The new academic disease : a study on stress among secondary school teachers

Abstract

The aim of this dissertation is to find out what causes stress among secondary school teachers, from where this amount of stress is coming and how stress can vary according to different individuals. Occupational stress can lead to an unsatisfactory job, which may eventually lead to the unhappiness of the teacher. Adopting both a qualitative and quantitative approach, a broader idea of the main factors that are causing stress emerges from the study. This research was held in the three main School Sectors in Malta, the State, Church and Independent Schools. It appears that the three Sectors are affected by occupational stress however, the types of stressors vary from one sector to another. The main stressor which seems to be affecting the three School Sectors is an inadequate salary vis-a vis the workload, but extensive syllabus requirements seem to be the stressor which is affecting most teachers in the Church Sector. Generally, all the three School Sectors are affected in some way or another from stress, yet the Independent School Sector appears to be the Sector with teachers exhibiting most stress. A high percentage of teachers indicated that they consider teaching as a stressful profession. Recommendations are presented at the end, with the intention of providing plausible and practicable strategies for less stressed people in the teaching profession.