Assessment of Workload and Burnout Among Physical Education Teachers in Urban Secondary Schools in Lagos State

Teacher burnout poses significant risks to educational quality, staff retention, and the personal wellbeing of teaching professionals, with physical education teachers facing distinctive workload pressures stemming from facility management, co-curricular sports coordination, and extensive student supervision responsibilities. This study assesses workload levels and burnout prevalence among physical education teachers in urban secondary schools in Lagos State, South West Nigeria. A cross-sectional descriptive survey was conducted among 220 physical education teachers from 30 secondary schools in three local government areas. The Maslach Burnout Inventory and a teacher workload assessment instrument were administered. Findings reveal that 54 percent of respondents demonstrate moderate-to-high burnout on the emotional exhaustion subscale, with 38 percent reporting high depersonalisation scores. Weekly workloads exceed national recommended contact hours in 66 percent of cases due to co-curricular sports obligations not factored into official workload calculations. Female teachers report higher emotional exhaustion compared to male counterparts, influenced by additional domestic responsibilities. School size, poor facility conditions, and inadequate administrative support are the strongest institutional predictors of burnout. Recommendations include formally recognising co-curricular sports coordination in physical education teacher workload calculations, providing administrative support for sports event management, establishing collegial support networks for physical education teachers, and offering access to employee wellness and counselling services. Keywords: workload, burnout, physical education teachers, urban secondary schools, Lagos State