The relationship between job autonomy and stress among physical education teachers in Sabzevar city

Several studies have shown that physical education teachers are exposed to occupational stresses; some of these factors were related to the job environment, which can have adverse effects on their health and their educational role. The aim of the present study was to investigate the relationship between stress and job autonomy among physical education teachers in Sabzevar city. The method of this research was descriptive – correlation. For this purpose, 150 physical education teachers (74 male and 76 female) were selected and TAS job autonomy questionnaire and job stress by Cook and colleagues (1981) were distributed among them. The validity of questionnaires was confirmed With sport management professors and physical education teachers and the level of reliabilityWas determined through using Cronbach's alpha for the scale of job autonomy (α= 0.70) and the job stress inventory ¬(α = 0.74). Data Was analyzed using descriptive and inferential statistical tests (Kolmogorov-Smirnov test, Spearman correlation, Durbin-Watson testand multiple regression analysis). Results showed a negative and significant relationship between job autonomy (r= - 0.279; p= 0.001) and general autonomy (r= - 0.329; p= 0.001) with job stress, but there was no significant association between curriculum autonomy with occupational stress. The results of multiple regression analysis showed that general autonomy is the best predictor of the job stress. Findings suggest that educational administrators should provide a basis for increasing job autonomy of physical education teachers to reduced their job stress and enable them to carry out their teaching duties properly.