A dissertation submitted to the Faculty of Education in fulfillment of the requirements of the Degree of Doctor Of Education in the Department of Educational Psychology at the University of Zululand, 2018 / Teaching is regarded by many as one of the most stressful occupations, as evidenced by reports of academic results consistently poor in rural schools and teachers leaving the profession each day. Stress in general has always been a concern in many schools. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of teacher stress on learner academic performance in rural secondary schools. This study used both quantitative and qualitative research approaches in which questionnaires and interviews were used for data collection processes. Simple random sampling and purposive sampling procedures were used to select participants from rural secondary schools in Vhembe District with a matric pass rate of less than sixty percent over a period of five years. Quantitative data was analyzed using IBM Statistical package for Social Sciences (SPSS) Version 24 (IBM SPSS statistics), and Atlas.ti Version 6 programme for qualitative data. Results showed that teachers in secondary schools in the rural areas experience high levels of stress which has adverse effects on learner academic performance. These results guided me in developing the Three Pillars Teacher Stress Coping Model to assist teachers in rural areas to alleviate the stress they experience as they promote teaching and learning. The study contributed to the literature on the effect of the experience of stress by teachers on learner academic performance in rural secondary schools. / National Research Foundation Of South Africa (Grant Number CPT160513164973 and 105246

Dans les années 1960/1970, toutes les études ont montré que les élèves issus de milieux défavorisés ont de moins bons résultats que ceux issus de milieux favorisés (Coleman, 1966 ; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964 et 1970 ; Baudelot & Establet, 1971). Les recherches menées durant les années 1990/2000 ont démontré que les élèves des écoles rurales obtiennent de bonnes performances scolaires (Oeuvrard, 1993 ; Lebossé, 1998, les travaux de l’Observatoire de l’École Rurale, 2001 et 2005). Or, les territoires ruraux sont majoritairement composés de familles issues de milieux défavorisés. Quelles sont alors les raisons de ces bons résultats ? La présente étude a pour objectif de vérifier les hypothèses selon lesquelles un effet-établissement, un effet-classe et un effet-maître, spécifiques aux écoles rurales expliquent ces performances. Afin de valider ces hypothèses, une enquête est menée concernant les résultats aux évaluations nationales de 2011, des 1 810 élèves de CM2 des écoles du département des Alpes de Haute-Provence. Elle est exploitée au moyen de calculs statistiques et d’une analyse de contenu des rapports d’inspection des enseignants de ces élèves. Les conclusions de cette recherche révèlent que ce sont des effets structurels, liés à la spécificité des écoles rurales qui sont les déterminants de ces résultats scolaires. Ce sont en effet, les écoles primaires, celles de moins de cinq classes, les classes à plusieurs cours, le peu d’élèves scolarisés dans une classe ainsi que les gestes professionnels spécifiques et les qualités professionnelles des enseignants qui expliquent ces performances. / In the 1960s/1970s, all the studies have reported that pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds perform less well in school than those from advantaged backgrounds (Coleman, 1966 ; Bourdieu & Passeron, 1964 et 1970 ; Baudelot & Establet, 1971).Research during the 1990s/2000s has shown that pupils from rural schools get good performance (Oeuvrard, 1993 ; Lebossé, 1998, the works of the Rural School Observatory, 2001 et 2005).Yet rural territories are mostly composed of families who come from disadvantaged backgrounds. So, what are the reasons for these good results ?The objective of this study is to test the hypotheses that the effect of the establishment, the effect of the class and the effect of the teacher, which are specific to rural school, explain this good performance.To validate these hypotheses, a survey was conducted concerning the results of national assessments in 2011, for the 1810 pupils in CM2 of the schools situated in the department of Alpes de Haute-Provence. The data is used by means of statistical calculations and a content analysis of the inspection reports of these pupils' teachers.The findings of this research reveal that it is structural effects which are linked to the specificity of rural schools that are the determinants of these educational outcomes. These are in fact primary schools, those less than five classes, multigrade classrooms, only a few pupils enrolled in a class as well as teachers' specific professional acts and professional skills that explain this good performance.