Psychological State of Teachers: Developing and Validating a Standardised Scale
Solomon Jil Barimah
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Mathew Amoako
Ghana University Staff Superannuation Scheme, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
Isaac Kow Gaisey *
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Joseph Akpadago
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Daniel Inkoom
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Frank Lamadoku Attila
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Kyeremeh Tawiah Dabone
Counselling Centre, University of Cape Coast, Ghana.
Samrat Ray
International Institute of Management Studies, Pune, India.
Emmanuel Eshun
College of Education Studies, University of Cape Coast, Cape Coast, Ghana.
Joseph Asamoah-Gyawu
Counselling Centre, Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology, Kumasi, Ghana.
*Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
Abstract
People show different emotional and psychological states over time due to stress, workload, sleep and other factors. This study examined the emotional and psychological states of 200 Junior High School Teachers. The study employed the quantitative method. The instrument used was a questionnaire. The collected data was analysed using frequencies, percentages, Pearson's Correlation and Regression. The instrument was made based on the experiences of the researchers and available literature. Confirmatory Factor analysis led to the reduction of the number of items on the questionnaire to 40. The results showed that teachers do not freely express their emotions, which affects their sleep patterns. The final questionnaire has strong psychometric properties, including a clear factor structure and adequate reliability. Based on these findings, we recommend that stakeholders like the Ministries of Health and Labour educate teachers on emotion management and encourage them to seek psychological and medical support. We also urge the Ministry of Education to prioritize mental well-being among teachers by incorporating coping methods like positive, emotional, religious, and social coping. To the Mental Health Authority, we recommended that they must intensify their efforts to demystify mental health services, making them accessible to all, and to avoid viewing mental health problems solely through a spiritual lens.
Keywords: Emotions, regulation, teachers, sleep, mental well-being