LILIA HALIM, MOHD ALI SAMSUDIN, T. SUBAHAN M. MEERAH
and KAMISAH OSMAN
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL TRIGGERED
BY MULTIPLE STRESSFUL CONDITIONS
ABSTRACT. The complexity of science teaching requires science teachers to encounter
a range of tasks. Some tasks are perceived as stressful while others are not. This study
aims to investigate the extent to which different teaching situations lead to different
stress levels. It also aims to identify the easiest and most difficult conditions to be
regarded as stressful conditions by science teachers. An occupational stress inventory of
25 items developed by Okebukola (1988) validation of the occupational stress inventory
for science teachers. Science Teacher, was used to measure the science teachers’ stress
level in science teaching. A four point Likert scale ranging from 1 Y Fno stress at all_ to 4
Y Fextreme stress_ was used. Fifty-eight Malaysian secondary science teachers
participated in the survey in which six volunteered to participate in the interview study.
The data was then analyzed using the Rasch model to measure the level of stress caused
by different kinds of stressful conditions. Even though Foverloaded science syllabus_ was
identified to be the basis of multiple stressful conditions, it was, however, difficult for the
respondents to regard it as a stressful condition. On the other hand, the respondents found
that Fhaving to teach difficult science topics_ is easiest to be regarded as a stressful
condition. It was shown that even though Foverloaded science syllabus_ is the starting
point for stress caused by multiple conditions, due to the availability of coping strategies
which can be employed by the respondents, the stressor is minor in causing stress among
teachers. On the other hand, when teachers lack the availability of coping strategies
dealing with teaching difficult science topics, they easily feel stressful. One of the main
recommendations to overcome stressful conditions is to provide the science teachers
Ftopic specific pedagogy_ during in-service training.
KEY WORDS: multiple stressful conditions, Rasch model, science teachers, stress
inventory, topic specific pedagogy
INTRODUCTION
Teaching is a challenging task which can generate stress. In fact, stress in
the teaching profession has been recognized as a crucial problem. Stress
can lead to low motivation at work, a sense of alienation, and worse still
it can cause teachers to quit. According to Kyriacou (1987), stress leads
to poor performance among teachers, and Billingsley and Cross (1992)
observed that stress is also one of the factors that contribute to low
job satisfaction. A decline in a teacher_s productivity is detrimental to
International Journal of Science and Mathematical Education (2006) 4: 727Y739# National Science Council, Taiwan 2006
student progress as it leads to students’ low performance (Helgeson,
1988).
The sources of stress vary depending on the individual_s experience;
and teachers can be categorized into three groups depending on the way
they manage stress (Mcgee-Cooper & Trammell, 1990). The first group
comprises those who leave the teaching profession because they are
unwilling to face the job pressure. The second group consists of teachers
who experience a high level of stress but carry on in their teaching
profession while waiting eagerly for the school break and their retire-
ment day. The third group is the progressive and well developed teachers
who, though stressed, are still capable of handling the stress which
comes from multiple sources.
Hoover-Dempsy and Kendall (1982) contend that science teachers
face a lot more pressure compared to non-science teachers. There are three
explanations to support the argument by Hoover-Dempesy and Kendall.
First, it is a common view that students perceive science as a difficult
subject; thus, teachers face the uphill struggle of attempting to change
the students’ perception. Second, the rigorous preparation required for
science laboratory teaching and the teachers’ responsibility to ensure
students’ safety can also give rise to stress. This is because laboratory
work involves a lot of preparation on the part of teachers, and they have
to be constantly aware of the students’ safety. Third, since science
education plays a crucial role in the socio-economic development of the
country, the expectation of society is high. The gamut of responsibilities
demanded, on not only the teaching tasks but also on the expectations of
society, can heighten the feeling of stress among science teachers.
According to Soyibo (1994), studies on stress level of science
teachers are limited compared to studies on stress for teachers in general.
Based on the stress inventory developed by Okebukola (1992), Soyibo
found that Jamaican science teachers find it stressful when they are faced
with (a) non-availability of safety devices in the laboratory, (b) students’
demonstrated lack of interest in science, and (c) having to teach
traditionally difficult topics. The following are viewed by the Jamaican
science teachers as factors that cause the least stress: fear of getting
wounded, low pay, and not enough periods on the school time table for
effective teaching.
It is important for science teachers to control their level of stress
when confronted with different types of tasks. It would be a serious
problem if science teachers viewed so many tasks as stressful. We,
however, cannot generalize the level of stress without analyzing the
different types of conditions which are the sources of stress. This study
LILIA HALIM ET AL.728
adopts the definition postulated by Kyriacou (1987) in that Fstress is a
response syndrome of negative affect that is developed due to prolong
and increase pressures that cannot be controlled by the coping strategies
that the individuals have._ The level of stress in this study is seen as
stress caused by multiple stressful conditions. In other words, the more
situations perceived by teachers as stressful, the higher the level of stress
experienced by teachers. Thus, this study attempts to answer the follow-
ing questions:
1) Do different teaching situations trigger different levels of stress?
2) What are the stressors that science teachers deem easy and difficult to
rate as stressful?
METHODOLOGY
The occupational stress inventory for science teachers, comprised of 25
items and developed by Okebukola (1988), was used to measure the
science teachers’ stress level. The 25 items were further categorized into
five main stressors: (a) curriculum, (b) facilities, (c) student character-
istics, (d) school administration, and (e) professional growth and self
satisfaction. Some of the items found in the five main stressors include:
overloaded science syllabus, having to use obsolete equipment for
science teaching, inadequate budget for the science department, and lack
of opportunity to attend in-service training. Subjects were asked to
respond to the questionnaire based on a four point scale. Scores of 4, 3,
2, and 1 were given for extreme stress, moderate stress, very mild stress
and no stress, respectively.
A total of 58 experienced science teachers answered the questionnaire
and taught in urban schools. Most Malaysian secondary schools are
located in urban areas in which they follow the same curriculum and
have the same facilities with the exception of a small number of
residential schools. This study involved a total of 15 government schools
from one of the 13 states in Malaysia whereby 3Y4 science teachers were
randomly selected from each school to participate in the study. 36%
(n = 21) of the teachers had teaching experience between 1 and 5 years
while 22.44% (n = 13) had teaching experience between 16 and 20 years.
Three groups of respondents of about 12% each had teaching experience
ranging from 6Y10 years, 11Y15 years and more than 20 years.
In addition to the survey, an interview was conducted to gain insights
into the pattern of the survey findings and for validation. They were also
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 729
asked why certain stressors are easy or difficult to be rated as stressful.
Six teachers from the survey study volunteered to participate in the
interview. The teachers teaching experience ranged from 1Y20 years.
DATA ANALYSIS
In determining the level of science teacher stress caused by different
kinds of situations, the Rasch model of analysis was used. The Rasch
model helps us to transform the raw data into equal-interval scales,
known as logits (Bond & Fox, 2001). According to Bond and Fox, the
model is based on the idea that all persons are more likely to answer easy
items correctly than difficult items, and all items are more likely to be
passed by persons of high ability than by those of low ability. Thus,
persons who have high total scores on the variable in question are more
agreeable overall than persons with low scores. Likewise, items that
receive lower ratings are more difficult to endorse than items that receive
higher ratings.
The output of the analysis is then displayed in the form of a ruler in
which the ruler displays the arrangement of the items of the
questionnaire and of the persons on the same scale. The ruler can help
the investigator to identify which items are more difficult to endorse than
others and which persons are more able than others.
In the context of this study, it is assumed that the more stressful the
respondent, the greater the possibility of the respondent to approve an
item which represents certain situations as a Fstressful_ category
compared to the less stressful respondents. Meanwhile, an item that
represents a more stressful condition has a greater possibility to be rated
as Fstressful_ by the respondent compared to the item that represents a
less stressful condition. By matching the item and the respondent in a
single line, we can conclude that if the respondent rates less stressful
conditions as Fless stressful,_ the respondent will also rate more stressful
conditions as Fmore stressful._In the process of analyzing data by the Rasch analysis, the validation
of the inventory is also being conducted. A process of confirmation is
made whether the assumption of unidimensionality holds up empirically.
In this study, the attribute is referred to as the level of science teacher’s
stress caused by multiple stressful conditions. The Rasch analysis
program report fit statistics as two chi-square ratios: infit and outfit
mean square statistics (Wright, 1984; Wright and Masters, 1981).
Linacre and Wright (1994) propose a reasonable range for item mean
LILIA HALIM ET AL.730
square fit statistics specifically in the Likert scale test context. An
accepted range is from 0.6 to 1.4. It was found that three items in this
study have values that exceed 1.4 (Table I); therefore, we decided to
drop those three items (2, 4 and 5) from the analysis.In addition, the
interview data was analyzed to illuminate the pattern of responses
obtained from the stress inventory.
RESULTS
Figure 1 shows the map of the 22 items obtained from the Rasch
analysis, which are positioned to their calibrations on a single
continuum. As shown on the right hand side of Figure 1, the items on
this single continuum are ordered from the Beasiest to be rated as a
stressful condition^ to the Bmost difficult to be rated as a stressful
condition.^ The left hand side of Figure 1 also matches the level of stress
of respondents in a single line, whereby the respondents are ordered from
the Bmost stressful science teacher^ to the Bleast stressful science
teacher.^ The most stressful science teacher is one who rates all the
conditions represented by the items as stressful conditions. Conversely,
the least stressful science teacher has rated all the conditions represented
by the items as unstressful conditions. By using this line, we are able to
measure the level of the science teachers’ stress caused by multiple
stressful conditions. Along with this aim, this study was conducted to
answer the following questions:
(1) Do different situations trigger different levels of stress?
The arrangement of the items can be used to indicate the level of
science teacher’s stress caused by multiple stressful conditions. In
order to measure the level of stress experienced by science teachers,
TABLE 1
The infit and outfit values of items 2, 4 and 5
Item description and no.
Infit mean
square
Outfit mean
square
Not enough periods on the school
time table for effective science teaching (item 2)
1.62 1.35
Inadequacy of good science textbooks
for students’ use (item 4)
1.51 1.59
Having to teach subjects like integrated science
that one is not specially trained for (item 5)
1.60 1.62
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 731
Fig
ure
1.
Sca
leo
fsc
ien
cete
ach
ers’
cau
sed
by
mu
ltip
lest
ress
ful
con
dit
ion
s.
LILIA HALIM ET AL.732
the initial step matches the items with respondents in the single line
based on logits (unit of measurement used in Rasch model analysis).
By looking at the line in Figure 1, it is evident that most of the
conditions produce different levels of stress in the science teachers.
As shown in Figure 1, respondents in this study find it difficult to
rate the condition related to Foverloaded science syllabus_ as a
stressful condition. On the other hand, Fteaching difficult science
topics_ is easily seen as a stressful situation. The position of the item
also indicates that when science teachers experience stress due to
that particular condition, they will also experience stress in the other
conditions or stressors below it. This is because the teachers who are
located at the upper part of the line are likely to view the stressor
which is at par and those below it as stressful. Therefore, as shown
on the left-hand side of Figure 1, the higher the position of the
teacher in relation to the line, the higher the stress level of the
teacher compared to those who are at the bottom part of the line. In
other words, if the teacher feels stress because of an overloaded
science syllabus (item 1), there is a high possibility that the teacher
will also feel stress based on some of the other stressors or condi-
tions, e.g. Fbecause there is non payment of science teaching allow-
ance_ (item 23), Fnon-availability of safety devices in the lab_ (item
9), and Fhaving to teach traditionally difficult topics_ (item 3). The
analysis shows that certain stressful conditions will act collectively
with other types of conditions that lead to a high level of stress in
the teachers.
(2) What are the stressors that science teachers feel difficult and easy to
rate as stressful?
Referring to the distribution of the respondents, on the left hand
side of Figure 1, it is shown that science teachers in this study had
difficulty to rate Foverloaded science syllabus_ as a stressful con-
dition compared to the other items (0.0%). This is because, as
indicated by four interviewees, teachers only need to teach con-
cepts that will be considered in the national examination. The
following are some of the interiew excerpts illustrating the teachers’
views:
BAn overloaded syllabus is not a problem for the teacher because the teacher can choose
which concepts that are related with the examination, means exam-oriented teaching
method, thus, teacher will not teach everything, teacher chooses the important physics
concept.^
Female teacher, 20 years teaching experience
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 733
The above view is also shared by science teachers of lesser teaching
experience:
B... teach what is important based on what will be questioned in the examination, but if it
is not important, just teach in a simple manner. We can also provide lessons through
additional class. For an experience teacher, the syllabus is at their fingertips, ... do not
have a problem to finish the syllabus, have his own way to finish the syllabus^
Male teacher, 4 years teaching experience
Another two teachers felt that the nature of a syllabus which is organized
according to the level of students had helped them to avoid stress:
BAlthough there are 10 topics in our syllabus, teachers have their own teaching plans.
Thus, they can avoid feeling stress. Teachers can follow certain level, therefore only
certain levels will be fulfilled. Do not have to be rigid. If the student is weak, level 1 is
enough, but if the student is a high achiever, can proceed to level 3^
Male teacher, 5 years teaching experience
BIf we love to teach, we will not feel stress, the important thing here is to be creative. The
syllabus has been developed by the ministry. And it has been simplified to be used by the
teachers. The learning objectives have been set at various levels. Although it is
overloaded, but it has been arranged by the education ministry^
Female teacher, 1 year teaching experience
As shown in Figure 1, teaching difficult science topics is located at the
very bottom of the Rasch’s straight line. This indicates that the science
teachers in this study easily regard teaching difficult science topics as a
stressful condition (100%). Teaching difficult science topics is unavoid-
able, especially when science teachers are required to teach subject
matter that is not their specialization. In Malaysia about 30% of those
teaching science subjects were trained in other subjects, most frequently
mathematics. The mismatch between the teachers’ option and the
subjects they actually taught is worst in physics at the upper secondary
level (Zin and Lewin 1996).
One of the interviewees supported the view that teaching difficult
science topics as a stressful condition is due to the teachers’ own lack of
understanding of the subject matter as illustrated below:
B... when teachers lack the understanding of the concepts to be taught to the students, the
teacher is unable to deliver the concept in the way that is understandable to the students,
hence the students will not understand and that causes stress to the teacher. At the same
LILIA HALIM ET AL.734
time, when the students asked difficult questions and the teachers are unable to answer
that will also cause stress to the teachers^
Female teacher, 5 years teaching experience
Teachers also find it stressful teaching difficult science topics due to the
lack of teaching strategies that can facilitate students’ understanding of
the concept being taught. This view is expressed by most of the
interviewees:
B... when we want to teach the difficult topic for the weak students, it is difficult. It is
because we have to think of a suitable teaching approach and we have to think hard,
about the best way to make students understand, that is stressful. Imagine in a class, we
have to teach difficult topic, the class consists of low and high achievers, whereas the
approach is different for the low and high achievers, it is stressful because we do not
know how to overcome the problem^
Male teacher, 4 years teaching experience
BAlthough I use so many teaching methods, the students still do not understand. When I
asked which part that they do not understand, the answer is from the beginning of the
lesson, the problem is they do not concentrate.^
Male teacher, 5 years teaching experience
BHave to think what kind of method that is effective to teach difficult topics. If the
teachers have long teaching experience, more than 15 years, it will not be a problem
for them because these teachers know the appropriate teaching method. But for the
new teachers, they have to think first about an effective method to teach the difficult
topics^
Male teachers more than 15 years teaching experience
BTeachers have taught so many times, but the students still do not understand, and this
makes the teacher worried ... because the teachers are afraid that the students can not
answer the question during the examination. The student depends heavily on the teacher.
They do not want to read on their own. Although the topics have been taught, but still
they do not understand.^
Female teachers, 20 years teaching experience
The interviewees were also asked what would be the other situations that
would be considered easily by teachers as a stressful condition. All of the
interviewees agreed that Fprincipal’s reluctance to discipline students
who misbehave_ is likely to be considered as a stressful condition, next
to Fteaching difficult topics._ 55.2 percent of the survey respondents
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 735
(see Figure 1) also viewed the principal factor as a stressful situation
next to the stressor of Fteaching difficult topics._ The interviewers felt
that when the students are well disciplined, the teachers are then able to
teach effectively and it is the role of principal to discipline students
while the main role of teacher is to teach. The following excerpt
summarizes the view of the other interviewees:
BIt is necessary to control the students, their discipline because this will lead to high
motivation... My students not only do not like science, but they also interfere with the
teaching and learning activities. Actually, they do not want to go to school. For example,
one of the students in my class said to me that the reason for going to school is because
the parents will give money to this student if this student goes to school.^
Male teacher, more than 15 years teaching experience
Thus, it appears that teachers find disciplining students is a stressful
condition and teachers feel that the job of disciplining should be the
responsibility of the school principal. It is stressful because misbehaving
students are often linked to low motivation students, and motivating
students to learn science is a stressful task.
DISCUSSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS
This study was conducted to identify the extent to which different teaching
tasks may trigger different levels of stress among science teachers. It also
aims to identify the easiest and most difficult stressful conditions as rated
by science teachers. Based on the Rasch model analysis, it was found that
different stressful conditions lead to different stress levels. In particular,
Foverloaded science syllabus,_ is seen as the indicator of a high level stress
teacher. This is because that stressor will act collectively with other
conditions, thus increasing the level of stress. It is speculated that when
teachers rate Foverloaded science syllabus_ as a stressful condition, they
also regard the other teaching tasks as stressful too.
In this study, we found that Foverloaded science syllabus_ was
difficult to be rated as a stressful condition by the respondents. This does
not mean that Foverloaded science syllabus_ condition is not a stressful
condition. As shown from the interview, the coping strategies of the
science teachers, such as teaching selected concepts and teaching at the
level of the students, helped to reduce the stress level. Nevertheless,
experience has shown that the issue of overloaded science syllabus and
insufficient time to implement it has always been the main concern of
science teachers in Malaysia. If the teachers are no longer able to cope
LILIA HALIM ET AL.736
with this stressor, it will lead science teachers to feel that they are
burdened with work and, as shown in the first part of the analysis, they
will also perceive other teaching tasks as stressful. It was found in
another study by Seok (2004) that too much work is the main source of
stress among 140 primary and secondary Malaysian teachers. Therefore,
it is suggested that Malaysian educators, especially science curriculum
developers, be aware of the role of overloaded science syllabus in
generating a high level of stress in teachers.
Having to teach difficult science topics appears to be the main
concern among the science teachers. Studies by Soyibo (1994) and
Okebukola (1992) indicated that Fhaving to cope with teaching difficult
topics_ and Fhaving to teach subjects like integrated science, that one is
not trained for_ are ranked third on the list of top ten stressors. Such
stressors might lead science teachers to deserting their profession and
impairing their teaching efficiency.
The demanding situation resulting from having to teach difficult
science topics is due to: (a) teachers requiring time to prepare the les-
sons, (b) teachers themselves not understanding the subject matter, (c)
teachers unable to deliver the lessons well, or (d) teachers unable to help
develop conceptual understanding in the students. An implication of this
finding is the importance of providing ongoing in-service training focus-
ing on topic specific pedagogy, especially on topics that are deemed
difficult by the science teachers themselves. As shown in a study of the
needs of non-option physics teachers, it was found that the non-option
physics teachers require assistance in teaching specific topics that are
difficult, namely, electronics and electromagnetism.
Another interesting finding in this study is that science teachers feel
that principals should help to discipline misbehaved students so that
teachers may focus on the process of teaching and learning. This study
has, to some extent, identified teaching conditions that act collectively to
contribute to the level of stress of science teachers. This study also
recommends that in any future development of the science syllabus,
Malaysian science educators need to give careful attention to the breath
and depth of the curriculum so that it does not escalate stress among the
teachers. It also indicates the importance of learning pedagogy specific
to topics.
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
We would like to express our sincere appreciation to the Ministry of
Science, Technology and Environment, Malaysia for the short term
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 737
research grant that enabled us to conduct the study. We would also like
to thank all the respondents who participated in this study.
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LILIA HALIM ET AL.738
Lilia Halim
Faculty of Education,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: [email protected]
Mohd Ali Samsudin
Faculty of Education,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
T. Subahan M. Meerah
Faculty of Education,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: [email protected]
Kamisah Osman
Faculty of Education,
Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia,
43600, Bangi, Selangor, Malaysia
E-mail: [email protected]
E-mail: [email protected]
MEASURING SCIENCE TEACHERS’ STRESS LEVEL 739
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