Abstract

Stress significantly affects performance and service delivery of workers. Given the important role that education plays in the society, coupled with the dynamic nature of the education sector there has been an increased social pressure on the education system in general and school administrators in particular. This influences their levels of stress. This study sought to investigate the levels of stress among secondary school administrators in Ol kalou Division of Nyandarua District in Kenya, and its implication in education management. The study adopted an ex post facto research design. The population comprised 336 secondary school administrators (28 principals, 28 deputy principals and 280 heads of departments) in the 28 secondary schools in the study area. A random sample of 134 administrators (18 principals, 18 deputy principals and 98 heads of departments) from 18 secondary schools was obtained.  Primary data were collected using a questionnaire. The collected data were then processed and analyzed by both descriptive and inferential statistics using Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS). The study established that the school administrators experienced stress in their work. 54.5 percent of the respondents recorded high levels of stress resulting from their school workload and other responsibilities. Among the three administrative levels, a bigger proportion of principals recorded high levels of stress compared to deputy principals and heads of departments. Based on the study findings, three key recommendations were made. There is need for stress management techniques and strategies for school administrators regardless of their administrative level. Due to the rising cost of medical care, and the risk of stress related diseases, there is need for health insurance to cover psychological counseling.

Key words: Stress, levels, neustress, eustress, environment, alarm, stress among school administrators.