Psychological effects of COVID 19 on job performance of teachers in secondary schools in Kakamega Central Sub-County, Kenya

Psychosocial stress resulting from Covid-19 and psychosocial adjustment to the pandemic had a great impact on the job performance of teachers in secondary schools. The stress caused psychological and social changes in teaching and learning activities in secondary schools. According to the World Health Organization (WHO) report (2020), the fast-spreading infectious disease has been causing universal awareness, anxiety, and distress, all of which are natural psychological responses to the randomly changing condition. Among teachers, it was characterized by tension, anxiety, depression, irritation, worries, and fatigue or a state of mental or emotional strain. The objective of the study was to determine the psychological effects of Covid-19 related stress on the job performance of teachers. The study was guided by social cognitive theory. A mixed methods research approach was used, involving three specific designs: descriptive survey, ex-post facto, and correlational research designs. The target population consisted of 429 teachers, 24 principals, and 1 sub-county director of education. Stratified random sampling technique was used to select 7 principals and 228 teachers from 24 public secondary schools in Kakamega Central sub-county. Research instruments included a questionnaire and an interview schedule. To cater for face, content, and construct validity, the instruments were examined by the researcher, followed by supervisors in the Department of Educational Psychology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, before piloting. A pilot study was conducted in two sampled secondary schools to ascertain the validity and reliability of the instruments. Reliability coefficient was determined at Cronbach’s alpha of 0.845, which indicates that the reliability test for the questionnaire was good for our scale. Data analysis was done with the help of descriptive and inferential statistics using the SPSS program. ANOVA was used to analyze effects, while regression was used to analyze relationships. Quantitative data was keyed into SPSS for analysis. The descriptive analysis of the findings indicated that psychological factors affected teachers’ job performance. From the inferential analysis, the results of the study indicated that the psychological effects of Covid-19 had a substantial impact on job performance. From the findings, at a 5% level of significance, psychological effect (p = 0.001 < 0.05) was a significant predictor of job performance of teachers. The study concluded that psychological stress factors of Covid-19 affected the job performance of teachers. The study recommended that schools should take into consideration the psychological factors which affect the job performance of teachers so as to mitigate their effect on adjustment in order to improve job performance during pandemics.