Constructing a Stress Index for Teachers in Malaysia: A Fuzzy Delphi Approach

Stress among teachers is a debilitating issue that has been plaguing the educational landscape in Malaysia for a long time. Past studies have investigated this issue, and most studies focused on identifying the causes of stress among teachers. However, recent studies have looked at stress as a process that involves a threat (stressors), an appraisal and defence mechanism against the threat (coping mechanism) and the breakdown of the defence (effect). Therefore, it is essential to look at teachers' stress from these three angles. This study aims to introduce a new stress index for Malaysian teachers that seeks to identify teachers' stressors, coping mechanisms and effects of stress. The Fuzzy Delphi method was employed in constructing the stress index as this method used both experts' opinions and analytics that produced an index with high validity and reliability. A proposed stress index with 101 items was evaluated by a panel of experts from linguistics medicine, psychology, linguistics and counselling. Their inputs were then analysed using the Fuzzy Delphi method. The items were then refined with experts' consultation. Furthermore, the finalised stress index proposed a new indicator of stressor, financial problem, an indicator absent in the previously developed stress index. This study has shown the effectiveness of using the Fuzzy Delphi method in developing a new stress index to help teachers, school administrators, and the Ministry of Education understand teacher stress in Malaysia.