LOCUS OF CONTROL AND DECISION-MAKING COMPETENCE AS PREDICTORS OF WORK STRESS AMONG BUSINESS EDUCATION TEACHERS IN TERTIARY INSTITUTIONS IN NIGERIA

Abstract

Stress has become a common phenomenon that is increasingly associated with the workplace. This study investigated the extent to which locus of control and decision-making competence serve as predictors of work stress among business educators in public tertiary institutions in Anambra State. Two research questions guided the study, while two null hypotheses were tested at the 0.05 level of significance. The study adopted correlational survey research design. The sample comprised 112 business educators in all the public institutions in Anambra State. A total of three research instruments were used to elicit data for this study. They include the Locus of Control Scale (LCS), the Decision Making Competence Questionnaire (DMCQ), and the Work Stress Scale (WSS-10). The reliability coefficient alphas for the instruments were established using Cronbachs alpha statistics. The outcome yielded reliability coefficient alpha of 0.73 for LCS, 0.76 for DMCQ, and 0.88 for WSS. Data were collected through the direct administration of the instrument to the respondents. The collected data were analysed using simple linear regression. The findings of the study revealed, among others, that locus of control was a significant predictor of work stress among business educators in public tertiary institutions in Anambra State. The findings further revealed that decision-making competence is not a significant predictor of work stress among business educators in public tertiary institutions in Anambra State. Based on the findings, it was recommended that the school administration should encourage business educators in public tertiary institutions to strengthen their locus of control in order to lessen stress at work. They should implement training initiatives to educate business educators on the implications of locus of control in work stress. These initiatives could include workshops, seminars or online courses. KEYWORDS: Locus of control, Decision-making competence, Work stress, Predictors, Business educators, Tertiary institutions