SELF-ESTEEM AND ADJUSTMENT TO RETIREMENT AMONG RETIREE TEACHERS IN MERU COUNTY, KENYA

Abstract

Retirement poses psychological problem for many retirees. There is an increase in the number of retired teachers in Meru County in Kenya because majority of the pioneer teachers in Meru County had begun retiring. It was necessary to establish the relationship between self-esteem and adjustment to retirement. The researcher established a relationship between self esteem and adjustment to retirement among retiree teachers in Meru County. The study adopted descriptive survey research design. The study sampled 318 respondents from a population of 1800 comprising of 600 retirees, 600 spouses of retirees and 600 close relatives of the retiree teachers. A sample of 318 respondents was selected to participate in the study. Data was collected from retiree teachers and their spouses through questionnaires. Interview schedules were used to collect data from retiree teacher close relative. Quantitative data was analyzed with the help of Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 23. Descriptive statistics included frequencies, percentages, standard deviation and mean. Inferential statistics used was wilcoxon signed rank test. Qualitative data collected was analyzed by classifying the responses into meaningful categories thematically. The findings of this study revealed that there is a significant relationship self-esteem and adjustment to retirement. The study recommends that Teacher Service Commission to organize pre-retirement training and counseling to prepare teachers to handle challenges that may affect their self-esteem in retirement