Research Article :
Kagwe Margaret, Ngigi
Simon and Mutisya Sabina Teaching
has emerged as one of the most stressful professions in the last two decades.
The need for knowledge for personal growth and national development puts
pressure on the teachers to facilitate the achievement of these goals. Teachers
in Borstal institutions are expected to teach and rehabilitate young convicts
for re-integration into the society. The desire to find out sources of stress
and coping strategies among teachers in Borstal institutions has necessitated
an empirical study. The current study focuses on sources of occupational stress
and coping strategies among teachers in Borstal institutions in Kenya.
Phenomenology study design was used and purposive sampling in particular
maximum variation was used to select the study participants. Results indicated
that working conditions, living conditions and lack of resources were the main
sources of stressors, while physical exercises, religious intervention, use of
alcohol were among the coping strategies used. Lack of professional counseling
services also emerged as a situation that lead to high stress levels. Introduction Stress
exists in many occupations due to the lack of congruence between expectations
from employees, the ability of individuals and support systems available.
Stress is a general term used for pressure that people are exposed to in life.
Jepson and Forrest (2006) define stress as the individual harmony effort that a
person displays against a stimulus which has excessive psychological and physical
pressure on the person. Teaching has been lately identified as one of the
professions with high stress levels in numerous studies (Fisher, 2011; Chona
& Roxas, 2009). Teachers are expected to fill many roles in their daily
tasks. These roles may include evaluator, planner, disciplinarian, information
provider, role model, facilitator, and counselor. As a result of balancing
these many roles, stress will always be a part of the teaching profession.
Knowing that stress will always be present, there is a need to assess stress
and the different coping
behaviors used by teachers in corrective institutions. Sources
of stress among teachers may be summarized as low motivation in students,
discipline problems, the pressure of time and the work load, colleague
relationship, conflict and indefiniteness of roles, bad working conditions and
self-respect, students discipline problems, the inadequate support of
colleagues, (Detert, Derosia, Caravella &Duquette, 2006).Research indicates
that teachers of special populations are likely to be more stressed than other
teachers (Ghani, Ahmed & Ibrahim, 2014). Teachers in Borstal institutions
are therefore likely have high levels of stress. Borstal institutions are reformatory
institutions for young or juvenile offenders. The fact that Borstal
institutions accommodate young offenders makes it necessary to have methods of behavior
modification as well as other rehabilitation
strategies to prepare the juveniles for re-integration into the society. In
order to effectively rehabilitate the young offenders, teachers in Borstal
institutions require coping with occupational stress. Coping with stressors can
decrease the level of stress and lessen the negative effects of stress (Lazarus
&Folkman, 1984). There exist poor coping mechanisms as well as good coping
mechanisms. Poor coping mechanisms have long been identified as a primary cause
of stress (Montgomery & Rupp, 2005). Good coping skills include modifying
thought processes, learning problem-focused strategies and emotional focused
strategies like emotional release, physical exercises, talking or meditation.
Common positive strategies teachers use to alleviate stress include exercise,
social resources, avoidance, reading, hobbies, movement, and meditation
(Gulwadi, 2006). Effectively coping with stress is the first step to preventing
psychological
distress and development of health
problems. Some of the coping strategies known to work and enhance general
wellbeing include talking with friends and family, exercising, praying, or
actively addressing the causes of stress (Andre-Petersson, Hedblad, Janzon,
&Ostergren, 2006). Statement of the
Problem The
teaching profession was traditionally regarded as a low stress occupation
according to French, Caplan and Harrison (1982). However, over the last two
decades, the pressure for academic excellence has changed the status to one of
the most stressful occupations (Olivier & Venter, 2003; Singla, 2006). Compared to the general population, teachers
are at risk for higher levels of psychological distress and lower levels of job
satisfaction (Schonfield, 1990). This necessitates studies on the sources of
stress and coping
strategies in order to arrest the situation since teachers play a key role
in national development. A
study by Okeke, Adu, Drake and Duku (2014) found that sources of stress among
teachers include school climate, learners discipline, management practices,
high workload, resource constraints, low salaries and low professional status.
Coping strategies used by teachers to deal with occupational stress include
good time management, taking out time for leisure and rest, setting priorities,
seeking counseling services, physical exercises, praying and taking drugs among
others. The negative coping strategies may end up leading to self-harm among
teachers and reducing effectiveness. Learners in correctional facilities, due
to their criminal
nature and history pose significant stress to their teachers (Okutoyi,
2013), the continued use of corporal punishment in Borstal institutions
(UNICEF, 2013) is also an indication that a gap in behavior modification
techniques exists. In the light of this, work related stress is more likely to
be experienced more among teachers handling juvenile delinquents in
correctional facilities. This study seeks to find out the sources of stress
among teachers in Borstal institutions in Kenya and the coping strategies they
use to deal with the stress. Research
Questions
i.
What
are the sources of work related stressors among teachers in Borstal
Institutions in Kenya?
ii.
How
do teachers in Borstal Institutions in Kenya cope with occupational stress? Theoretical
Framework The
study is anchored on Transactional Model of Stress and Coping. It is a
framework for evaluating the processes of coping with stressful events. It was
proposed by Dr Richard Lazarus (Lazarus, 1966). According to the theory,
stressful experiences are believed to result from transactions between
individuals and the environment. The transactions depend on the impact of the
stressor which is mediated by the individuals appraisal of the stressor and
available coping resources (Lazarus & Cohen, 1977). The level of stress
involves a judgment about whether internal or external demands exceed resources
and ability to cope when demands exceed resources (Lazarus &Folkman, 1984)
(Figure 1). Figure 1: Transactional Model of Stress and Coping (Lazarus & Folkman, 1984). The
theory depicts people as meaning-building creatures who constantly evaluate
everything that happens and who use emotional cues from earlier experiences of
stress, in the process of appraisal. Lazarus (1984) identified two cognitive
appraisals which include primary appraisal and secondary appraisal. In primary
appraisal, individuals question what they have at stake in a particular
threatening situation. The answer to the question influences the quality and
intensity of their emotion.
In secondary appraisal, individuals question what they can do in response to
the perceived threat, that is, their options for coping and the answer to this
question contributes to the types of coping strategies they will implement to
manage the demands of the situation. Coping resources include personal
attributes and environment, while coping responses are emotionally focused or
problem focused which determine the short term and long term outcomes of the
individual. The appraisal of work conditions and individual capabilities among
teachers in Borstal institutions may lead to work related stress when there is
no congruence. From emotional and cognitive resources, coping strategies are
derived. Lack of emotional resources and avenues to seek help when overwhelmed
is likely to lead to negative coping mechanisms that include absenteeism,
taking alcohol among others. Availability of avenues to seek help like
counseling services are likely to lead to positive coping mechanisms like
problem solving, talking about individual struggles and reaching out for help
from colleagues and administration. Methodology This
study belongs to the qualitative paradigm which attempts to study the everyday
life of different groups of people and communities in their natural setting.
The approach helps researchers to understand people, and the social and
cultural contexts within which they live (Myers, 2009). Phenomenology design
was used to guide the research study. Creswell (1998) contends that a
phenomenological study describes the meaning of the lived experiences of
several individuals about a concept or the phenomenon. For this study, work
related stress and coping strategies were the phenomena of interest. Target
population included teachers in Borstal institutions who included teachers in
the primary school section, secondary school section and those in vocational
training. To collect data focused group discussions was conducted in two
institutions while the open ended questions were administered in all
institutions. Participants
of the focused groups were sampled purposefully and in particular maximum
variation purposive sampling was used with the aim of capturing a heterogeneous
sample (Merriam, 2009). Teachers sampled included both male and female in
different ages, different teaching departments and diverse working experience.
A focused group discussion guide and an open-ended questionnaire were used to
collect data. Data was analyzed using summative content analysis and thematic
analysis. Open ended questions were analysed using summative content analysis
where responses were counted to determine which responses were most frequent.
Analysis of focused group discussion was done through thematic analysis. This
involved reading through the notes written several times to identify any patterns
being guided by research questions. Patterns were derived from statements made
by the focused group discussion participants. Results and
Discussion The
results from summative content analysis on open ended questions indicated that
workload was the most common source of stress among teachers in Borstal
institutions in Kenya and it was repeated 37 times from the 60 participants.
Long working hours were also common and was repeated 31 times, inadequate
materials were repeated 22 times, poor living conditions was repeated 18 times,
low salaries was repeated 15 times, inadequate training was repeated 10 times,
long chain of command was repeated 7 times, unfair promotions was repeated 8
times and lack of motivation was repeated 6 times. Other sources of stress
included language barrier, boredom, learner engagement in other activities
disrupting learning and inadequate working gear. Thematic analysis of focused
group discussion gave rise to three themes which included working conditions,
learning resources and teacher living conditions. Participants expressed
frustration in their attempts to balance family responsibilities and work
expectations. They emphasized that family conflicts often arise due to lack of
family quality time. The teachers shared how they are expected to work long
hours and also attend night duties yet they are expected to teach in class
during the day. Work
load as they described was a combination of teaching and other duties as prison
wardens. Besides issues affecting them directly, teachers expressed their frustration
with being expected to teach learners who have no learning materials. From
stationery to text books, the learners struggle to share and often end up
borrowing pens, exercise books from the teachers. Learners are prisoners and
they do not get materials from outside and so the problem is complex. Table 1: Sources of Stress among teachers. On
poor living conditions the teachers indicated that the staff houses within the
Borstal institutions are few and in poor condition. Teachers are sometimes
expected to share rooms with other prison wardens a situation that robs them of
their privacy and dignity. These findings are similar to those by Betoret and
Artiga (2010) who found work load, excessive
work demands, and low pay among others as the most common sources of stress
among teachers in Spain. When there is too much to accomplish exceeding
capability and time constraints, stress level sour. Another study with similar findings was conducted
by Wine field, Gillespie, Stough, Dua, and Hapuarachchi (2002). Sources of
stress as reported by participants included diminishing resources, increased
teaching loads and student/staff ratios, pressure to attract external funds,
job insecurity, poor management and a lack of recognition and reward are some
of the key factors driving the high level of stress. In
Borstal institutions in Kenya, resource provision is the responsibility of the
government and lack of resources to a great extent impairs performance leading
to low morale and a sense of helplessness. On coping strategies used by
teachers in Borstal Institutions, physical activities emerged as the common
coping strategy among the participants. 20 participants indicated walking,
jogging, going to the gym or doing manual work in order to overcome
stress. Sourcing for accommodation outside the institution was one way of
dealing with poor living conditions within the institution. 10 participants
indicated that they talk to colleagues about their struggles and 5 participants
indicated that they turn to spirituality for mental rejuvenation by going to
religious places, singing, praying, and meditating among others. Other coping
strategies that were mentioned included visiting night clubs to drink, seeking
psychological help and reading novels. The
findings in this study partly differ from other studies where teachers seek
counseling services as a major method of coping with occupational stress. In a
study by Okeke, Adu, Drake and Duku (2014), coping strategies used by teachers
to deal with occupational stress included good time management, taking out time
for leisure and rest, setting priorities, seeking counseling
services, physical exercises, praying, taking drugs among others. This shows
similarities in terms of physical
exercises, using alcohol and praying. Another study by Kimanzi (2014) has
similarities with the current study and found that some of the coping
strategies among the participants included practice of good time management,
taking out time for leisure and rest, setting priorities, seeking counseling
services, physical exercises, drinking water, taking sleeping pills and mood
altering drugs, praying and bible reading. While
some of the strategies were positive and likely to lead to increased
effectiveness in teaching and rehabilitating the young offenders in Borstal
institutions, other coping strategies like taking alcohol and mood
altering drugs are negative and likely to impair teaching effectiveness and
rehabilitation of young offenders. Conclusion and Recommendations Teachers
in Borstal institutions have high stress
levels and sources of stress include workload, long hours of working,
inadequate teaching materials, poor living conditions, low salaries, inadequate
training among others. Coping strategies include physical activities like
jogging, talking with family and friends, seeking alternative accommodation
outside the institutions among others. While some of the coping
strategies were positive, others were negative and likely to impair
effectiveness in efforts to rehabilitate the young convicts. Noteworthy, the
absence of counseling services for teachers in the institutions emerged as a
major contributor to inability of teachers to cope with occupational stress. It
is therefore necessary for institutions to improve the working conditions and
living conditions of teachers by employing more teachers and building better
houses and also providing avenues for dialogue to discuss problems.
Professional Counseling services should be provided for the teachers to help
them deal with their personal and work stress.
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E-mail: kagwemargaret@gmail.com Margaret K, Ngigi S and Mutisya S. Sources of
occupational stress and coping strategies among teachers in borstal
institutions in Kenya (2018) Edelweiss Psyi Open Access 2: 18-21 Stress, Coping strategies, Fitness and Health
problemsSources of Occupational Stress and Coping Strategies among Teachers in Borstal Institutions in Kenya
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