Assessment of Occupational Stress and Job Satisfaction among Teachers in Public Secondary Schools: Case of Athi River Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya

Abstract

The main goal of this study was to assess occupational stress and job satisfaction among teachers in public secondary schools in Athi River Sub-County, Machakos County, Kenya. The specific objectives were to determine the prevalence of occupational stress, assess the levels of job satisfaction, examine the correlation between occupational stress and job satisfaction, and analyze the coping strategies adopted by teachers. The study was anchored on Bakker and Demerouti’s Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) Theory and Maslach’s Multi-Dimensional (MMD) Theory. A descriptive research design was employed. The participants comprised 156 TSC-employed teachers from public secondary schools in Athi River Sub-County, selected through a combination of stratified random sampling and simple random sampling techniques. Data were collected using a questionnaire comprising sections on demographic characteristics, the Occupational Stress Index (OSI), and the Job Satisfaction Scale (JSS). Quantitative data were analyzed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23. The findings revealed that 72 (55.4%) of the teachers experienced moderate occupational stress, while 58 (44.6%) reported high occupational stress. None of the respondents fell within the low-stress category. Regarding job satisfaction, 16 (12.3%) reported low satisfaction, 43 (33.1%) indicated moderate satisfaction, and 71 (54.6%) experienced high satisfaction. Thus, more than half of the teachers were generally satisfied with their jobs, while about one-third were moderately satisfied, and a smaller proportion expressed dissatisfaction. A strong positive correlation was found between occupational stress and job satisfaction levels (r = .740, p = .000), which was statistically significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed). This indicates that as occupational stress increases, job satisfaction tends to vary correspondingly. The analysis of coping strategies revealed a moderate to high level of internal consistency among the 14 identified coping items (OS1–OS14), with a Cronbach’s Alpha of 0.76, suggesting that these items reliably measure a common construct related to how teachers manage occupational stress. The study recommends that the Ministry of Education (MoE) and the Teachers Service Commission (TSC) ensure sufficient staffing, adequate resource provision, and conducive working environments to maintain high levels of job satisfaction. Additionally, regular in-service training, mentorship programs, and career development initiatives should be implemented to enhance teachers’ professional growth and motivation.