Categorizing Challenging and Hindering Job Demands in University Teachers: A Thematic Analysis

Abstract

The present study was an attempt to categorize job demands experienced by university teachers into challenging and hindering job demands qualitatively. In order to meet the major objective of the study, two focus group discussions and three independent interviews were conducted. The data was analyzed through five step procedure for thematic analysis given by Braun and Clarke (2006). The results revealed that seven job demands including effort reward imbalance, task related stress, working conditions, role related stress, administrative hassles, organizational politics and work-life interface could be categorized as hindering while three job demands including regulatory load, cognitive job demands and social load were categorized as challenging job demands. In the end, conclusions, limitations and suggestions are discussed.