The Influence of Workload on Psychological Well-Being of Teachers in Special Schools and Units in Nyandarua County, Kenya

Teachers’ Psychological well-being can influence learners' motivation, engagement, and academic achievement, impacting their overall performance and well-being. The Teachers’ Service Commission recently noticed an increase in cases of mental health issues among teachers, this scenario called for immediate attention as well as actions to support teachers' mental health. The study goal therefore was to assess workload's influence on teachers' psychological well-being in special schools and units in Nyandarua County, Kenya. The job Demand-Control Model and Six Factor model of psychological well-being informed the study. The study employed a mixed-method approach adopting a convergent parallel design to assess the influence of teachers’ workload on the psychological well-being of special needs teachers in special schools and units in Nyandarua County, Kenya. The target population of the study was 52 teachers teaching in both the Special Schools and Special Units in Nyandarua County. The study took a census of all the 52 teachers. Tools for data collection were questionnaires and standardized 18 PWB Ryff tools. The quantitative data collected was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistics utilizing a correlation method using SPSS Version 29 while qualitative data was analyzed using thematic content analysis. The researcher ensured that all necessary approval of documents was obtained before data collection. The findings revealed a weak positive relationship with no statistical significance between teacher's workload and psychological well-being (r=.066, p<.640).  However, difficulties were identified, including inadequate lesson planning time and a heavy workload in managing students’ diverse needs. These results highlighted the need for improved workload management and supportive measures to enhance teacher well-being, which is essential for effective teaching and learning outcomes. Keywords: Teachers' workload, psychological well-being, special school, special unit, diverse needs, Nyandarua County, Teachers’ Service Commission(TSC)