Determinants of the level of stress experienced by teachers at different educational levels: a descriptive discriminant approach

Teachers stress and continuing high attrition rates for the teaching profession have remained a global challenge due to the significant multiple impacts, especially as it affects their output, health and social life. This study aimed to identify the stress factors responsible for the perceived differences in the level of stress experienced by teachers in public primary, secondary and tertiary schools using Delta State, Nigeria as a case study. A survey was conducted by a self-administered questionnaire tagged Teacher Stress Questionnaire (TSQ) for data gathering. Descriptive Discriminant Analysis (DDA) was used to analyse the scores obtained for 90 teachers which cut across the three groups of the Nigeria educational system. The findings of the study revealed that the significant difference in the levels of stress experienced by teachers in the three groups is determined by two constructs (latent) variables. The first latent variable which is a linear combination of social and organisational factors is responsible for the significant differences in the levels of stress among the three groups, while the second latent variable which is a linear combination of environmental and task demand factors is ultimately responsible for the significant difference in the levels of stress experienced by tertiary lecturers compared to primary and secondary school teachers.

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