INFLUENCE OF SCHOOL CONTEXTUAL PREDICTORS ON TEACHER BURNOUT IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN THARAKA NITHI COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Ideally, teachers should work in stress-free environments to effectively fulfill their teaching roles. However, they often face various challenges while carrying out their responsibilities. These challenges include but not limited to; heavy workloads, expected students’ academic performance by school administrators’, student indiscipline, school geographical location, and inadequate school physical facilities. These difficulties contribute significantly to teacher burnout, resulting in problems like increased absenteeism, substance abuse, missed deadlines, and related issues in Kenyan public secondary schools. This research aimed at investigating the influence of school contextual predictors on teacher burnout in public secondary schools in Tharaka Nithi County. Specifically, it examined the influence of workload, expected students’ academic performance by school administrators, student indiscipline, school geographical location, and school physical facilities on teacher burnout in public secondary schools within this county. The research employed a descriptive survey design, guided by the Multi-Dimensional Theory of Burnout and Golembiewski and Munzenrider's burnout model. The study involved 154 principals, 2,383 teachers, 25 Teachers Service Commission (TSC) and 7 Quality Assurance and Standards Officers (QASOs) in Tharaka Nithi County. The sample size consisted of 343 teachers, 46 principals, all 25 TSC and 7 QASO officers, selected through a combination of sampling techniques, including two-stage cluster random sampling, purposive sampling, and simple random sampling. Data collection methods included questionnaires for teachers, interview schedules for principals, TSC, and QASO officers, as well as data collection forms for secondary sources and field observations. The reliability of the questionnaires was confirmed using Cronbach's alpha coefficient, which yielded values between 0.76 and 0.87, indicating good reliability at 0.7. Data analysis involved both descriptive and inferential statistics in line with the study objectives. Descriptive analysis was used to analyze quantitative data from questionnaires, including frequencies, percentages, means, and standard deviations. Qualitative data from open-ended questions, interview schedules, and secondary data transcripts were analyzed using content analysis. The null hypotheses were tested using Pearson moment correlation and Multiple Regression at a significance level of 0.05, with Statistical Package for Social Studies (SPSS) facilitating data analysis. The study's findings revealed, all the independent variables had statistically significant relationships with teacher burnout, as supported by significant t-tests for workload (t=4.364, p<0.05), expected student academic performance by school administrators’ (t=4.876, p<0.05), student indiscipline (t=-5.981, p<0.05), school geographical location (t=11.150, p<0.05), and school physical facilities (t=3.514, p<0.05). In conclusion, the study established, these school contextual predictors indeed, influenced teacher burnout, emphasizing the need for focused attention. To address these challenges, recommendations included, equitable teacher distribution, to alleviate workload, school strategies to improve student academic performance, interventions to address student indiscipline, and government investments in adequate learning facilities, housing, and social amenities, particularly in remote areas. Further research was recommended to explore the influence of these variables on burnout among teachers and lecturers in higher education institutions, as well as conducting longitudinal studies. The study's primary beneficiaries are teachers, principals, TSC and QASOs officers.