RELAXATION STRATEGIES FOR STRESS MANAGEMENT AS PREDICTORS OF PRINCIPALS’ ADMINISTRATIVE EFFECTIVENESS IN PUBLIC SECONDARY SCHOOLS IN ANAMBRA STATE

Abstract

This study investigated relaxation strategies for stress management as predictors of principals’ administrative effectiveness in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. The study was guided by one research question and one hypothesis, which was tested at the 0.05 level of significance. A correlational research design was adopted for the study. The population of the study comprised all the 267 principals of the 267 public secondary schools in Anambra State, and the entire population was used as the sample. Data were collected using two researcher-developed instruments titled Relaxation Strategies for Stress Management Questionnaire (RSSMQ) and Principals’ Administrative Effectiveness Questionnaire (PAEQ). The instruments were subjected to face and content validation by experts to ensure their suitability. A pilot study was conducted, and the internal consistency of the instruments was determined using the Cronbach Alpha method, which yielded a reliability coefficient of 0.78 for cluster D. The researcher administered the questionnaires directly to the respondents with the assistance of five trained research assistants. Simple linear regression analysis was employed to answer the research question and to determine the extent to which relaxation strategies for stress management predicted principals’ administrative effectiveness. The findings of the study revealed that relaxation strategies for stress management significantly predicted principals’ administrative effectiveness in public secondary schools in Anambra State, Nigeria. This indicates that principals who consciously and consistently adopt relaxation strategies are more likely to sustain high levels of administrative effectiveness in the management of their schools. Based on these findings, the study recommended that the Anambra State Ministry of Education should organize regular training and capacity-building programmes for principals on the adoption of relaxation strategies such as mindfulness practices, physical exercise, and scheduled work breaks, with a view to preventing burnout and promoting sustained productivity in school administration.