teachers can be exposed to a number of sources of stress. As the case of Higher Secondary Schools (HSSs) in Kerala, the teachers are handling adolescents. The needs of adolescents are different and complex, causes stress to teachers. On the same time the activity based pedagogy created more paper work and evolutional complexities, more tests and valuing answer scripts, in sufficient office support for handling the clerical works are also reduced the creativity and increased stress among the teachers.

Kyriacou (2001) also reported that the main sources of teacher stress are teaching students who lack motivation, maintaining discipline in the classroom, confronting general time pressures and workload demands, being exposed to a large amount of change, being evaluated by others, having challenging relationships with colleagues, administration, and management, and being exposed to generally poor working conditions prospects, unsatisfactory working conditions, ambiguity of the teacher’s role, poor relationships with colleagues, pupils, and administrators, and job insecurity.

As the peculiarities of government schools, the complexity of teaching profession is high especially in the case of HSSTs. The official works of HSSTs, are more due to the absence of clerical staffs. Poor working conditions, insufficient infrastructure, ambiguity of role are in its extreme level in Higher Secondary Schools. This study is to assess the sources of stress and the handling mechanism of HSSTs to face the stress in general.

3. Objectives

1.Factors affecting occupational stress among the Government HSS Teachers.

2.To check the kind of stress which affect productivity.

3. To Identify the ways adopted by Higher Secondary Teachers to manage occupational   stress.

4. Research Methodology

The study is based on primary data collected from HSSTs belonging to different age groups. Fifty questionnaires were distributed to various government school teachers in Thiruvananthapuram district on convenient basis.

5.      Analysis and Discussion

5.1.Work load Comparison

As compared to other profession, the work load of teachers is more. Inorder to highlight the work load of HSSTs, a comparison with the High School Teachers is meaningful, Hence the qualification and work load are compared in table 1.

Table 1. Work load comparison with High School Teachers

	HS Teacher	HSS Teacher
Qualification	UG + BEd.	PG + BEd.
Basic pay	Rs. 16980	Rs. 21100
Grade I	7 years	8 years
Grade II	14 years	15 years
Work load in a week	14  hrs
Working time times	9.30 am to 3.30 pm	9 am to 4.45 pm
Days of work in a week	5	5
Strength in a class room	40 to 45	60 to 65
Supportive staff for Office work	1. Clerk, 2 Peons,      1 Scavenger	No staff
Exams and valuation	2 Exams*	4 Exams**

            *10^th standards final and SAY exams,

** First Year & Second Year final and SAY exams

It is evident from Table 1, that the HSSTs are squeezed with work load and timing of work. In the same building, when the counter parts are working for 5 hours (plus one hour break), the HSSTs are working for 7 hours 15 minutes (plus 30 minutes break). The apathy is that in the case of grades, these human beings are to be worked for more than one year as compared to other school teachers.  Even in this dissimilarity, they were taxed by giving more students teacher ratio. The teachers shall be forced to do more work in connection with continuous and comprehensive evaluation. As the case of school teachers, there are sufficient supportive staffs to look after the establishment section, reporting to higher authorities, receiving communication and all other office related work. But the HSSTs in the midst of  the squeezed workload should perform all day to day office related work, admission, registration of students, uploading of internal marks through software, evaluate the assignments, seminars, project works, draft replay to the questions and enquiries from higher authorities, submit application for funds and assistance with government. As the case of teachers handling subjects in tenth standards, they shall involve in compulsory valuation camp for the answer scripts of their students. On the same time the HSST shall double the time of HSTs as they have to handle first year and second year students.

5.2.Demographic Characteristics

Table. 2:  the demographic characteristics of sample HSSTS

	Demography	No of respondents	percentage
Gender	Male	10	20
	Female	40	80
	Total	50	100
Age	30-35	10	20
	35-40	25	50
	40and above	15	30
	Total	50	100
Experience	0-5	12	24
	5-10	20	40
	10 and above	28	56
	Total	50	100

                                    Source: Primary Data

5.3.Stress factors affecting work

Table 3: Stress factors affecting work of HSSTs

Factors	No of respondents	percentage
Shortage of infrastructure	4	8
Group conflict	4	8
Maintaining balance of home and school	7	14
Excessive involvement of PTA	6	12
Irregular Transfer	10	20
Students misbehavior	3	6
Additional work	14	28
No factors	2	4
Total	50	100

                        Source: Primary Data

Table 3 shows that additional work and irregular transfers are the major contributors of stress to HSSTs. 28% are of having the opinion that additional work is one of the cause for stress. That means, if one teacher is in leave or involving in other duties, forces the Teachers to engage the classes. In many cases they are engaging the classes where they have no academic role. This not only kills the productive time of teachers but also creates stress. In addition to the academic engagements, the accounts handling, reporting of activities, reply to higher authorities, salary bill preparation and other service matter related works, valuation, revaluation, visiting other schools for monitoring, cluster meetings, organizing youth festivals, and many other related works are also be managed by the HSSTs, due to the non availability of clerical staffs at HSS section. The posting is based on a state level list prepared by the Public Service Commission (PSC) of Kerala. There is no norm for transfer of teachers at HSS level. So any teachers may be transferred from north to southern part of Kerala. The fear of transfer is always with the HSSTs. 14% of respondents considered their inability to maintain a balance between home and occupation as a major stress factor. Because of the timing of school, ie from nine in the morning to nearly five in the evening, create a big absence in home, creates stress. In many cases the teachers have to travel kilometers to reach the school. This may imbalance the household work, especially females and academic work due to lack of time. This causes insufficient preparations and reduces the quality of teaching learning process.   , 12% find excessive role of PTA in academics activities creates more stress in HSS. Eight percent opined that shortage of infrastructure and the same percent find group conflict are causes of stress while only  4% said that there were no stress in work.

5.4.Mental and Physical   outcomes

Table 4: Mental and Physical outcomes

Outcomes	No. of respondents	Percentage
Muscular  and Cardiac Problems	4	8
Headaches, Thyroid, BP	11	22
Anxiety	21	42
Depression	4	8
Fatigue	8	16
No impact	2	4
Total	50	100

                        Source: Primary Data

The stress of profession may create many metal and physical problems. It is evident from table 4, that Anxiety was the major outcome as compared to other problems. More than 40% are of opinion that the stress created anxiety. 22% opined that the outcome was headaches, thyroid and Blood Pressure (BP). Only eight percent of the sample having the opinion that the professional stresses create Muscular and cardiac problems, and Depression.  Techniques to control stress

The HSSTs are adopting so many stress control techniques to reduce the stress. The order of preference are collected and listed in table 5.

Table 5: Stress control techniques

Opinion	No of respondents	percentage
Yoga,  meditation exercise and prayer	21	42
Get together with family, friends colleagues etc.	13	26
Proper communication with  colleagues	7	14
Recreational activities	6	12
Proper rest	3	6
Total	50	100

Source: Primary Data

Table 5 depicts the fact that the order of preference starts with Yoga to Proper rest. 42% of teachers rely on Yoga, meditation and exercises to reduce work stress.26% said that get-togethers is a stress reliever to them. 14% opined that proper communication with colleagues reduced stress, recreational activities reduced work stress for 12% of respondents. Six percent said that they took proper rest to reduce the stress. The table 5 exhibit the fact that there is stress and all of them are involving in some activities to reduce the stress. 

5.      Major Observations and Findings

The HSSTs are in a strict sense are capable of coping with stress. The stage of burnout was not yet reported.  The major observations and findings of the study are enumerated as under.

1. More than half teachers opinion is that work overload is a major stress creating factor. The work load means Excessive working hours, Rising class sizes, Pressures due to insufficient clerical support, Changes to assessment & testing requirements, and Workplace bullying.
2. ii. stress is considered as an involuntary response to a dangerous situation. When we face a situation which our brain is incapable of handling, it puts the body on alert by producing hormones which are required in fight or flight situation.  42% of HSSTs are of the opinion that one of the major impacts of work stress is anxiety and followed by Headaches, Thyroid, BP. Majority says that they controlled work stress by Yoga and Meditation.

6.      Suggestions

1. Trainning

Implementing appropriate Stress Reduction Training Programmes like yoga, meditation etc. to teachers especially to HSSTs shall be a major agenda of the government to reduce the stress. Provide training to Learn and practice anger management as it will help in managing stress. Additional Research should be conducted in this field.

2. Motivation

Proper motivational factors such as monetary and non –monetary incentives should be implemented.

3. Status creation

Now a day the structure of Higher Secondary Schools in Kerala is ‘thrisanku’.  That means they are not the part of regular school or the part of higher education. There is a separate department for HSS education but the HSS schools are running as part of regular High schools. Consider school and higher secondary as separate units and provide adequate staff.

4. Supportive mechanism

Providing crèche for children of teachers, fitness centers, health and counseling centers etc. to support the teachers to be engaged and thereby control the stress.  Advice the teachers to make it a point to visit the guidance counselor, as it can help them to identify any underlying psychological or behavior problem related to workplace stress.

5. Adopt a Hobby

It is very important for a teacher to have a hobby which is totally different from the HSST at schools. Music, gardening, hiking and painting are a few examples of hobbies which a teacher may adopt. These can give them an outlet and take their minds off from the problems that they face at school. This is one way of getting the day’s stress off from their minds. (Surinder Kaur, 2011).

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6. Adopting Healthy Habits

Adopting healthy life style is very important for a HSS Teacher as he/she is handling adolescent children. Cutting back on bad habits like drinking and smoking will not just make them a healthy person, but will also make teachers a role model for their students and other faculty members as well. Eat breakfast as it is the most important meal of the day as it will help you stay healthy. Set realistic goals in life and then pursue them. Worrying unnecessarily can be a big source of stress. So cut back on worrying as that will reduce your stress.

7.      Conclusion

In relation to the profession of teaching, where a teacher is viewed as dispensers of knowledge; teachers are increasingly perceived as facilitators of knowledge. They work in a constant socially isolated environment surrounded by hostile views and sometimes threat of physical abuse, and at the same time under a constant fear and threat of accountability for each and every actoin of both own self and that of the pupil. This alone can be a sufficient cause for stress for an individual. But in the case of a teacher it is multiplied by other factors as well. As the HSSTs are dealing a different age group having wide aspirations and volatile character. Their behavior is very important to the students, as the adolescents’ age is an age of copying others. The teachers shall be the role model. For that they shall be in a balanced state of mind. But the stress of teachers especially HSSTs are high due to the pressure created due to the changed circumstances; viz the result of students in this stage is big news to media and parents. The Government Higher Secondary Teachers  face a lot of work stress due to work overload failure in maintaining home work balance, irregular transfers, absence of motivation, misbehavior of students, political interference etc. It is a real challenge for the teachers as they directly deal with the society. The teachers should make use of the techniques for controlling   occupational stress like Yoga, meditation, exercises and other stress relief activities which improve individual productivity and group productivity.

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