Effects Of Stress On Secondary School Teachers’ Job Performance In Tanzania: A Case Study Of Sumbawanga Municipality

ABSTRACT

The study aimed to assess the effects of stress on Secondary School Teachers‘

job performance in Sumbawanga Municipality in Tanzania. Specific objectives

of the study were: to identify sources of teachers stress in secondary school at

Sumbawanga Municipality, to determine effects of teachers stress in secondary

school at Sumbawanga Municipality and to examine coping strategies used by

teachers in secondary schools to overcome stress at Sumbawanga Municipality.

The study was guided by Transactional or Cognitive Theory of Psychological

Stress and Coping. This theory based on sources, effects and different coping

strategies which can be applied by teachers to reduce or remove the stress. Both

quantitative and qualitative approaches were applied. The study employed

purposive sampling and simple random sampling procedure to get 73

respondents, whereby 66 respondents were secondary school teachers, 6 of them

were heads of school and 1 Municipal secondary education officer. Numerical

data were analyzed by descriptive statistics and the qualitative one was

subjected to content analysis. Data collected were analyzed by using Statistical

Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 20. Methods that were used for

collecting data were documentary review, interviews and questionnaires.

The findings revealed that low salary, poor teaching conditions and workrelated

stress are common stressors to teachers. Also, findings revealed that,

low morale, absenteeism as well as teachers‘ turnover are the major effects of

stress in secondary school teachers. On the other hand the findings of the study

showed that, teachers cope with stress through prayers, counseling, doing

physical exercise and learn techniques of relaxation.

The implication of this study to the existing policy is that stressors for

secondary school teachers are not limited to academic performance only but

also from personal, social, political and economic sphere. This means that

dealing with tress should not only be limited to teachers themselves but also to

the surrounding environment and society in general.