Examining the role of stress in the dynamics of professional commitment and academic freedom among secondary school teachers

The study aims to examine the influence of role stress on the relationship of professional commitment and academic freedom among secondary school teachers. The data has been collected from 400 secondary school teachers using the academic freedom scale, professional commitment scale, and role stress scale. The correlational technique is used to analyse the data. The research results show that academic freedom has a positive and significant relationship with professional commitment; whereas, it has a negative but significant correlation with role ambiguity and role conflict components of role stress. The partial correlation results revealed that three role stressors, namely role ambiguity, role conflict, and role overload, significantly influence the relationship of professional commitment with academic freedom among school teachers. The present study has implications for both academicians and policymakers to understand the need for academic freedom to strengthen the professional dedication of teachers by lowering their stress levels. To improve the professional commitment of school teachers, policy makers and school administration need to take professional developmental initiatives such as stress reduction programmes, clearly defining responsibilities of teachers, and providing necessary academic freedom through institutional structures and cultural shifts as stated by NEP 2020.