THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN STRESS, JOB INVOLVEMENT AND TEACHER ABSENTEEISM

Abstract

This study investigated the relationship of job stress, life stress and job involvement to teacher absenteeism in an urban school district. It was concerned with the relationship between job stress, job involvement and teacher absenteeism; and the interaction of job and life stress and the relationship to teacher absenteeism.;The sample for this study consisted of 295 elementary school teachers in one school district in New York City. The respondents answered questionnaires on teacher stress, life stress and central life interests as well as a demographic questionnaire. The research instruments used were a modification of the Cichon and Koff Teacher Events Stress Inventory, the Holmes and Rahe Schedule of Recent Experiences, and Dubin's Central Life Interests questionnaire. The measure of absenteeism was absence frequency.;Eight hypotheses were formulated. All the hypotheses were tested using a three-way analysis of variance with absence frequency as the dependent variable and job stress, life stress and job involvement as the grouping factors. Additional analyses were performed to examine the relationship between absence frequency and six demographic variables.;Based on the analysis of the findings of this study, the following conclusions were drawn concerning the relationship between job stress, life stress, job involvement and teacher absenteeism. (1) Perceived job stress appears to have a significant relationship to teacher absenteeism. (2) There appears to be a significant relationship between job involvement, life stress, and teacher absenteeism. (3) There appears to be no significant relationship between job stress, job involvement, and teacher absenteeism. (4) There appears to be no significant relationship between life stress and teacher absenteeism. (5) There appears to be no significant relationship between the magnitude of life stress, the magnitude of job stress and teacher absenteeism. (6) Teacher assignment appears to have a relationship to absenteeism, although not a statistically significant one.;The results of the study were discussed in terms of their implications for change in some school and district procedures that affect teacher stress. Questions were raised as to the appropriate measurement of absenteeism and life stress and recommendations were made for further research.