Resilience Under Pressure: A Multilevel Analysis of Adaptive Coping Mechanisms, Emotional Labor, Classroom Assessment Practices, and Their Impact on the Health and Wellbeing of Primary School Teachers in High-Stress Urban Settings in Ghana

Primary school teachers in Ghana’s urban centers operate under intense professional and emotional strain, often exacerbated by curriculum demands, resource limitations, and systemic pressures. This study explored how emotional labor, classroom assessment practices, and adaptive coping mechanisms influence the health and wellbeing of teachers working in high-stress educational environments. A cross-sectional survey design was employed, sampling 1,320 public primary school teachers across Ghana. Data were collected using validated scales on emotional labor, assessment practices, coping strategies, and wellbeing. Multivariate analyses, including multiple regression, ANOVA, and moderation models, were conducted using SPSS to test the hypothesized relationships. The results revealed that emotional labor significantly and negatively predicted teacher wellbeing (β = -0.38, p < .001), with surface acting (β = -0.31, p < .001), role-induced strain (β = -0.15, p < .001), and fatigue (β = -0.14, p < .001) among the strongest negative predictors. Classroom assessment practices were also significant negative predictors (β = -0.22, p < .001), particularly assessment complexity (β = -0.14, p < .001) and feedback load (β = -0.12, p = .001). In contrast, adaptive coping mechanisms positively predicted wellbeing (β = 0.33, p < .001), with active coping (β = 0.16, p < .001), emotional support (β = 0.14, p < .001), and positive reframing (β = 0.13, p < .001) contributing the most. ANOVA showed significant differences in wellbeing based on resilience levels: high-resilience teachers reported significantly greater wellbeing (M = 3.65, SD = 0.60) than both moderate (M = 3.02, SD = 0.69; p < .01) and low-resilience teachers (M = 2.35, SD = 0.74; p < .001), with a large effect size (η² = 0.09). Furthermore, moderation analysis demonstrated that adaptive coping buffered the negative impact of assessment pressure on wellbeing (interaction term: B = 0.17, p = .001). The findings highlight the detrimental impact of emotional labor and assessment overload on teacher wellbeing in Ghana’s high-stress urban schools. However, adaptive coping strategies significantly enhance resilience and mitigate these effects. Educational policy and professional development should prioritize emotional regulation support, stress-resilient assessment practices, and capacity building for adaptive coping to safeguard teacher wellbeing and educational sustainability.