Extra workload, time pressure and teachers’ stress levels

Teachers' efficacy and well-being may be compromised as they struggle with increasing workloads and deadline pressure, highlighting the need for supportive measures in the classroom. This study investigated the extra workload, time pressure, and stress levels of elementary teachers in Lutayan District II, Sultan Kudarat. A descriptive-correlational research design was employed to examine the relationships between these variables using data to identify patterns. The respondents were elementary school teachers from ten schools in the district, selected through total enumeration sampling. Statistical tools such as mean scores and Pearson r correlation were used for data analysis. Findings revealed that teachers experienced high levels of extra workload in terms of workload allocation, additional responsibilities, non-teaching tasks, number of classes taught, and student-to-teacher ratio. These factors contributed to teachers being heavily engaged in teaching, grading, and meetings. Time pressure, measured through lesson planning, grading, professional development, and extracurricular duties, also emerged as a significant challenge, often hindering teachers’ ability to complete tasks effectively. The study concluded that time pressure and extra workload did not correlate statistically with stress. Based on these findings, schools were recommended to alleviate teachers' workload by delegating non-teaching tasks to support staff, balancing extracurricular duties, optimizing class sizes, and streamlining administrative work through digital tools. Moreover, promoting a supportive work environment through professional development, stress management programs, collaboration, and establishing healthy work-life boundaries can help mitigate stress and enhance teacher well-being.