Management of Sources of Stress

Abstract

Proper treatment of teachers as necessary human resources in the development of knowledge, novel skills, innovativeness, and creativity to young generation is a critical component in the fourth industrial development in Africa. This chapter sets to localize the position of teachers in the time of fourth industrial rejuvenation in the context of Tanzania. A phenomenological research design was employed to study the sources of stress, effect of job-related stress, and workable strategies adopted to cope with job stress to improve work performance. Purposive sampling was used to select 13 informants for in-depth interviews and 50 participants for Focus Group Discussion. Work-related stresses were reported to intensify absenteeism, turnover, and poor work performance among teachers while socialization and religious congregation were reported as positive coping strategies to counterbalance job-related stress. The study recommends designing of sustainable socialization program to lessen stress among teachers to improve their work performance.