Occupational Stress and Burnout Among Residential Teachers in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalaya

Abstract

Teaching is widely recognised as one of the most demanding professions, requiring educators to fulfil multiple academic, administrative, and psychosocial responsibilities. The occupational demands become considerably more intensive in residential school settings such as Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas (JNVs), where teachers are expected to perform not only instructional duties but also residential supervision, student mentoring, counselling, hostel management, co-curricular coordination, and emergency care. These extended responsibilities often increase workload, emotional labour, role conflict, and work–family imbalance, thereby making residential teachers more susceptible to occupational stress and burnout. Occupational stress refers to the psychological and physiological strain experienced when job demands exceed an individual's capacity to cope effectively. Burnout, a prolonged response to chronic occupational stress, is characterised by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization or cynicism, and a reduced sense of personal accomplishment. Persistent exposure to these conditions may adversely affect teachers' psychological well-being, job satisfaction, instructional effectiveness, organisational commitment, and the quality of students' educational experiences. The present study aims to examine the level of occupational stress and burnout among residential teachers working in Jawahar Navodaya Vidyalayas and to investigate the relationship between these two constructs. It also seeks to explore whether demographic variables such as gender, age, teaching experience, educational qualification, marital status, and residential responsibilities significantly influence occupational stress and burnout. A descriptive correlational research design is proposed. Occupational stress may be assessed using the Occupational Stress Index (OSI) developed by A. K. Srivastava and A. P. Singh (1982), while burnout may be measured using a standardised teacher burnout inventory appropriate for the study population. Descriptive statistics, Pearson's product–moment correlation, independent samples t-test, one-way ANOVA, and multiple regression analysis may be employed for data analysis. The findings of the study are expected to contribute to educational psychology and teacher well-being research by providing empirical evidence on the occupational challenges faced by residential teachers in JNVs. The study may assist policymakers, school administrators, and the Navodaya Vidyalaya Samiti in designing stress-management interventions, professional development programmes, counselling services, and organisational policies that promote teachers' mental health, resilience, job satisfaction, and professional effectiveness. Strengthening institutional support systems is expected to improve both teacher well-being and the holistic development of students in residential educational settings.