OCCUPATIONAL STRESSORS AS PREDICTOR OF CLASSROOM PERFORMANCE OF TEACHERS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN UHUNMWODE WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF EDO STATE

This study examined how occupational stress affects the classroom performance of teachers in public secondary schools in Uhunmwode Local Government Area of Edo State. The main goal was to determine the level of stress teachers face and how it relates to their classroom performance. It also looked at whether classroom management pressure and lack of teaching resources could predict teachers’ performance. A correlational research design was used, the targeted population were the teachers while the respondents were 81 teachers and 10 principals. Data were collected using two validated questionnaires: the Occupational Stress Questionnaire (OSQ) and Teachers’ Classroom Performance Questionnaire (TECLAPEQ). Descriptive statistics answered the research questions, while simple linear regression tested the hypotheses at the 0.05 significance level. Results showed that both classroom management pressure and resource constraints significantly affected classroom performance. Teachers experienced high stress levels and generally low performance. Based on the findings, it was recommended among others that Edo State Ministry of Education and relevant authorities should urgently employ more teachers in public secondary schools to reduce the workload on existing staff. This will help in addressing stress associated with excess teaching periods, large class sizes, and incomplete syllabuses.