A research on sources of university faculty occupational stress: a Chinese case study

BACKGROUND: The aim of this study was to investigate the stress level of university faculty members, the important determinants of faculty members’ stress, and the implications for both faculty members and administrators. SUBJECTS AND METHODS: Participants were asked to complete a questionnaire consisting of 24 questions. Reponses from 240 participants at a Chinese university were analyzed using SPSS software. The descriptive statistics showed the participants’ statistical characteristics. Cronbach’s a and varimax rotation were used to assess the reliability and validity of the scale. The main statistical methods used were ANOVA and multifactor line regression. RESULTS: University faculty members’ occupational stress is widespread across occupational hierarchies. University faculty members are faced with different levels of teaching and scientific research and personal development pressures. Professional ranking, age, and length of teaching make a difference in the level of faculty members’ occupational stress. The results can help us confirm that scientific research, professional development, and administrative affairs are significant influencing factors of faculty members’ occupational stress. CONCLUSION: University faculty members’ occupational stress is the outcome of structural constraints of university and personal characteristics. On the one hand, the faculty members should recognize the positive impact of occupational stress while striving to eliminate stressors. On the other hand, this empirical study uncovered that the evaluation mechanism based on quantitative performance indicators has greatly increased the occupational pressure on university faculty members.