Managing Stress among Management and Staff of Colleges of Education in Ghana: A Qualitative Study

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to examine stress, coping behaviors, and institutional support among teachers and administrators of Colleges of Education in Ghana. The study employs a qualitative research paradigm in which we employed the multiple case study design consisting of 18 purposively selected participants from Tamale College of Education, Bagabaga College of Education and St. Vincent College of Education. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews and analyzed by applying Braun and Clarke’s thematic analysis model. As the study found, the situation of occupational stress was highly prevalent among staff. The stress that arose from the heavy workload, resource shortage and competing institutional responsibilities were among stress sufferers: all these things made employees very unhappy and uninspiring. These stressors have had a deleterious impact on staff well-being with exhaustion and lack of motivation; workers had even lost their ability to produce more work or report effectively at any given time. Coping strategies involved problem-focused strategies such as increased work and planning, as well as emotion-focused strategies including prayer and an inclination to use networks for social support. But those interventions were often insufficient due to the ineffectual nature of the institution’s structural and systemic issues. It also indicated a low level of institutional interventions such as counseling, continuing professional development and adequate workload policies, thus adding a layer of stress. The results also correspond with theoretical models such as Job Demand-Control model and Person-Environment Fit theory, which stress an equilibrium of institutional pressures and available resources and autonomy. They find that occupational stress in Colleges of Education does not operate solely as an individual strain but is also part of a systemic problem that can and should be addressed through systemic institutional reform. It suggests better workload management, resource allocation, professional learning, counseling and participatory governance mechanisms to develop durable coping styles that protect employees’ welfare, and to improve organizational performance.