Principals' Evaluation Frequency and Teachers' Emotional Stability in Public Secondary Schools in Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Nigeria

Abstract

This study examined the influence of principals' evaluation frequency on teachers' emotional stability in public secondary schools in Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District, Nigeria, during the 2024/2025 academic session. The independent variables were observation frequency and feedback frequency, while the dependent variable was teachers' emotional stability. Three research questions and three null hypotheses guided the study, tested at the 0.05 level of significance using an ex post facto research design. The target population consisted of 1,115 teachers drawn from 85 public secondary schools across nine Local Government Areas in Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District. A sample of 225 teachers was selected using stratified random sampling to ensure proportional representation across the nine Local Government Areas, school types, and teaching experience levels. Data were collected using two instruments: a researcher-developed Principals' Evaluation Frequency Questionnaire (PEFQ) containing 24 items to measure observation and feedback frequency, and the standardized Teacher Emotional Stability Scale (TESS) containing 20 items adapted from established emotional stability inventories. The PEFQ demonstrated a Cronbach Alpha reliability coefficient of 0.84, while the TESS yielded 0.87. Simple linear regression analysis was employed for data analysis. Results showed that observation frequency significantly predicted teachers' emotional stability (β = 0.39, t = 4.52, p < 0.001, R² = 0.16). Feedback frequency significantly predicted teachers' emotional stability (β = 0.44, t = 5.18, p < 0.001, R² = 0.19). The joint prediction of observation and feedback frequency significantly influenced teachers' emotional stability (β = 0.48, t = 5.89, p < 0.001, R² = 0.23). These findings suggest that both dimensions of principals' evaluation frequency are associated with teachers' emotional stability, with feedback frequency demonstrating slightly stronger predictive power. It is recommended that principals establish structured evaluation schedules with balanced observation and feedback cycles, that the Akwa Ibom State Ministry of Education develop guidelines for supportive supervisory practices, and that teacher training programs incorporate emotional resilience components to enhance stability in the Nigerian secondary school context.