Stressors and Stress Management Mechanisms among First-Year School Principals - Dissertation Example

?Stressors and Stress Management Mechanisms among First-Year School Principals Dissertation Literature Review The work of school administrators is increasingly becoming overwhelming due to the increasing need or higher academic standards. Therefore, high qualifications and reshuffling becomes necessary in order to assign the best administrators to given schools. However, it is undeniable that the transition period is the most challenging. As expected, handling the position of school administrators is even more challenging for the principals doing it for the first time. The transition period is arguably the most important period in which the first year principals and first year assistant principals establish their leadership base. Thus, this period needs to be handled with a lot of care and precaution. Indeed, Lindley agrees, “professional training materials are needed to help educators who are preparing for administrative positions and first-year principals who are struggling to survive the tribulations of the “rookie” principal” (Lindley xi). The best way to do this is to investigate the various causes of stress among first year principals so that best way forward can be proposed to assist school administrators going through the same challenges. Since the issues of stress among first year school administrators is wide and multivariate, literature review is given a fivefold approach. First, literature regarding burnout theory is investigated. Secondly, literature review is done on stressors among first year principals. Thirdly, works regarding impact of stress experienced by school administrators is reviewed. Finally, literature work on authors who have focused on coping mechanisms is evaluated. Burnout can occur among professionals dealing with service to people. According to Dworkin burnout occurs when overstressed individuals feel emotionally drained by their work environment, feel that their activities result in no benefit to those they had intended to help or to themselves, and come to blame their clients, patients, or students for failing to improve, get better, or learn, and in turn, for the professional’s loss of feelings of accomplishment (Dworkin 2). The stress and stress factors are investigated within the realms of burnout theory. Although there are different burnout models, Maslach burnout theory as proposed by Maslach and Jackson is used. The Maslach burnout inventory (MBI) argues that burnout syndrome comprises of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and a feeling of reduced personal accomplishment. The burnout theory has mostly been used to assess the stress levels among professionals who do “people work.” Most of the earlier works utilizing burnout theory investigated causes of stress and stress levels among professionals in nursing and religious institutions. However, recent works investigating stress among school administrators have also used this theory with great levels of success. Indeed, “a number of studies have now reported on the reliability and validity of the Maslach Burnout Inventory in a variety of cultures and among a variety of different professional groups” (Greer and Moberg 180). Whereas, burnout theory has been used for quite some time in investigating stressors among school principals, “research on burnout has produced unanswered questions for school administrators” (Ward 46). It therefore becomes important to dig exhaustively in this subject in order to come up with viable solutions to the stress factors. Many authors have applied the MBI in their work on stress among school administrators. Among them was Ward from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Ward investigated the impact of personal and organizational factors on school administrators. Though his study was wide, one of the issues he investigated was the correlation between the levels of burnout and years of experience of school administrators. He used the MBI and found out that the first years of school administration are the most stressful. Vandenberghe and Huberman explored the causes of stress among school administrators within the lens of MBI and realized that, “school principals too are experiencing difficulties in their schools and are considering leaving their position and the profession” (Vandenberghe and Huberman). Farber and Friedman were quoted claiming that “burnout, commonly perceived as sense of emotional exhaustion, lack of accomplishment, and negative attitude towards service recipients, may manifest in cynicism and skepticism, withdrawal, and eventually, by the professionals quitting the job or profession” (Vandenberghe and Huberman 166). These are arguably the exact predicaments that are faced by first year principals and assistant principals. Stressors among First Year School Principals MBI lays a profound foundation in which the stress affecting first year principals can thoroughly be explored. Many theoretical and practical work regarding stressors among school principals have been undertaken by various researchers and authors. One of the primary stressor has been found to be the high expectations to meet the obligations of the new position for first year principals and assistant principals. Many authors claim that the feeling of living up to the expectations of the new position of school administration is the major stress factor. Brock and Grady claims, “School administrators who try to live up to others’ expectations and standards become emotionally exhausted and prone to burnout” (Brock and Grady 13). This is even more pronounced for first year principals who have been transferred to schools that have been having discipline and performance issues in the past. Perhaps the authors who have put this issue straight are Donahoo and Hunter. From their work “Teaching leaders to lead teachers,” they claim, “their perception of being a successful school principal includes commitment to school and sacrifice of their time and effort” (Donahoo and Hunter 90). From their study, one principal was quoted claiming, “I can easily say that I cannot spend enough time for my private life” (Donahoo and Hunter 90). This is a clear example of the experience of school administrators especially novice and first year principals and their assistants. It is also claimed that first year principals “struggle to maintain high productivity despite the stress. Reluctant to ask for assistance and fearing being perceived as weak or lacking leadership ability (Brock and Grady 60). When principals and assistant principals are deployed to new institutions, they have to establish trust and confidence with the administrators and teachers. In most of the cases, this is not an easy endeavor. From the book “So you want to be a principal,” Hayes argues, “principals will not be succeed unless the faculty learns to respect him order for administrative skills as well as a sincere commitment to improve teaching and learning in the school” (Hayes 46). Due to personal attitudes, the reception may not be fruitful. A principal may face resistance from envious teachers or administrators who have failed to be promoted to the same position. Young is one of the authors who have exhaustively investigated stress factors among first year school administrators. He posits, “Juggling multiple issues that vary in priority requires a blend of wisdom and maturity. New people are unlikely to poses these qualities at the start of their careers in administration” (Young 516). First year principals find themselves in a new environment that has different codes of conduct and institutional culture. This presents itself as a stress factors since at times, the new institutional culture might conflict with the personality and beliefs of the new school administrator. Schibler from the University of La Verne did an exploration on stressors among first year school principals. He claimed that first year school administrators “quite simply don’t know what to do in many situations because they have not gained enough experience and competence to make sound decisions. Making sound decisions lessens the impact of stress of the job. This leads first-year principals to experience high levels of stress and burnout as a result” (Schibler 4). In an independent research carried out by Combs et al it was found out that The most distinguishable differences between principals experiencing burnout occurred in the list of challenges; principals experiencing high burnout more frequently noted that the balancing of multiple responsibilities and the motivating of teachers for improvement were obstacles (Comb et al 12). Effects of Stress on First Year Principals The effect of stress exhibits itself in different ways depending on the magnitude of the stress factor and the ability of the individual to handle stress. From the constructs of MBI, emotional exhaustion is the most prevalent form of stress. The need to make appreciable and meaningful achievement during the transition period makes first year principals experience emotional distress. One particular research work focused on impact of stressors on school administrators. Victorian Education Department Commission (VEDC) researched on impact of stress among school principals. Surprisingly, the research indicated that approximately half of interviewed principals had stress-related problems such as migraines, mild and severe headaches, insomnia, as well as heart related problems (Green 162). “The study also found out that the principals had suffered from breakdowns or even committed suicide” (Green 162). The other major effect of stress is depersonalization. Due to the high expectations that might be difficult if not impossible to accomplish, first year principals undergo emotional distress, which in turn leads to depersonalization. The school administrators begin treating other people as objects rather than human beings. Additionally, they find their subjects as the primary cause of their stress. This element of depersonalization may be very detrimental to the welfare of the learning institution since the school administrators are likely to be alienated from other staff members. Whereas most of the stress factors seem to be intrinsic, physical exhaustion is also an effect of the stress factors. Many first year principles have reported spending a lot of time on school related duties. They have to attend many meetings and be at many different places within the constraints of time. This causes physical as well as mental exhaustion. Most of the literature reviewed on effects of stressors among first year principals highlighted alienation from family and personal life as a major effect of stress. First year principals devote a lot of emotional, mental and time resources to their new job positions at the expense of other aspects of life. The excessive devotion leaves little or no time for spouses, family, friends, and social life. It can be argued that this further aggravates the situation since the imbalance in life aspects makes individuals prone to stress. Certainly, the primary objective of being a school administrator is the gratification that comes along with job satisfaction. School administrators who have already established their leadership roles in their institutions experience high levels of job satisfaction. However, the stress factors associated with job transitions and first year periods can cause a drop in job satisfaction. Julie et al agrees, “As principals experience higher levels of burnout, career satisfaction, and general morale decline” (Julie et al 1). Actually, it is claimed that some first year principals have opted to quit their jobs due to the overwhelming tasks that cause unbearable stress. Sugrue did an elaborate investigation on some of the primary causes of stress among first year principals. During some of her interviews, she interviewed one Norwegian first year principal who claimed that she “has problems limiting her activities, as there is so much she wants to engage in. After her very first-year as school principal she experienced burn-out which sent her on sick leave for a period” (Sugrue 100). This is a perfect example of some of the experiences and predicaments experienced by first year principals. Sometimes the stresses become unbearable to the point of being admitted to the hospital or in extreme cases total burnout. In the latter case, the principals might prefer quitting their jobs due to stress and dissatisfaction. Coping Mechanisms There is overwhelming reason to conclude that there exist many stressors among first year principals and assistant principals. Additionally, the impact of these stressors is evident. The question then becomes what are some of the coping mechanisms that school administrators use to overcome these stressors. Some authors have investigated on coping mechanisms used by different school administrators. One such study claims that humor is one of the best coping mechanisms. From their book “The Principal's Guide to Managing School Personnel,” Sorenson and Goldsmith claim, “Humor often allows a school principal to deal with important issues and people in a nonthreatening manner. Humor further enables a leader to better handle those aspects of school administration that are irritating, distasteful, and sometimes quite stressful, if not painful” (Sorenson and Goldsmith 63). First year school administrators always encounter unpleasant and awkward situations due to the new institutional culture. To make the situation less distasteful, principals often use humor to ease the tension. Although mentorship is usually applied in fields such as learning. It has been found to be an important coping mechanism for first year school administrators. The administrators often seek for advice and clarification on difficult issues from their predecessors or from friends who occupy similar positions in other institutions. Others prefer to use advice from mentorship programs that have been organized by the education system. Undeniably, healthy eating and proper planning are key stress buffers. Due to the overwhelming duties associated with first year principal ship, the body certainly needs a lot of energy. This calls for healthy and adequate eating. From the works of Robbins and Alvy, it is suggested that the school administrators should find time off their busy schedules and have something to eat. In addition, proper planning of work and events should be encouraged to ensure that administrators handle all tasks within the available time. Robbins and Alvy argued that principals “should prepare for this eventuality by planning ahead and having some healthy food” (Robbins and Alvy 225). Taking time off the busy schedule to relax is one of the most commonly used coping mechanisms among first year principals. Due to the overwhelming tasks, obligations, and expectations, first year principals often find some time to go out for entertainment and relaxation. This enables them regain mental, physical and psychological energy needed to handle the challenges of their new positions. Some school administrators prefer spending quality time with their spouses, family, and close friends whereby they discuss the work challenges and predicaments. This way they are able to release off the psychological burden and therefore being in a position to handle other challenges as they may arise. Hayes agrees that it is important for first year principals and their assistants to take a vacation when time allows them and go out to relax. Actually, he suggests that the individuals may need to go to other districts or regions where there will be no interference from work related events. Surprisingly, Green suggested a unique coping mechanism, which can be used by first year principals experiencing work related stress. A “praise file” containing all the compliments made by various people should be established and well kept. When the stress becomes unbearable, then the praise file can be retrieved and the compliments read. This acts as a motivation, encouragement, and a buffer to stress (Green 164). It acts as a reminder of some of the meaningful accomplishments and therefore restores confidence and strength to handle challenging tasks ahead. After conducting a research on quality of life and burnout among teachers and school administrators Fulya and Mediha concluded, “In-service education programs about interpersonal relations and coping strategies with stress should be applied for teachers and administrators” (Fulya and Mediha 1). Such strategies are very important in ensuring smooth transition and establishment of a good foundation for the first year school administrators. Works Cited Brock, Barbara and Grady, Marilyn. Avoiding burnout: a principal's guide to keeping the fire alive. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press, 2002. Print. Combs, Julie et al. Burnout among Elementary School Principals. AASA Journal of Scholarship and Practice, Vol. 5, No. 4 Winter 2009. Pdf. Donahoo, Saran and Hunter, Richard. Teaching leaders to lead teachers: educational administration in the era of constant crisis. Amsterdam: Elsevier, 2007. Print. Dworkin, Gary. Perspectives on Teacher Burnout and School Reform. International Education Journal Vol 2, No 2, 2001. Pdf. Fulya Cenkseven-Onder, Mediha Sari. The Quality of School Life and Burnout as Predictors of Subjective Well-Being among Teachers. 2009. Pdf. Green, Tena. Your First Year as a Principal: Everything You Need to Know That They Don't Teach You in School. India: Atlantic Publishing Company, 2009. Print. Greer, Marie and Moberg, David. Research in the social scientific study of religion. Leiden: BRILL, 2001. Print. Haines, Geoffrey. Job satisfaction among high school principals in Mississippi. New York: ProQuest, 2007. Print. Hayes, William. So you want to be a principal? New York: R&L Education, 2004. Print. Lindley, Frederick. The portable mentor: a resource guide for entry-year principals and mentors. New York: Corwin Press, 2003. Print. Robbins, Pam and Alvy, Harvey. The Principal's Companion: Strategies for Making the Job Easier. London: Corwin Press, 2009. Print. Schibler, Marlene. A Delphi study of skills that will help first-year elementary principals in California address critical issues they will face by 2012. New York: ProQuest, 2008. Print. Sorenson, Richard and Goldsmith, Lloyd. The Principal's Guide to Managing School Personnel. Corwin Press, 2008. Print. Sugrue, Ciaran. Passionate principalship: learning from the life histories of school leaders. London: Routledge, 2005. Print. Vandenberghe, Roland and Huberman, A. Understanding and preventing teacher burnout: a sourcebook of international research and practice. London: Cambridge University Press, 1999. Print. Ward, Brenda. The impact of personal and organizational factors on school administrators' burnout. New York. ProQuest, 2009. Print. Young, Michelle. Handbook of research on the education of school leaders. London: Taylor & Francis, 2009. 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