Influence of Selected Work Related Variables on Occupational Stress Among Teachers in Kenya

Occupational stress is a universal phenomenon that manifests itself among workers as a result of pressures originating from within or outside the work place. Work stress has had negative effects on performance and service delivery among workers and can therefore be expensive for organizations as it adversely affects organizational performance and productivity. Globally, teaching has been ranked the second most stressful job after ambulance driving and incidences of teachers experiencing occupational stress have been reported in Borabu Sub County. Given the important role education plays in shaping society, the pivotal roles played by teachers globally and in Borabu SubCounty cannot be over stated. Majority of teachers confess that they would opt for an alternative profession given an opportunity, a situation witnessed by a substantive number of teachers who get newly employed or are always ready to transfer to other professions. Some studies on teachers’ occupational stress have concentrated on factors causing or contributing to stress or effects of occupational stress on performance among teachers but have not investigated the influence of selected work related variables on occupational stress among secondary school teachers. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the Influence of Selected Work RelatedVariables on Occupational Stress among Teachers in Public Secondary Schools in Borabu-Sub County of Nyamira County. The main objective of the study was to determine the influence of role overload on occupational stress among public secondary school teachers. The study was anchored on Person Environment Fit Theory of Caplan. The study employed convergent parallel research design within mixed method approach. The population of the study comprised 212 public high school teachers, 21 Principals, and 3 Education Officers. Saturated sampling was used to obtain a sample size of 212 teachers, 21 Principals and 3 Education Officers of Borabu Sub County, Nyamira County, Kenya. Occupational stress questionnaire was used to collect quantitative data from teachers while qualitative data was collected using interviews to Principals and Education Officers. Descriptive statistics and correlational analysis were used to analyze quantitative data while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic framework. Validity of the instruments was ensured by seeking expert judgement from university psychology lecturers. Reliability of the instruments was determined using internal consistency with an index of 0.70 reported. The study results revealed that high school teachers of Borabu Sub County have a significant amount of role overload at r=0.647. The study established that co and extracurricular activities plummeted the teachers work. The study recommended that teachers, school Principals, Teacher Counselors, other Education stake holders and policy makers need to apply adjustment interventions for occupational stress reduction among educators. Keywords: Influence, Occupational, Stress, work DOI: 10.7176/JEP/12-30-07 Publication date:October 31st 202