A Comparison of Mental Stress among Physical Education Teachers Working in Government and Private Schools in Ratnapura District

Abstract

A Physical education teacher regularly handles a variety of duties both inside and outside the classroom. The purpose of the present study is to assess the mental stress experienced by physical education teachers working in government and private schools in the Ratnapura district, Sri Lanka. To achieve this purpose, a total of sixty (N=60) subjects were selected in this present study. They were divided into two equal groups. Each namely Government schools (n=30) and Private schools (n=30). Subjects were selected using a random sampling method and the age range is 25-50 years. The perceived stress Questionnaire (PCQ) was used as the method for collecting data in this comparative study. The data were analysed and compared with the help of statistical procedure SPSS Version 26 using one-way ANOVA which included mean, and standard deviation with a significant level of 0.05. The statistical analysis indicated a significant difference in mean mental stress scores between government school physical education teachers (63.40) and private school physical education teachers (92.97) According to the research findings. On average, private schools have a higher mean score on both measures compared to government schools, and there is a significant difference in scores between the two groups. Therefore, it can be concluded that physical education teachers at government schools have less mental stress than private school physical education teachers. These findings may contribute to new discoveries in the fields of physical education and sports, and highlight the mental stress experienced by physical education teachers in government and private schools.