ABSTRACT
Stress is a major factor that can influence the performance and effectiveness of teachers in the classroom. This study aimed to appraise the relationship between teacher stress and performance rating focusing on the three City Divisions of Albay, Philippines. The research determined the different kinds of stressors that affect their performance and examined how personal, professional, and socio-economic factors influence teacher stress levels and performance ratings. Data were collected through survey-questionnaire administered to teachers in three selected schools, with a total of 363 respondents across the three city divisions. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting the respondents. The study employs statistical analysis, including frequency count, weighted mean, t-tests and Pearson r correlation coefficients. The findings revealed a complex interplay between teacher stress and demographic factors such as age, gender and, civil status as for their professional profile, position, educational attainment, and socio-economic status as for their professional profile and monthly income, family size and household income as for their socio-economic status. Teachers encountered stress along students, peers, financial and administrative. Administrative-related stress and responsibilities emerged as primary stressors among teachers, highlighting the need for effective workloads management and strong support systems provided by the organization.
Keywords: Teacher Stress, Performance Rating, Workload Management, Support Systems, Educational Settings, City Divisions, Philippines
INTRODUCTION
Teaching is a noble profession that shapes the minds of future generations, unlocking their potential and guiding them towards success. Educators not only impart knowledge but also instill values, inspire creativity, and foster critical thinking skills, impacting lives beyond the classroom. Through dedication and passion, teachers ignite a love for learning, empower individuals, and contribute to a brighter future. UNESCO recognizes teachers as guardians of education, emphasizing their role in shaping students and society. Despite their crucial impact, stress can hinder teachers' effectiveness, affecting school success and student outcomes. Teachers play a vital role in enhancing students' skills and talents across various domains, driving overall growth and development.
Teacher stress is a significant issue that affects performance in the classroom. The main causes of teacher stress are classroom disruptions, job demands, lack of support and autonomy, and personal emotional resources. Strategies for reducing teacher stress include improving school organization, job demands, support and autonomy, and personal emotional resources for teachers. In the Philippines, Filipino teachers commonly experience stress in fulfilling their duties and responsibilities, particularly in classroom management and student discipline. Unruly student behavior and lack of participation consume instructional time, making it difficult to maintain a conducive learning environment. Filipino teachers have high levels of occupational stress due to instructional and classroom management problems posed by learners. Stress is positively correlated with organizational commitment and work engagement, indicating that higher stress levels lead to exhaustion and resignation. The sources of teacher stress range from everyday stress to social stressors, and the individual, social, and economic effects of work-related stress in teachers highlight the need for early detection and prevention. Addressing these factors and building supportive teaching environments are crucial in combating teacher burnout and improving teacher well-being.
On the other hand, the researcher collectively observes that experiences of teachers in the City Division of Albay with their pronouncements that they encountered severe stresses brought by their work engagement including their learners’ behaviors, voluminous tasks imposed by the administration, implementation of school-related activities and other functions assigned by their school heads. Also, the researcher actively observes that teachers in the division specially in her assigned school are procrastinated with the apparent behaviors of their learners every after classes. In fact, they usually pronounce or express their stress when informally conversing within their colleagues testifying that the behaviors and system of education have strongly imbued stresses and exhaustion on their personal and professional lives. These prevailing conditions observed by the researcher ignited an interest to describe and examine the relationship between stresses and classroom performance of teachers in the City Divisions of Albay. Thus, the researcher put significant thrust in this present undertaking through policy recommendation that may or may not directly benefit the teachers in the continued pursuit of excellence but surely will be of big help in enhancing their performance in school and inside the classroom for the benefit of the recipient of the quality education provide by them, the learners.
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