Survey Of Stress Management Patterns Among Secondary Principals And Its Effects On Administrative Performance Of Principals

INTRODUCTION
Background of the study
Each of us has a significant capacity to make our world. The majority of us can choose where and how we live – the schedules we will keep, the projects we will take on, the commitment we will make, the housing and neighborhood in which we will associate determine the closeness of a relationship and even choose how we will respond to what others around us say and do.
We generally cannot control with whom we will work. One scientific study for adults in our nation is our work. According to Joyce Meyer in her book on stress, she said that estimated 60 percent of all absenteeism from work is related to stress. The difficulties of adjustments to the stress and strain of cotemporary living have become a source of concern to various governments and researchers. There is no indication whatsoever that in the nearest future most of the situations that cause stress in the average Nigerian (economic, Political, social or religions) will be ameliorated.
Stress is a part of human life but the modern technologically industrialized and urbanized culture has tremendously increased the amount of stress to human beings. People have so many sources of stress in both the internal and external environments, for instance, each one’s five senses is stress provoking. The truth of the matter is that the situation might worsen if proper care is not taken about the causes of stress by government and by individuals in Nigerian society particularly with principals of secondary schools in Enugu State.
Psychologically, one can feel frustrated in one’s work place due to lack of promotion, due to stress from students, teachers and external forces. The type of experience one has will determine whether he is stressed or not. There are moments when people show positive emotions of love, Joy, Laughter, Pleasure and the like. At times, people show negative emotions fear and so on. It is when any of these emotions imposes out the ordinary that it demands on mind and body that stress sets in. The situation of teaching as a profession in Enugu State today is unpredictable. The principals and teachers jobs are not only threatened, they also face problems of work overload, poor transportation system, mal-actions of students, struggles for special salary and minimum wage, etc. In secondary educational system of Enugu State, principals suffer from various emotional conditions caused by job stress.
As rightly observed by Vine (1988) the mere idea of continually having to prove oneself usually in a highly competitive job market is intolerably stressful. The stresses may include an expected deadline, contemporary dispute with a colleague or employer due to non payment of salaries and allowances where there may arise during the course of the average working day, less obvious is more treacherous, incremental build up of pressures that result from having to cope with excessive demands. These may well include finding oneself in a disorganized or even hostile environment suffering adverse physical conditions being in the wrong job, passed over for promotion or having little or no say in the way the work is carried out. There may be little or no job satisfaction. Considering the adverse effects of stress on principals, teachers and institutions of learning’s and its attendant effects on administrative performance and a study of this nature is relevant.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem
Overtime, it is a known fact that human beings may have no choice rather than engage in one working condition or the other which ultimately takes him out of his immediate environment and introduce him to an entire different environment, where he meets people and conditions outside him.
These people with different background and temperament add to an administrative problem even the environment where he finds himself. Every work is associated with his own stress and it has been observed and noted that stress could mar a good administrator’s style if not properly managed. Hence, this work which aims at investigating stress management strategies among secondary school principals in Enugu State with particular reference to Udi Local Government Area.

1.3 Purpose Of The Study
This study investigates the stress management patterns and its effect on the administrative performance of principals on Udi Local Government Area.
Specifically, the study was designed:
1) To find out that enhancement of food nutrition is a strategy for stress management.
2) To find out that proper relaxation are good strategies for checking stress.
3) To find out how stress management patterns increases the productivity of principals.
4) To know the extent to which administrative training ensures management of stress.
5) To know the extent to which stress management pattern increase the social relationships among principals, Teachers and students.

1.4 Scope Of The Study
This study is a survey of the stress management strategies of the principals and its effects on the administrative performance of principals in secondary schools. It concentrated primarily on Government Areas in Enugu State with particular reference to Udi Local Government Area.

1.5 Significance Of The Study
We have a stress epidemic in our nation. The majority of Nigerian workforce very likely have excessive stress in their lives and their work places and reports of stress seem to indicate that the percentage of Nigerians each year who feel under “a great deal of stress is rising”.
It is hoped that a research of this nature will enable the researcher make manifest the influence of stress and its management strategies on the administrative performance of principals. It would make useful contributions that will better equip principals, teachers and educational stake holders on how best to manage and cope with stress. Also this work will serve as reference to any other person who may wish to embark upon a research on this or related topic.
Furthermore, the study will make recommendations aimed at making the principals a better administrator.

Research Questions
1) To what extent is enhancement of food nutrition a strategy for stress management?
2) Are proper relaxation / exercise good strategies for checking stress.
3) How far does stress management patterns increases the productivity of principals.
4) To what extent can administrative training ensure management of stress?
5) How does a stress management pattern increase the social relationship among principals, Teachers and Students?