The impact of COVID-19 fear on the quality of work life and job performance of school administrators and teachers

The primary aim of this study is to examine the effects of Covid-19 fears among school administrators and teachers working in public schools in the center of Eskişehir on their work life quality and job performance. In this research designed with mixed method, quantitative and qualitative data collection techniques were used to achieve the determined objectives. The quantitative part of the research was conducted using measurement tools with 443 school administrators and teachers from 26 schools selected by the stratified sampling method. The qualitative part is based on the findings obtained from semi-structured in-depth interviews conducted with a total of 23 people, including 16 teachers and 7 school administrators. As a result, according to the quantitative data analysis of the study, it was determined that the fear of Covid-19 did not significantly affect the quality of work life and work performance; On the other hand, the impact of fear of Covid-19 emerged clearly in the qualitative dimension of the research. In particular, it has been determined that job performance is positively affected by the quality of work life and this is facilitated by various factors. An important result that stands out in the qualitative dimension of the research is that although the Covid-19 epidemic is no longer an emergency at the global level, its psychological and sociological effects are still valid and urgent. In order to better understand the effects of the Covid-19 crisis on education, it has been suggested that the issue should be addressed from different angles, especially from a multidisciplinary perspective, and the research population should be expanded.