STRESS VARIABLES OF WORK OVERLOAD AND CLASS SIZE AS CORRELATES TO TEACHERS’ JOB PERFORMANCE IN PUBLIC SENIOR SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN RIVERS STATE NIGERIA

Abstract

This study investigated stress variables of work overload and class size as correlates to teachers’ job performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State, Nigeria. The research design used in this study was correlational research design. The population of this study comprised 6,174 teachers in 311 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State (Source: Planning, Research Statistics Department; Rivers State Senior School Board). A sample of 617 teachers representing 10% of the 31 public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Stratified random sampling technique was used for this study. The research instrument that was used in this study was a self-structured questionnaire.The instrument was validated and reliability was carried out using Pearson Product Moment Correlation coefficient. The reliability coefficient of the instrument yielded 0.87 and 0.75 respectively. The data collected from the respondents was analyzed using SPSS package, Pearson Product Moment Correlation Coefficient tools were used to answer the research questions while simple linear regression was used to test the Hypotheses at 0.05 Alpla level. The findings of the study revealed that work overload and large classroom size significantly affects teachers’ ability to perform optimally, leading to fatigue, reduced engagement with students, and diminished teaching quality.The study concluded that stress variables such as work overload and large classroom size affects teachers' job performance in public senior secondary schools in Rivers State. Amongst others, the study recommended that school administrators should clearly articulate performance expectations that align with the educational goals, curriculum standards, and specific needs of students.