Classroom Teachers’ Perceptions of Workplace Relationship Practices in Rural Ghanaian Basic Schools (Published)
In spite of accrued benefits of workplace relationships for organisations, Ghanaian management literature seem oblivious of it in today’s knowledge society where human capital has been estimated as a crucial production factor. Consequently, the current study seeks to explore the construct of workplace relationship between classroom teachers and head teachers in a rural Ghanaian setting using 136 survey data randomly chosen from the Ekumfi Education District. A survey instrument with overall alpha of 0.9 was mainly used to test three hypotheses and one research question. Statistical findings practically reveal that 22 per cent of classroom teachers’ performances are explained by job stress and propensity to leave as a result of workplace relationship with head teachers in the Ekumfi District. In addition, gender was not a distinguishing factor in workplace relationship management amongst classroom teachers. The researcher concludes, in search of variables predicting teacher productivity, relationship management constitutes significant force in the equation. Hence, school administrators and other stakeholders interested in teachers’ morale should intensify their education and build head teachers skills in workplace relationships management. Above all, contribution of this paper to educational policy formulation and evaluation are pointed out.
Keywords: Job Stress, and Gender, propensity to leave, teacher workplace relationship