Stress and Coping Mechanism of School Administrators and Teachers Amidst Pandemic

The primary emphasis of this study was on the stress and coping mechanisms of elementary teachers and school administrators in Zamboanga del Sur Division during the school year 2021–2022. Ten (10) school administrators and ninety-one (91) elementary teachers from the chosen primary schools in the lowland and upland zones are taking part in this study. Both descriptive and inferential statistics were used for the precise analysis and interpretation. In determining the stress level, extent of barriers experienced by the teachers, and coping mechanism applied, Weighted Average Mean was used. To determine whether there is significant difference between the school administrators and teachers' level of stress, barriers experienced by the teachers, and their coping mechanism, Analysis of Variance of F-test was used. Further investigation was done to ascertain whether there is significant relationship between the teachers' stress level and barriers experienced by the teachers; stress level and coping mechanism; and barriers experienced and coping mechanism, Pearson Correlation Coefficient was used. Using SPSS, all inference tests were examined. The results demonstrated that the stress levels of school administrators and teachers during the pandemic were moderately high, as was clearly demonstrated by the overall means of 2.95 and 3.33, respectively. The grand averages of 3.60 and 3.43, in particular, provide strong evidence that the personal, technical, logistical, and financial barriers experienced by the teachers during the modular distance learning were to a large degree preset impediments. The findings also show that there is no noticeable difference in the stress levels of teachers and school administrators. Additionally, the stress level was linked to the challenges the teachers faced. The degree of stress and coping strategies used by teachers and school officials were significantly correlated.