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Published in: Community Mental Health Journal 5/2018

01-07-2018 | Original Paper

Administrative Stressors and Islamic Coping Strategies Among Muslim Primary Principals in Malaysia: A Mixed Method Study

Authors: Lokman Mohd Tahir, Aqeel Khan, Mohammed Borhandden Musah, Roslee Ahmad, Khadijah Daud, Shafeeq Hussain Vazhathodi Al-Hudawi, Aede Hatib Musta’Amal, Rohaya Talib

Published in: Community Mental Health Journal | Issue 5/2018

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Abstract

Principals are school leaders who experienced stress while leading their schools towards excellence. However, principals stress experiences are always ignored and least studied. This mixed-methods study investigates primary principals’ stress experiences and their Islamic coping strategies used in incapacitating the stress experiences. A total of 216 Muslim primary principals across different gender, types of schools and years of experiences as school leaders responded to the administrative stress and the Islamic coping strategies items. In addition, seven primary principals were purposefully selected and interviewed in exploring their reasons of using Islamic coping strategies for their relieving process. Results discovered that primary principals experienced fairly stress level and they perceived managing students’ academic achievement was the most stressor followed by managing teachers’ capabilities. Although findings revealed that no significant differences in terms primary principals’ demographics; male primary principals, and experienced between 6 and 10 years and positioned in schools with least students (SLS) category have slightly higher level of stress. In terms of Islamic coping strategies used by primary principals, saying dhua to Allah, performing dhikir and reciting the Yassen are selected coping approaches employed in handling their stress. From interviews, primary principals also revealed that they used Islamic religious approaches as part of meaningful activities not just to overcoming their stress but also as part of religious approaches in remembering Allah, thinking back their past mistakes as part of the Muhasabah process. Therefore, we believed that religious approaches should be taken into consideration in principals’ training as it provides peaceful and treatment in managing principals’ stress issue.
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Metadata
Title
Administrative Stressors and Islamic Coping Strategies Among Muslim Primary Principals in Malaysia: A Mixed Method Study
Authors
Lokman Mohd Tahir
Aqeel Khan
Mohammed Borhandden Musah
Roslee Ahmad
Khadijah Daud
Shafeeq Hussain Vazhathodi Al-Hudawi
Aede Hatib Musta’Amal
Rohaya Talib
Publication date
01-07-2018
Publisher
Springer US
Published in
Community Mental Health Journal / Issue 5/2018
Print ISSN: 0010-3853
Electronic ISSN: 1573-2789
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1007/s10597-017-0206-8

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