Eureka! Institutional Repository

Job satisfaction is directly linked to employees’ performance. Working conditions, social environment, presence of conflict and ambiguity roles, salary, opportunities for development/ promotion, as well as factors such as the teacher’s personality, personal perceptions and expectations, teacher’s age and degree of autonomy has been found to be factors that affect job satisfaction in the educational sector. The aim of the present study was to investigate the levels of teachers’ work-related stress/ burnout in the regional unit of Chania and to identify the determinants of work-related stress/ burnout. The study was conducted using a questionnaire which included closed-ended questions. Statistical data processing was performed with SPSS v.22. A total of 241 teachers from the regional unit of Chania (68.8% women) participated in this study. The majority belonged to the age group of 40-60 years (84.2%). Work-related stress levels/burnout in the sample were relatively low and below average, with mean levels on the total stress scale being 10.94 (possible range 6–30). Higher levels of stress were observed in men and in those with higher educational level. Differences were observed in the self-reported impact of the examined factors on stress levels depending on the demographic characteristics of the participants. Teachers in Chania generally appear to have low levels of work-related stress/burnout. Factors such as "Financial crisis, salaries and benefits cuts for teachers", "crowded- heterogeneous classes", "Students' lack of interest" and "Low teacher salaries compared to the salaries of other employees in the public sector" were identified as the most important factors contributing to teachers’ burnout.