Managing Stress among the Public Elementary School Teachers in Cagwait District

Abstract

This study aimed to determine the stress factors of public elementary teachers in Cagwait District and their coping mechanisms. Universal sampling for teachers and pupils, purposive sampling for parents, and convenience sampling for community members were used. Also, fifteen (15) teachers participated in the focus group discussion. This study used quantitative and qualitative research designs. The survey questionnaires and interview questions were validated by the supervisor, principals, and district mathematics coordinator in Bayabas District. The study found that the most stressful factor for teachers, ranked as 1, is the financial aspect, with a weighted mean of 3.48, categorized as "more stressful". Also, for the effectiveness of coping strategies for the Cagwait District teachers, active vs. passive with a weighted mean of 4.01, categorized as "more effective," ranked 1. With this, as to the level of significance, it can be concluded that there is a significant relationship between the stressful factors and the coping strategies, with a p-value of .039. These significant findings led the researcher to design an intervention program to improve the stress coping strategies among public elementary school teachers of Cagwait District.