Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees at

Makerere University

Onyu Fazil

16/U/ 11053/EVE

1600707873

A Research Dissertation Submitted to the Department of Educational, Social and

Organizational Psychology in Partial Fulfilment of the Requirements in Partial Fulfilment

of the Requirement for the Award of the Degree of Bachelor of Arts in Social Science of

Makerere University

September 2022.
 ii

Declaration
 iii

Approval
 iv

Dedication

This report is dedicated to my parents Madam Damusanga Zaina and my

siblings Ms. Amoding Rehema, Mr. Kisambira Hassan and Mr.Musinguzi Juluis for the

constant motivation they offered me. May The Almighty Allah Bless You Abundantly.
 v

Acknowledgement

I exalt the almighty Allah for His grace has seen me through the study challenges.

Sincere gratitude to my supervisor Mr. Dan Magala for the invaluable time, advice and

guidance throughout the course and in writing this dissertation. To all my lecturers especially

Dr. Vincent Muwonge I exalt the almighty God for His grace has seen me through the study

challenges. for their morale, guidance and encouragement provided during the course. I am

also highly indebted to my ardent colleagues Jean Mugero and Peter Muganda for the

encouragement offered during my study. I acknowledge and appreciate the many hours you

put in the wonderful peer guidance. My dear friends Mr. Aleku Puis, Musana Joseph and Mr.

Magero Jean Jacques for the due encouragement. My sincere thanks to my beloved mother,

Ms. Damusanga Zaina , brothers and sisters of the Mr. Onyu’s family. I am also exceptionally

grateful to Miriam Haltmiere for the financial support, research training and mentoring

rendered to me during this course. Thank you all and Allah bless you.
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Table of Content

Declaration ................................................................................................................................. ii

Approval ................................................................................................................................... iii

Dedication ................................................................................................................................. iv

Acknowledgement ..................................................................................................................... v

Table of Content ....................................................................................................................... vi

List of Tables ............................................................................................................................ ix

Abstract ...................................................................................................................................... x

Chapter One: Introduction ......................................................................................................... 1

Introduction .................................................................................................................... 1

Background to the Study................................................................................................ 1

Problem Statement ......................................................................................................... 3

Purpose of the Study ...................................................................................................... 4

Specific Objectives ........................................................................................................ 4

Scope of the Study ......................................................................................................... 4

Significance of the Study ............................................................................................... 5

Conceptual Framework on Working Conditions, Job Stress and .................................. 7

Chapter Two: Literature Review ............................................................................................... 8

Introduction .................................................................................................................... 8

Job Stress ...................................................................................................................... 8

Job Stress and Job Performance ..................................................................................... 9

Working conditions and Job Performance ................................................................... 11

Summary ...................................................................................................................... 14

Chapter Three: Methodology ................................................................................................... 15

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 15
 vii

Research design ........................................................................................................... 15

Area of study ................................................................................................................ 15

Study population .......................................................................................................... 16

Sampling ...................................................................................................................... 16

Sampling techniques .................................................................................................... 16

Sample size .................................................................................................................. 17

Sources of Data ............................................................................................................ 17

Primary Information sources ........................................................................................ 17

Secondary Information sources .................................................................................... 17

Methods of data collection ........................................................................................... 17

Interviewing ................................................................................................................. 18

Observation .................................................................................................................. 18

Data processing and analysis ....................................................................................... 19

Data quality control ...................................................................................................... 19

Validity of the research instruments ............................................................................ 19

Reliability of Research instruments ............................................................................. 19

Ethical considerations .................................................................................................. 19

Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 20

Chapter Four: Results and Interpretation ................................................................................. 21

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 21

Descriptive Statistics .................................................................................................... 21

Pearson correlation data ............................................................................................... 26

Chapter Five: Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations .............................................. 29

Introduction .................................................................................................................. 29

Working conditions and job stress ............................................................................... 29

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Relationship between Job stress and Job Performance ................................................ 30

Working environment and job performance ................................................................ 32

Conclusion ................................................................................................................... 34

Recommendations ........................................................................................................ 34

References ................................................................................................................................ 36

Appendices ............................................................................................................................... 40

Appendix 1: Research Questionnaires ......................................................................... 40

Appendix 2: Budget ..................................................................................................... 45

Appendix 3: Time Schedule......................................................................................... 46

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List of Tables

Table 1: Frequency Distribution of Respondents’ Bio-data ................................................... 22

Table 2: Job Stress .................................................................................................................. 23

Table 3: Working Conditions.................................................................................................. 24

Table 4: Job Performance ....................................................................................................... 25

Table 5: Relationship between Job Stress and Working condition ......................................... 26

Table 6: Relationship between Working Condition and Job Performance ............................. 26

Table 7: Relationship between Job Stress and Job Performance ............................................ 27

Table 8: Relationship between Working Conditions, Mental health status and Employee

Performance ..................................................................................................................... 28
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Abstract

This study is about working conditions, job stress and job performance of Employees

at Makerere University. This was guided by specific objectives which include; i). To determine

the causes of job stress amongst academic employees at Makerere University ii). To establish

the implications of job stress on academic performance among academic employees at

Makerere University. iii). To determine the extent to which that job stress contributes to job

dissatisfaction among academic employees at Makerere University. iv). To determine the

extent to which job stress affects the personal lives of female academic employees at Makerere

University.

Interviews will be used to collect qualitative data. A sample of 60 respondents will be

selected because having relevant information regarding Working Conditions, Job Stress and

Job Performance of Employees. The researcher intends to have a sample size of 10 staff,

whereby 2 staff will be picked from each department, 35 Makerere University Students and 15

Key informants.

As observed by Wehrich et al (1990) shows how the working conditions have negative

impact because they de-motivate or increase stress levels of employees towards work and hence

productivity is compromised.
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Chapter One: Introduction

Introduction

This study focuses on working conditions, job stress and job performance of Employees

at Makerere University which has become a common term in today’s parlance. In every

organisation, the main cause of low productivity appears to be a result of working conditions,

job stress and job performance of employees at workplace. Employees need certain kind of

motivation and job stress mitigating strategies to overcome the stress. This study is focusing

on exploring the major factors causing job stress and explains how it affects job performance

of the employees working in Makerere University.

There are different kinds of job stress prevailing in an employee’s everyday life like

working conditions, workload, job security, autonomy, role conflicts, low salaries, incentives,

work shifts, deadlines for marking, research and publications, student supervision, consultation

and administration etc. which affects employees’ job performance. This chapter consist of the

background, problem statement, and purpose of the study, research objective, scope,

significance of the study and operational definitions of key terms.

Background to the Study

Today’s business environment is undergoing a tremendous change, as is the

nature of work being done in this environment. The Higher Education landscape is continuously

changing to keep up with the challenges posed by this environment. These changes have

prompted a shift in the traditional work of academics, thus incorporating more workload and

as a result, increasing the stress associated within the academic environment. Sparks, Faragher,

and Cooper (2001), described job stress as a significant issue affecting employees of the 21st

century in various work-places. (Abdel Rahman, Al Hashim, Al Hiji & Al-Abbad, 2013;
 2

Yusoff &Khan, 2013) suggests that most academics are subject to work related stress, social

and personal issues. And also, females are prone to stress irrespective of the work sector they

belong to.

In view of the aforementioned, Recent times have seen academic environments

drastically move from the traditional academic job of teaching and learning to more research-

related activities. Higher education institutions have continued to use teaching/learning and

research/publication as key performance indicators for academics. As a result, nowadays, the

academic work which was originally considered stress-free has been engulfed with greater

levels of stress (Gillespie et al, 2001; Tytherleigh 2003; Tytherleigh, Webb, Cooper & Ricketts,

2005; Barkhuizen, Rothman & van der Vijver (2008), thus witnessing a growth in the academic

work-place pressure on a daily basis. Managing job stress, especially academic-related stress,

has remained a global concern (Hall & Bowles, 2016; McCarthy, Song & Jayasuria, 2017).

Such stress which manifests from work pressure is linked to various interrelated factors, which

may include the nature of the working conditions, the nature of the job and the individual’s

personality. Stress can be derived from different factors including an unduly heavy work load,

unsafe working conditions, unhappy clients, over-demanding colleagues and un-cooperative

co-workers, Globally, within the academic environment.

Working conditions plays an important role towards the employees ‘performance.

Working conditions are argued to impact immensely on employees’ performance either

towards negative or the positive outcomes (Chandrasekar2001). In the world, there are

international organizations who debate the rights of employee. And further, pointed out that

better outcomes and increased productivity is assumed to be the result of better workplace

working conditions. Better physical working conditions of office will boost the employees and

ultimately improve their productivity (Dorgan, 1994).

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In the 1990’s, the factors of work environment had changed due to the changes in

several factors such as the social environment, information technology and the flexible ways

of organizing work processes (Hasun & Makhbul, 2005). When employees are physically and

emotionally fit will have the desire to work and their performance outcomes shall be increased.

Moreover, a proper workplace environment helps in reducing the number of absenteeism and

thus can increase the employees’ performance which leads to increased

productivity at the workplace (Boles et al.2004).

Job stress is a regular occurrence in everyday work life situations and females in

academia are not an exception to this fact. It has been suggested by numerous studies that job

stress will continuously be on the rise due to various factors such as career advancement,

technological advancements and changes in the business environment of organisations. The

present-day academic environment has moved from the old ways of doing things to more

technologically and research-based ways. Increasingly, the academic’s job profile has extended

beyond teaching and learning to include research and publications, supervision, consultation

and administration and so forth, thus, resulting in increased stress levels in academics, more

especially for female academics who have to include various domestic obligations to their

workloads.

Problem Statement

There is an increase in the occurrence of stress among workers due to failure of

improving working conditions, job insecurity, love for competition with other Universities,

work overload others among have led to poor performance, increased absenteeism and turnover

of employees because due to factors mentioned above, they are failing to work as required.
 4

The research is needed to help the employees get solutions or ways of dealing with
stress that is caused by the different factors hence improve performance.

Purpose of the Study

The purpose of the study is to establish the relationship between Working Conditions,

Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees at Makerere University

Specific Objectives

1. To determine the relationship between work conditions and job stress amongst

academic employees at Makerere University.

2. To establish if work conditions affect job performance among academic

employees at Makerere University.

3. To find out if job stress determines job performance.

Scope of the Study

The study will be conducted at Makerere University, Kampala. Makerere University is

one of the oldest and most prestigious English Universities in Africa. Makerere University is

Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, Makerere University was first

established in 1922 as a humble technical school and later it became an independent national

University in 1970. Makerere University is located on Makerere Hill which is one of the many

hills on which Kampala, the Capital City of Uganda, is built. The University Estate is spread

over three campuses. The 350-acre Main campus is located on Makerere Hill, 5 km from the

city centre.
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Significance of the Study

The study findings will help the organization to adjust on the working conditions, reduce

stress among workers hence good performance and reduced Labour turnover. The study will

help the organization find out a way of improving performance. The study findings will help

other researchers who may want to carry out research in similar filed to expand their

knowledge.

Gender:

Is a set of characteristics distinguishing between male and female, particularly in the

cases of men and women. Depending on the context, the discriminating characteristics vary

from sex to social role to gender identity. Gender refers to the socially constructed roles,

behavior, activities and attributes that a particular society considers appropriate for men and

women.

Stress:

Can be defined as a dynamic condition in which an individual is confronted with an

opportunity constraint or demand related to what he/she desire and for which the outcome is

perceived to be both uncertain and important.

Job Stress:

Job stress can be defined as the harmful physical and emotional responses that occur

when the requirements of the job do not match the capabilities, resources, or needs of the

worker. Job stress can lead to poor health and even injury.
 6

Stressor:

“Any demand, either of a physical nature or psychological nature, encountered in the

course of living is known as a ‘stressor’. A stress response will occur as a result of an

individual’s interaction with and reaction to the stressor”

Employees:

A person who is hired to provide services to a company on a regular basis in exchange

for compensation and who does not provide these services as part of an independent business.

Performance:

The accomplishment of a given task measured against preset known standards of

accuracy, completeness, cost, and speed. In a contract, performance is deemed to be the

fulfilment of an obligation, in a manner that releases the performer from all liabilities under the

contract.

Performance Appraisal:

The identification, measurement and management of human performance in

organizations

A performance appraisal, employee appraisal, performance review,

Is a method by which the job performance of an employee is evaluated (generally in

terms of quality, quantity, cost, and time) typically by the corresponding manager or supervisor.

General Adaptation Syndrome:

Is defined as the process in which the body tries to accommodate stress by adopting it.
 7

Ethics:

Ethics is the study of Morality and standards of Conducts. In recent years a growing

number of ‘companies’ has formulated codes ethics to guide the behavior and to ensure that

their operations conform to these to these standards worldwide.

Conceptual Framework

Conceptual Framework on Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job

Performance of Employees at Makerere University

Job Stress Workplace conditions

Employee Job performance
Heavy
participation -In role performance
workloadRole
Team working -Extra role performance
conflict Role
Motivation to
ambiguity work

Figure 1: conceptual framework sowing the relationship between job stress, workplace

conditions and job performance.

Working conditions, job stress can be conceptualized as an accumulation of minor

insults and hassles as well as the threat or onset of significance exposure to uncontrollable harm

(Wheatly, 2000). Stress may lead to psychological factors like job dissatisfaction, and change

in mood and low esteem all of which affects performance. Employees suffering from stress get

to either apply adaptive working condition while others apply the maladaptive working

condition. Productive and reference to others approaches, are associated with better adjustment

as reflected in higher self-rated coping effectiveness, less depression and high performance.
 8

Chapter Two: Literature Review

Introduction

This literature review attempts to discuss the various literature related to

Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees at Makerere University.

The discussion also identifies gaps left by other researchers of similar studies. However, this

study attempts to fill those gaps so that the write-up can contribute to a new body of knowledge

in the academic world.

Job Stress

Stress has been a growing concern in organisations and an important topic of discussion

within the academic circles as well as in society. With increasing global research on work-

related stress, the available literature is not comprehensive enough especially within the context

of higher education institutions. There is a paucity in the literature in relation to female

academics’ work- related stress and its associated factors in universities. The work settings

and the environment differ in academic institutions. Traditionally, academic institutions are

viewed as work environments with the least workload. Recent developments have proven

otherwise with the increasing introduction of metric measures of performance, productivity and

quality within academia. In addition, for the academic staff in managerial positions, Shin and

Jung (2014), noted the rapid increase in their managerial workload due to new public

management of reforms driven by performance-based management, budget shortcuts, and

efficiency-oriented management.

Shin and Jung (2014) noted the variation in academic roles and responsibilities across

higher education systems. Academic responsibilities range from teaching and learning, research
 9

and supervision, administration, community engagement and academic citizenship (Meng &

Wang, 2018; Macfarlane, 2018).

Job Stress and Job Performance

According to Yozgat, Yurtkoru and Bilginoglu (2013), job stress is becoming an

epidemic in the work environment because of its negative effect and the increasing frequency

of report on people. Job stress is defined by scholars as an individual’s response to

external stimuli in the environment (Deng, et al 2019; Yozgat et al 2013).

According to Khuong and Yen (2016), job performance is the total output that

employees recognized as contributing to the organisation or an activity that the individual is

able to complete successfully. In a similar vein, though job stress affects individuals differently,

Carmeli (2003), notes that employees with a high level of intelligence are able to manage their

emotions, retain a positive mind and improve on their performance.

In the academic environment, job stress and job performance are viewed as having the

same effect. Academic job performance is assessed within the dimensions of the job

requirements which includes but not limited to, teaching and learning, research and

postgraduate supervision, administration, community services and academic citizenship.

Furthermore, the job requirements of academics are assessed along the organisation’s

dimensions of goal setting, mission and objectives. Academics are therefore required to

maximize output to achieve these goals and objectives which serves as a measure of evaluation.

According to Abbasi & Janjua, (2012), role stressors refer to anything about an

organisational role that creates negative consequences for employees. It represents conflicts

and tension due to roles being enacted by a person at any given point of time (Devi & Rani,

2016). The role stressors discussed within the limit of this dissertation are in the dimension of
 10

role ambiguity and role conflicts. Role ambiguity occurs due to lack of clarity or when people

are uncertain about their expectations within a certain role in a workplace

(Palomino & Frezatti, 2016; Tang, 2010; Edmonson, 2006). In such situations, the person’s job

is ill defined. Academics, whose roles are ill-defined are likely to experience considerable

uncertainty about their role performance (Teichler, 2007). Further ambiguity may occur when

academics struggle to juggle the academic activities assigned to them such as teaching,

researching, academic development and so forth. In a similar vein, role conflict occurs as a

result of expectations from multiple roles. This can be observed in an academic setting where

academics are expected to teach, research, perform administrative duties, participate in

community engagement as well as professional development. Research studies have found the

negative impact of role conflict and role ambiguity job performance among academics

(Palomino and Frezatti, 2016; Tang, 2010; Idris, 2011).

As the university landscape is continuously changing, academics are faced with

complex work requirements more especially in the areas of teaching and research. The dual

functions of the university in knowledge creation and transmission is placing more demands on

the academics workload. According to Warraich, Raheem, Ahmad, and Khoso, (2014),

workload refers to the concentration or the amount of assignment and tasks, employees

are responsible for at work. The two classifications of workload are role overload and role

under load. According to Creary and Gordon (2016), role overload exists when an individual

performs multiple roles simultaneously which may exert both excessive time demands and

excessive psychological demands. Role overload creates more expectations than the available

time, resources and capabilities of the individual (Abbasi & Janjua, 2016; Duxbury, Lyon &

Higgins, 2008).
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Working conditions and Job Performance

The on-going transformations in higher education institutions has seen scholars

increasingly paying closer attention to the university work environment and its impact on

academic staff (Bentley, Coates, Dobson, Goedegebuure & Meek, 2013; Shin and Jung, 2013;

Schulz, 2013). Generally, domains of the work environment are the organisational climate and

the psychosocial work environment. Patterson et al (2005), defines the organizational climate,

as shared employee perceptions of organizational practices and procedures. This refers to how

things are generally done within the organization. Similarly, Zabrodska et al (2014), refers to

the psychosocial work environment as the direct personal experiences of individual employees

with their organization. These scholars noted that the four main domains of the psychosocial

work environment are job demands, work organization, interpersonal relations and leadership,

and the work-individual interface. The individual fit to a work environment occurs when the

characteristics of an individual matches that of the work environment (Kristof-Brown & Guay,

2011; Kristof-Brown, Zimmerman & Johnson, 2005). Such fitness is determined by job

demands, working conditions, rewards and quality of the working environment.

Workplace stress has an impact on both the individual and the organisation. Within an

academic environment, the impact of job stress cannot be undermined. Several studies have

been conducted into workplace related stress in an academic setting and some, with special

interest on the female academic staff. Many of these studies revealed that the stress framework

in academic settings is built around workplace stressors related to roles, workload, relationship

and the environment. A review of some of these studies are presented as follows:

Desa et al (2014), examined the relationship and influence of personality on job stress

among academics in a university. The findings of the study show personality dimensions as a

predictor of stress. The personality of an academic constitutes various traits; physical,

 12

emotional, social, mental and spiritual amongst others that makes the individual unique. These

traits are confined to behaviour which plays out in relationship with oneself and towards others

in a work environment. Desa et al (2014) opined that individuals are happier when there is a fit

between their job and their personality, as well as with co- workers. Furthermore, these scholars

noted that academic career development is another important source of work stress. As

academics struggle with keeping various job requirements for professional growth, the

anticipated overload then becomes the stressor.

In another study by Zhang (2010) on the investigation into the job-related stress

amongst women academics in a research university, the author found role conflict as one of the

sources of stress in the sampled university. The stressor was found to be attributed to social-

cultural practices. The women academics in the sampled university were found to pay detailed

attention to the children’s development unlike their counterparts. This is so because of the belief

system that a woman who cannot educate and train her child is more or less a failure in society.

These women held strong traditional belief system of women’s role in supporting family, taking

any task that comes their way, some of which poses difficult priorities and well as holding

strong ethical views against marriage separations. These findings contribute to stress amongst

female academics in the sampled university.

Higher education institutions are undergoing various changes in pursuit of excellence,

productivity and upholding stakeholder expectations. Keeping up with these changes has

resulted in rapid transformation of the academic work environment which has traditionally been

viewed with less stress. The concept of stress among academic staff in the universities have

gained much attention recently (Gustems-Carnicer, Calderón & CalderónGarrido, 2019;

Väisänen et al. 2018; Mapfumo, Chitsiko & Chireshell, 2012). Increasingly, research studies

have shown that academic staff are undergoing continuous occupational related stress (Park &
 13

Kim, 2018; Quraishi, Aziz & Siddiquah, 2018; Kinman, 2008; Kinman & Court, 2010;

Kyriacou, 2001). This is attributed to the multifaceted roles of academic staff which goes

beyond the mere conveying of knowledge. These studies have demonstrated that academics

undergo excessive pressure which contributes to social, psychological and emotional well-

being (Ha, 2015). Mark and Smith (2018) opined that because the academic workplace

demands high intrinsic and extrinsic effort, academics report high levels of depression and

anxiety. In the field of Psychology and Human Resource Management, managing and coping

with stress remains one of the most widely researched area and to date, a challenge to both the

academics and the management.

Managing and coping with stress is a vital aspect of achieving well-being. According

to Väisänen et al (2018), coping is a key process in managing stress and it allows the individual

to make both cognitive and behavioural effort in dealing with both internal and external

stressors. In essence, Mohammed El- Amin and Singh (2016) viewed coping as a means of

dealing with a situation. Lefton (2000) defines coping as the process a person uses to manage,

master, tolerate, or reduce environmental and internal demands leading to stress which may

affect the individual’s inner resources. Mohammed El-Amin, and Singh (2016) posit that stress

management is the most effective way in helping individuals avoid problems and learn working

condition. Literature noted different types of descriptions and approaches to coping thus

making working condition not to be one size fits all but one that changes from an individual or

organisation to the other. Thus, outcome of a stress management technique either by an

individual or the university is to provide a coping mechanism in dealing with the stress. The

most important aspect noted by Folkman and Lazarus, (1985), is that the coping strategy

changes an outcome of a stressful transaction by affecting both the cognitive and behavioural

responses. In so doing, these scholars noted that working condition could be emotion-focused
 14

coping and problem-focused coping. While the emotion-focused coping involves the

individuals’ efforts towards adjustment, the problem-focused coping addresses the ability to

tackle the problem to reduce unforeseen harmful effects (Folkman and Lazarus, 1985). Various

studies on managing and coping with stress provided results along these dimensions, emotion-

focused coping and problem-focused coping.

Summary

The chapter started with an overview of the introduction and background of the study

followed by relevant theoretical models of stress and legislations. Literature pertaining to the

concept and nature of stress was reviewed. The researcher brought into context job or

workplace stress and aligned it to the academic environment. The impact of stress on job

performance within the academic environment was explored and possible stressors were

identified. Specifically, the impact of job stress was reviewed in relation to female academics

and the subsequent working condition were brought into context. Finally, the gap in literature

was highlighted.
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Chapter Three: Methodology

Introduction

This chapter presents the procedure which was used to conduct the study. It includes

the research design, area of study, study population, sample size and sampling procedure,

instruments for data collection, validity and procedures for data collection, data analysis and

ethical considerations.

Research design

Research design refers to the overall strategy that the researchers will choose to

integrate the different components of the study in a coherent and logical way, thereby ensuring

that the study effectively addresses the research problem.

The study adopted a descriptive research design that uses qualitative means. Descriptive

design was used to describe the changes, trends, user-response and suggestions regarding

Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees at Makerere University.

The study described data in its level of quality for example high quality, medium quality or low

quality and to assess the opinions and recommendations of the respondents.

Area of study

The study was carried out at Makerere University, Kampala. Makerere

University is one of the oldest and most prestigious English Universities in Africa. Makerere

University is Uganda's largest and oldest institution of higher learning, Makerere University

was first established in 1922 as a humble technical school and later it became an independent

national University in 1970. Makerere University is geographically, located on Makerere

Hill which is one of the many hills on which Kampala, the Capital City of Uganda, is built.
 16

The University Estate is spread over three campuses. The 350-acre Main campus is located

onMakerere Hill, 5 km from the city center.

Study population

The study targeted 100 respondents; the Study population for this study was purposive

sampling technique where every member of the population was selected purposively. A sample

of 80 respondents were selected for having relevant information regarding Working Conditions,

Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees. The sample involved the Makerere University

staff especially the teaching staff like the lecturers because these are very knowledgeable

concerning Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees, the students

and a few of the non-teaching staff (support staff).

The topic will be analyzed on the basis of these respondents’ responses that will be provided.

Sampling

Sampling techniques

Sampling techniques refers to the name or any other identification of the specific

process by which the entities of the sample size as been selected. It is a method that allows

researchers to infer information about a population based on results from the subset of the

population, without having to investigate every individual.

Valuable information was gained from people selected on the basis of positions they

hold in administrative levels of their institutions. Etikan & Bala (2017), state that when carrying

out research, it is impractical to survey every member of a particular population because the

sheer number of people is simply too large. The researchers therefore employed the purposive

sampling technique to collect data and information from the different subgroups of the
 17

institution categorized on departmental level especially, the teaching staff like the lecturers, the

students of Makerere University.

Sample size

Sample size refers to the number of participants or observations included in the study.

The researcher intends to have a sample size of 80 Makerere University Students basing on

Morgan’s table.

Sources of Data
This section describes where the researcher acquired the information from. It is

categorized into two that is to say the primary and the secondary sources of information.

Primary Information sources

The researcher’s primary source of information were the Makerere University staff

(Lecturers) and University Students in the institution and these staff and students were able to

provide the necessary primary information to the researchers. The researcher also collected

information from other staff (Key informants) in regards to Working Conditions, Job Stress

and Job Performance of Employees.

Secondary Information sources

The researcher intends to use the institution’s website and also the social media

platforms if any to acquire secondary information. The researcher also intends to acquire

secondary information from referenced materials on the internet.

Methods of data collection

The researcher employed the interview and observation methods of data collection. The

researcher designed the interview guide that was used to interview the selected staff of
 18

Makerere University and University Students to answer the research questions. Through these

methods, raw data was able to be collected from the staff and

Students regarding Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees. Using

the above-mentioned methodologies, the researcher was able to understand the different staff

and students’ ideologies and opinions concerning Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job

Performance of Employees.

Interviewing

This was a structured conversation where one participant asks questions, and the other

provides answers. Alternatively, it can be referred to a one-on-one conversation between the

interviewer and the interviewee. The researcher intends to use the interviewing data collection

method among different staff to find out their opinions concerning Working Conditions, Job

Stress and Job Performance of Employees. The interview was conducted using an interview

guide that was appended.

Observation

Observational research is “successful” to the extent that it satisfies the research

objectives by capturing relevant events and participants along with the constructs of interest

(Carreiras & Castro, 2013). The Observation guide reminds the researcher of the key points of

observation as well as the topics of interest associated with each and also acts as the impetus

for a reflexive exercise in which the observer can reflect on his / her own relationship and

contribution to the observed at any moment in time (Creswell, 2014). In light of this, the

researcher deemed it necessary to use this tool to learn the situational behaviour of the research

problem.
 19

Data was collected using questionnaire methodology or survey. In order to understand

Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees, respondents will be

requested to fill in and complete the questionnaire.

Data processing and analysis

The researcher collected raw data underwent different processing stages of editing,

organizing and coding. A template was prepared using the necessary software’s packages for

analyzing data.

Data quality control

This refers to the efforts and procedures that the researcher put in place to ensure that

the quality and accuracy of data collected using the methodologies that were used is paramount.

Validity of the research instruments

While testing the validity of the research instruments, the researchers formulated

research questions according to the study objectives, questions and significance. The

questionnaire underwent a pilot study as well as the interview guide so that the study is

effective.

Reliability of Research instruments

The researcher carried out a pilot study of both the questionnaires and the interview

guide to assess their effectiveness, at least 10 people for each instrument were used.

Ethical considerations

The researcher ensured that they attain an introductory letter from the School of Social

Sciences (CHUSS) at Makerere University that introduced them to the field of data collection

and that is at Makerere University. It was handed to the authorities at Makerere University
 20

seeking for permission to collect data. The data that was collected was treated with at most

confidentiality. Arrangements were made with the respondents on the modules of collecting

the required data. The researcher ensured that every citation in this report has been

acknowledged and referenced to avoid plagiarism.

Conclusion

This chapter has exhaustibly discussed the methods the researcher will employ to

collect data and information during the study. The methodologies that will be used will be both

the qualitative and the quantitative research design.

 21

Chapter Four: Results and Interpretation

Introduction

This chapter describes, discusses, analyses and interprets the information or data

collected during the research study at Makerere University. Tables were used to present some

of the data findings of the research study and some responses were quoted verbatim. The

primary data was collected or obtained through the use of an interview guide and observation.

The study was successful due to the full cooperation of the respondents. The researchers

interviewed the staff and also used observation methods as the data collection techniques. Here

the frequency distribution was done according to gender, age bracket, rate of positions, and

work experience of the study population.

Descriptive Statistics

Under this section respondents’ bio-data information is presented using frequency

distribution. Variables of interest include; age of the respondents, tenure, sex and the position

held at the organization.

 22

Table 1: Frequency Distribution of Respondents’ Bio-data

Variables Category Frequency Valid Percentage

Sex male 52 54.2
female 44 45.8
Age 26-30 years 33 34.4
31-35 years 34 35.4
36-40 years 18 18.8
41-45 years 1 1.0
46-50 years 7 8.3
51-55 years 1 1.0
56-70 years 2 2.1
Level of education Diploma 4 4.2
Bachelor’s Degree 32 33.3
Masters 45 46.9
Other 15 15.6
Years in service 1-5 years 56 58.3
6-10 years 30 31.3
11-15 years 10 10.4
Position HOD 9 9.4
Junior Lecturer 31 32.3
Lecturer 41 42.7
PHD 15 15.6
Marital status Married 59 61.5
Single 31 32.3
Divorced 6 6.3

Table 1 shows that majority of the respondents were males (54.2%). This implies that

despite the biases about men being better than women, the organization employed more men

than women. The table further shows that many of the respondents were aged between 30-35

years (35.4%) showing that the organization values young and energetic employees. Table 1

shows that majority of the respondents were Masters’ holders (46.9%) and this implies that the
 23

employees are highly educated and their efficiency is not questionable. The table further

presents that most of the respondents had spent 1-5 years (58.3%) implying that the bank

employs the young fresh generation. The table shows that many of the respondents were

lecturers (42.7%) implying that facility lecturers are always available to the students’ aid.

Lastly the table shows that majority of the respondents were married (61.5%) of the total

population showing that the organization loves to employed the married as this comes with

responsibility and commitment to work.

Table 2: Job Stress

Items Percentage of responses

Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
agree disagree
Working here makes it hard to spend enough time with 38.2 44.8 14.1 2.2 2.6
my family.
I spend so much time at work, I can’t see the forest for 39.1 47.5 9.8 7.6 3.9
the trees.
Working here leaves little time for other activities. 75.7 27.0 11.1 3.9 4.0
I frequently get the feeling I am married to the 33.7 9.8 18.5 21.7 16.3
company.
I have too much work and too little time to do it in 13.9 57.8 10.0 4.7 5.5
I sometimes dread the telephone ringing at home 17.2 64.6 7.0 10.0 9.5
because the call might be job-related
I feel like I never have a day off. 15.9 89.6 67.8 65.7 1.5
Too many people at my level in the company get burned 19.6 12.0 16.3 31.5 19.6
out by job demands.
I have felt fidgety or nervous as a result of my job 33.4 46.1 10.0 2.3 13.8
My job gets to me more than it should. 10.5 58.1 8.7 18.3 16.1
There are lots of times when my job 9.5 43.9 15.3 27.0 15.2
Drives me up the wall 17.4 25.0 8.7 9.8 19.6
Sometimes when I think about my job 2.2 14.1 7.6 9.8 28.3
I get a tight feeling in my chest. 7.6 20.7 14.1 31.5 10.9
I feel guilty when I take time off from job. 3.3 59.7 32.6 31.3 9.5
 24

Table 2 shows that many of the respondents agreed to the statements for example, 89.6%

of the respondents agreed that they feel like they never have a day off. The table further shows

that few of the respondents disagreed to the statements in question for example,

2.2%disagreed that working there makes it hard to spend enough time with their family.

Table 3: Working Conditions

Items Percentage of responses

Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
agree disagree
The culture and emotional climate of the school is 32.3 46.9 3.1 17.7
generally positive and supportive.
I feel like I am a part of a team (shared mission, values, 34.4 35.4 22.9 4.2 3.1
efforts and goals).
I feel challenged and am given assignments that inspire, 28.1 35.4 13.5 10.4 12.4
test, and stretch my abilities.
My efforts are recognized and acknowledged in 35.4 40.6 16.7 7.3
tangible ways.
I receive constructive feedback in a way that 29.2 56.3 11.5 3.1
emphasizes positives, rather than negatives.
Innovation is expected of me, and I am encouraged to 32.3 46.9 3.1 17.7
take the initiative.
I have clear-cut and non-contradictory policies and 34.4 35.4 22.9 4.2 3.1
procedures in my school.
I am encouraged to solve as many of my own 28.1 40.6 18.8 9.4 3.1
workrelated problems as possible.
I believe in and take pride in my work and my 29.2 47.9 11.5 11.5
workplace.
At work, I am accepted for the person I am. 33.3 44.8 4.2 13.5 4.2
I feel in control of my work and capable of 7.3 27.1 11.5 47.6 6.9
competently carrying out my daily tasks.
I tend to see problems as challenges, rather than as 24.0 44.8 10.4 19.8 1.0
obstacle
The table above shows that many of the respondents agreed to the statements for

example, 56.3% of the respondents agreed that they receive constructive feedback in a way that

emphasizes positives, rather than negatives. The table further shows that few of the respondents
 25

strongly disagreed to the statements in question for example, 1.0% strongly disagreed that they

tend to see problems as challenges, rather than as obstacle.

Table 4: Job Performance

Items Percentage of responses

Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
agree disagree

I make recommendations on issues that affect the 87.0 53.3 29.3 13.0 40.0
department/organization
I try to make constructive suggestions for improving 66.3 33.7 21.7 9.8 36.3
how things operate in this department/organization

I try to institute new more effective work methods for 19.6 22.8 42.4 9.8 36.3
the department/organization

I try to adopt improved procedures for the 48.9 45.7 44.6 3.3 40.0
department/organization

I try to make innovative decisions to help the 9.8 9.8 23.9 32.6 37.5
department/organization

I am always ready to offer help to those around me 68.5 9.8 16.3 38.0 40.0
I help others who have heavy workload 68.5 31.5 12.2 14.1 36.3
I help others who have problems with their work 51.1 41.3 8.7 25.0 3.8
I am always complaining about my work 30.4 30.4 15.3 25.0 6.3
I always find fault with what the organization is doing 39.1 10.5 44.8 10.9 7.6

I adequately complete assigned duties 23.9 25.0 26.3 10.9 5.1

I am involved in activities that are relevant to my yearly 25.0 0.0 6.2 3.3 1.3
performance assessment

I always complain about things that are not important 33.7 22.6 14.3 3.3 1.3

The table above shows that many of the respondents strongly agreed to the statements

for example, 87.0% of the respondents agreed that they make recommendations on issues that

affect the department/organization. The table further shows that few of the respondents strongly
 26

disagreed to the statements in question for example, 1.3% strongly disagreed that they always

complain about things that are not important

Pearson correlation data

Table 5: Relationship between Job Stress and Working condition

Job stress Working condition

Job stress Pearson Correlation 1 .268*

Sig. (2-tailed) .019
N 96 96
Working condition Pearson Correlation .268* 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .019
N 96 96
*. Correlation is significant at the 0.05 level (2-tailed).

The research hypothesis stated that job stress and working condition are not

significantly related. However, results in table 5 show that since r = .268 and p = .019 (≤ 0.05),

the researcher rejected the null hypothesis and concluded that there is a significant relationship

between job stress and working condition. This means that working conditions that employees

are exposed to shall be great contributors to whether the employees are stressed or not. Poor

working conditions are seen to be great contributors to employee job related stress.

Table 6: Relationship between Working Condition and Job Performance

Working condition Job performance

Working condition Pearson Correlation 1 .620**
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 96 96
Job performance Pearson Correlation .620** 1
Sig. (2-tailed) .000
N 96 96
**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).
 27

The hypothesis stated that there will be a significant positive relationship between

working condition and job performance. According to results obtained in table 6 show that

since r = .620 and p = .000(≤ 0.01), the researcher retained the alternative hypothesis and

concluded that there is a significant relationship between working condition and employee

performance. This means that good working conditions like supportive supervision shall boost

employee job performance.

Table 7: Relationship between Job Stress and Job Performance

Job stress Job performance

Job stress Pearson Correlation 1 .326**

Sig. (2-tailed) .003

N 96 96

Job performance Pearson Correlation .326** 1

Sig. (2-tailed) .003

N 96 96

**. Correlation is significant at the 0.01 level (2-tailed).

The hypothesis stated that there will be a significant relationship between job stress and

job performance. Since according to results in table 7 r = .326 and p = .003 (≤ 0.01), the

researcher retained the alternative hypothesis and concluded that there is a significant

relationship between job stress and job performance. This further implies that high stress levels

experienced by employees shall have an increased effect on employee performance.

 28

Table 8: Relationship between Working Conditions, Mental health status and Employee

Performance

Linear regression for relationship between working condition, mental health status,

employee performance of Lectures in School of Psychology

Unstandardize Standardize R Adjuste F Sig.

d Coefficients dCoefficients Square d R
Square
Std.
Erro
Model B Beta t Sig.
r
(Constant) 35.036 7.256 4.345 .005 .272 .149 17.563 .001b

Working .328 .132 .376 2.597 .001

conditio
n
Job stress .472 .157 .245 5.219 .531

Dependent variable; Employee Performance

Findings in table 8 show that working condition predicts job performance (B= .3765,

t=2.597, p=.001), job stress does not predict job performance (B= .245, t=5.219, p=.531). This

means that job stress (a strong cofounding factor) that crops up within organizations among

workers due to the various organizational factors (role ambiguity, long work hours, low wages

and salaries) if not work on by the management employees shall be low at performance at the

job because there shall be no motivation to work at all. Furthermore, working condition a

common stress faced by employees at work basing on the research findings shall have limited

influence on employee performance as it can be dealt with at its early stages by the employee

and organization all at once detected. This could be through counselling sessions, trainings and

employee assistance programs.

 29

Chapter Five: Discussion, Conclusions and Recommendations

Introduction

This chapter is composed of the discussion of the results of the study, conclusions drawn

from the study and recommendations suggested according to the findings of the study.

Working conditions and job stress

The research hypothesis stated that job stress and working condition are not

significantly related. However, results in table 5 show that since r = .268 and p = .019 (≤ 0.05),

the researcher rejected the null hypothesis and concluded that there is a significant relationship

between job stress and working condition. The study results show that they were in line with

the following researchers’ findings as shown below;

Competition in the industrial world is very large especially in this era of globalization.

Competition in the business world is very tight, this is because organizations are faced with

market changes, increasingly short technological life cycles, rapidly growing global

competition, changes in the social and cultural environment and demand for information

technology innovations.

According to Robbins (2008) there are three factors that cause job stress, there are

environmental factors, companies and there are also individual factors. Environmental factors

are very influential for employees, because if employees get a work environment that supports

employees will not experience work stress. According to Awan (2015) a conducive work

environment plays an important role in keeping employees calm and satisfied. From this it can

be said that a work environment that is not supportive then results in a high level of stress. Berg

(1999) the overall work environment has a substantial effect on the worker's view of the
 30

company to help balance work. If a company has a good work environment, the percentage of

work stress is very small.

Stress has become common in both developing as well as developed countries

(Baskaran, 2004). This problem has become a serious issue nowadays. Job stress has become

a crucial topic due to its impact on employees and society. Job stress is important because an

employee is unlikely to be productive when experiencing stress. Consequences, it will affect

organization performance. Moreover, Cranwell-Ward (1998) describes the stress as the

physiological and psychological reactions when individuals meet a challenge that beyond their

capacity or ability. According to Muchlas (2008) stress is a physical, mental and emotional

reaction towards changes. The physical and emotion reaction happens when the works demand

beyond their capability and ability. If the worker suffered a high degree of stress in a long

period, it will affect their health.

Furthermore, Landsbergis (1988) and Cummins (1990) indicated that high degree of

work stress is concerned with the low degree of job satisfaction and also the poor mental health.

Kvarnström (2017) indicated that stress can cause a high turnover, absenteeism, and high

medical costs. Interestingly, fifty to sixty percent of all lost working days were associated with

stress (Cox et al., 2000). Meanwhile, Edwards (2001) reported that many elements and

contributing factors are tested by many researchers, for examples: poor relationships with co-

workers, the political climate of the organization, role ambiguity, and conflicting performance

expectation.

Relationship between Job stress and Job Performance

The research hypothesis stated that there is a significant relationship between job stress

and job performance. The results obtained proved that the researcher had to retain the
 31

hypothesis since r = .326 and p = .003. The study results mean that an increase in job stress

shall lead to an increase in job performance of the employees which is not right for workplace.

This is because stress shall lower employee work moods hence lowering engagement in work

activities and job performance. The results were found to be in disagreement with other research

findings as for other researchers shown below;

Murphy (2007), argues that employees such as nurses are prone to the effects of work-

related stress due to the increasing demand of their nature of work and environment which

greatly affect their commitment. Nursing job specifically has several kinds of stress that are not

commonly found in other non-health sectors, whereby they work in a unique environment full

of noise pollution and susceptible to infections. It is a job that seeks patience, high mental and

physical capabilities (Podsakoff, 2007). Nurses in their daily practices are exposed to a variety

of work stressors such as life and death situations, long working hours in different shifts,

competition, role ambiguity, work load, inadequate time to complete nursing tasks and to

support patients emotionally, the conflict between nurses and physicians which could

exaggerate the pace of stress and their families and being neutral in their emotions and feelings.

This not only affects their daily life, but also hinders their work performance.

The outcomes of job stress may lead to decline in employee job performance. Its

psychological influence inverts into horrific habits like smoking, over eating, drinking alcohol

and lead to serious chronic diseases like hypertension and heart diseases (Owolabi, 2012).

According to Gould (2004), when organizations successfully introduce a range of stress

management programs, there is likelihood that they will experience a more dramatic change in

employee performance. He further argued that open communication, engagement are favorable

working condition, adequate resources and workers at the work place, good management

system creation of good relationship between 12 employees and patients and employee
 32

assistance programs (EAPs) highly contribute to stress management of nurses at the workplace

which in return promotes their performance.

Working environment and job performance

Employees’ performances decrease when they negatively perceive job safety and

security. In turn, their attitudes change by disobeying the rules which leads to an increase in

accidents at the workplace. A number of work environment factors which affects job

satisfaction includes supervisor support, relationships with colleagues, job safety and security,

working ours, and esteem needed (Raziq & Maulabakhsh, 2015). Job safety and security, which

is one of the most important work environment factors, should be strictly imposed at the

workplace in creating a comfortable working environment and flexible working condition for

the employees. As indicated by Jain and Kaur (2014), three components of working

environment included physical working environment, social working environment and mental

working environment. The efficiency of an organization concerned with employee’s welfare.

The organization would provide their employees a pleasant working environment so that the

employees can concentrate on their task and became more productive.

Employee performance can be affected by physical working environment which include

lightings, temperature, noise, office layout and fresh air. All of those disturbances can cause

health discomfort among the employees which lead to decreasing employees ‘performances.

Temessek (2009) indicated that the functional décor and design of the workplace environment

ultimately helped to improve employees’ experience and necessitate better performance.

Haynes (2008) revealed that physical working environment was included into a tangible

element which determined the abilities of employees to connect with their work roles and the

quality of the physical working environment was considered impactful on how employees
 33

behave, performed their roles as well as their mental, physical and emotional states (Seghal,

2012; Oyetunji, 2014). Previous researchers stated that physical working environment helped

to determine the abilities of employees to connect with their work roles and influence how they

behave (Haynes, 2008; Seghal, 2012; Oyetunji, 2014)

A study had shown that conducive physical working environment can reduce

absenteeism, and enhance employee performance (Chandrasekar, 2011; Hammed and Amjad,

2009). Thus, in order to retain the employee performance, organization had to improve the

physical working environment. Charles, Reardon and Magee (2005) revealed that a suitable

workplace temperature energizes an office occupier to work at employee’s best. In line with

this, organization needed to improve physical working environment according to the nature and

demands of the jobs.

Awan and Tahir (2015) found in their study that the relationship with co- worker at the

same hierarchical level and had no authority over one another (hanging sentence?). It was

mentioned that in developing a conducive working environment, a relationship with coworker

must be good. They analyzed their results and it was proven that the relationship with co-worker

had strong positive impact with employees’ performance. Co-workers’ relations and peers

support will motivate employees to perform the tasks although not in the job description and

feel comfortable in the organization.

Oswald (2012) mentioned that supervisor support is was crucial for the employees in

completing their tasks. Supervisor support was someone who were skilled and experienced to

the employees and will help them to perform better in their current role and to assist them

developed further into the future roles. An experienced and skillful supervisor supports

employees in performing their work role and assist them further in developing effective roles.
 34

Pailhe (2002) revealed that the important elements in determining work environment of

an organization includes physical, biological, chemical risk in workplace, communication

networks, working hours, employee empowerment, and work speed. Working hours refers to

programs, policies and practices initiated by employees in scheduling working hours and

adjusting the length of working time to meet their preferences (Brown & McNamara, 2011;

Golden, 2012; Henly & Lambert, 2010).

Conclusion

This study was underpinned by four research objectives. The findings showed that time

allocated to the job, workload and health and the nature of workload affect motivation, which

adversely affects the academic’s performance. The findings also show that causes of job stress

within the limits of this study include time required to complete a task; academics’ use of

personal time; heavy workload requirements; stress from co-workers, sub-ordinates and

supervisors and gender stereotypes. Furthermore, the complex nature of the academic job

description contributes to job dissatisfaction and in turn creates willingness for the female

academics to seek a review of their workload. Irrespective of that, findings show that these

female academics rarely want to either resign or leave their jobs. The findings of the study also

revealed that domestic roles affect female academics either positively or negatively.

Recommendations.

Employers should put in place employee assistance programs to help the stressed
employees air out views on causes of stress to be rectified.

Employees should also report any stress casing situations within their areas of work so
as to combat stress and improve on their productivity.

Employers should hold frequent workshops and seminars for employees to be taught
causes of workplace stress and possible coping strategies to be used during any stressful
situations.
 35

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 39

Appendices

Appendix 1: Research Questionnaires

Dear Respondent,

I am Onyu Fazil, a student of Makerere University pursuing a Bachelor’s Degree in

Social Science at the School of Social Science, Makerere University. I am currently conducting

my research on Working Conditions, Job Stress and Job Performance of Employees at

Makerere University. I am kindly requesting you to assist me by completing the following

Questions. The interview will take only 30 minutes. Before we go further, I would like to assure

you that your responses will be treated confidentially and used for academic purposes only.

Thank you.

The questionnaire will require approximately 20 minutes to complete, to ensure that all

information remains confidential, please DO NOT include your name as copies will be

provided to my immediate supervisor. I kindly request that you answer the questions honestly

and return the completed questionnaire to the researcher.

Thank you in advance for taking part in this exercise, I am sincerely grateful.

SECTION A: BIOLOGICAL INFORMATION

Please tick the blank spaces provided below;

1) Sex

a) Male b) Female

2) Age of the respondents

a) 26-30 years b) 31-35 years c) 36-40 years

 40

d) 46-50 years e) 51-55 years f) 56-60years g) 66-70 years

3) Level of education

a) PHD b) Masters c) Degree

d) Diploma e) Certificate f) Secondary level

4) Years in service

a) 0-5 years b)
5-10 years c) 10-15 years

d) 15-20 years e) 20-25 years f) 25-30 years

5) Position held at work

a) Manager b) Field operative c)

Causal employee d) Supervisor 6) Marital status

a) Single b) Married d)(tick the choice from

Divorced the
scale below)

Section B: Job stress

Suggestive statements Responses

Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly

Agree disagree

Working here makes it hard to spend enough 1 2 3 4 5

time with my family.
I spend so much time at work, I can’t see the 1 2 3 4 5
forest for the trees.
 41

Working here leaves little time for other 1 2 3 4 5

activities.
I frequently get the feeling I am married to the 1 2 3 4 5
company.
I have too much work and too little time to do 1 2 3 4 5
it in
I sometimes dread the telephone ringing at 1 2 3 4 5
home because the call might be job-related
I feel like I never have a day off. 1 2 3 4 5
Too many people at my level in the company 1 2 3 4 5
get burned out by job demands.
I have felt fidgety or nervous as a result of my 1 2 3 4 5
job
My job gets to me more than it should. 1 2 3 4 5
There are lots of times when my job 1 2 3 4 5
Drives me up the wall 1 2 3 4 5
Sometimes when I think about my job 1 2 3 4 5
I get a tight feeling in my chest. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel guilty when I take time off from job. 1 2 3 4 5

Section C: Working conditions (tick the choice from the scale below)
Suggestive statements Responses
Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
Agree disagree

The culture and emotional climate of the 1 2 3 4 5

school isgenerally positive and supportive.
I feel like I am a part of a team (shared 1 2 3 4 5
mission, values,efforts and goals).
 42

I feel challenged and am given assignments 1 2 3 4 5

thatinspire, test, and stretch my abilities.
My efforts are recognized and acknowledged 1 2 3 4 5
intangible ways.
I receive constructive feedback in a way that 1 2 3 4 5
emphasizes positives, rather than negatives.
Innovation is expected of me, and I am 1 2 3 4 5
encouraged totake the initiative.
I have clear-cut and non-contradictory 1 2 3 4 5
policies andprocedures in my school.
I am encouraged to solve as many of my 1 2 3 4 5
own work-related problems as possible.
I believe in and take pride in my work 1 2 3 4 5
and myworkplace.
At work, I am accepted for the person I am. 1 2 3 4 5
I feel in control of my work and capable 1 2 3 4 5
ofcompetently carrying out my daily tasks.
I tend to see problems as challenges, rather 1 2 3 4 5
than asobstacle

Section C: Job performance (tick the choice from the scale below)
Suggestive statements Responses
Strongly Agree Not sure Disagree Strongly
Agree disagree
I make recommendations on issues that affect 1 2 3 4 5
thedepartment/organization
I try to make constructive suggestions for 1 2 3 4 5
improvinghow things operate in this
department/organization
I try to institute new more effective work methods 1 2 3 4 5
forthe department/organization
 43

I try to adopt improved procedures for the 1 2 3 4 5

department/organization
I try to make innovative decisions to help the 1 2 3 4 5
department/organization
I am always ready to offer help to those around me 1 2 3 4 5
I help others who have heavy workload 1 2 3 4 5
I help others who have problems with their work 1 2 3 4 5
I am always complaining about my work 1 2 3 4 5
I always find fault with what the organization is doing 1 2 3 4 5
I adequately complete assigned duties 1 2 3 4 5
I am involved in activities that are relevant to my yearly 1 2 3 4 5
performance assessment
I always complain about things that are not important 1 2 3 4 5
 44

Appendix 2: Budget

SerialNo: Requirements and Details Quantity Price per Unit (Ug Shs) Amount
A Equipment and Stationery
1. Flash Disk 1Pc 60,000 60,000/=
B Personnel
2. Research Assistants (2) 1 Month 100,000 200,000/=
3. Researchers Allowance 2 Month 250,000 500,000/=
4. Transport Services 2 Month 150,000 300,000/=
5. Communication 3 Month 50,000 150,000/=
C Printing Services
6. Printing the Proposal 5 Pcs 4100 20,500/=
7. Binding Proposal 3 Pcs 3000 9000/=
8. Photocopying Services 270 Pcs 500 135,000/=

Grand Total 1,374,000/=

 45

Appendix 3: Time Schedule

ACTIVITIES TIME FRAME YEAR 2022

MAY JUNE JULY AUG SEPT OCT NOV
UNDERTAKEN

Identification of a
topic Dissertation
writing
Reviewing

dissertation

Actual collection of
data Report writing
of the report
Typing, corrections
and submitting the
dissertation