Psychological violence is mistreatment that is severe enough to influence the target person's health, to destroy his work or total career and overstrain his relationship with his family or friends. The impact of psychological violence has compelled many a company and organization to introduce policy to stop the serious consequences thereof. It seems not to be the case in the South African education. The mixed method research design was used in this study to investigate the nature and impact of psychological violence on the health of secondary school educators in the Free State. Strategies were proposed to reduce educators' experiences of psychological violence and the impact thereof on their health. Two measuring instruments were used in this study to collect the quantitative data, namely the Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R) and the Symptoms Checklist. Both these measuring instruments were distributed amongst 727 secondary school educators at 82 schools in the five education districts of the Free State. The qualitative data collection was done with 32 educators. The sources of psychological violence, likewise in the literature, are management, learners and parents. Psychological violence often causes enormous stress and it leads to a situation where educators feel depressed and traumatised. The general aim of this study is to invsetigate the nature and impact of psychological violence on secondary school educators in the Free State. Some of the findings in this study are that there are not differences between men and women with regard to exposure to psychological violence; older educators experience more exposure to psychological violence; teaching experience, qualifications and ethnicity are indeed determining factors with regard to exposure. It is also possible, as appears from the findings, that here a minority group is exposed more to psychological violence. The results of both data sets, quantitative and qualitative, are mutually confirming. It was found in this study that secondary school educators indeed experience psychological violence. The assumption is that the findings of this study will help to strengthen information that will be useful for the enhancement of educator health at schools. / PhD (Educational Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

Psychological violence is mistreatment that is severe enough to influence the target person's health, to destroy his work or total career and overstrain his relationship with his family or friends. The impact of psychological violence has compelled many a company and organization to introduce policy to stop the serious consequences thereof. It seems not to be the case in the South African education. The mixed method research design was used in this study to investigate the nature and impact of psychological violence on the health of secondary school educators in the Free State. Strategies were proposed to reduce educators' experiences of psychological violence and the impact thereof on their health. Two measuring instruments were used in this study to collect the quantitative data, namely the Revised Negative Acts Questionnaire (NAQ-R) and the Symptoms Checklist. Both these measuring instruments were distributed amongst 727 secondary school educators at 82 schools in the five education districts of the Free State. The qualitative data collection was done with 32 educators. The sources of psychological violence, likewise in the literature, are management, learners and parents. Psychological violence often causes enormous stress and it leads to a situation where educators feel depressed and traumatised. The general aim of this study is to invsetigate the nature and impact of psychological violence on secondary school educators in the Free State. Some of the findings in this study are that there are not differences between men and women with regard to exposure to psychological violence; older educators experience more exposure to psychological violence; teaching experience, qualifications and ethnicity are indeed determining factors with regard to exposure. It is also possible, as appears from the findings, that here a minority group is exposed more to psychological violence. The results of both data sets, quantitative and qualitative, are mutually confirming. It was found in this study that secondary school educators indeed experience psychological violence. The assumption is that the findings of this study will help to strengthen information that will be useful for the enhancement of educator health at schools. / PhD (Educational Psychology), North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2014

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers’ experiences of power relations as psychological violence and the impact it has on their health. This study, using a qualitative approach, thus investigates the association between power relations and the dimensions thereof and how it manifests as psychological violence. In turn, it may have detrimental effects on the health of the teacher and the whole teaching-learning process. Based on the findings, recommendations for this - and future research - are proposed. Open-ended phenomenological interviews were used to collecct the qaulitative data. Eleven participants indicated their willingness to be individually interviewed for the study. The qualitative findings indicated that teachers experience power relations as psychological violence, it is experienced severely and emanates mostly from colleagues in management positions. The most prevalent and severe forms of power relations as psychological violence as experienced by teachers include being subjected to power abuse from principals; being subjected to autocratic management styles and management’s power abuse through the abdication of responsibility. The most severe physical health consequenses as experienced by teachers include feeling tired and experiencing physical ill health. It further emerged that the most severe phychological health consequenses were experienced in the form of feelings of helplessness and feeling emotional or wanting to cry. Teachers’ lack of work productivity and motivation were the most severe behavioural consequense because of the experience of power abuse as psychological violence. Teachers’ personal and family relations and teachers withdrawing socially were the most evident social consequense due to negative experiences. The findings from the study indicated that teachers experience power relations as psychological violence in various forms and that it is highly prevalent. The research results have shown that teachers identified many dimensions of power relations, such as management styles, the perception or experience of someone’s power or “weak point”, possessing no power or status, female teachers being treated in a subordinate manner and racial or cultural differences of others as a contributer to abuse power in relationships at school. This study contributes towards the power relations and psychological violence literature in general and in particular, teachers’ experiences in South Africa. In the light of the findings the study recommends that teacher support programmes should be put in place in order to address the experience of power relations as psychological violence. It further recommends that teachers and students studying to become teachers should be provided with information about power relations as psychological violence to create awareness. / Thesis (MEd (Educational Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013

The purpose of this study is to examine teachers’ experiences of power relations as psychological violence and the impact it has on their health. This study, using a qualitative approach, thus investigates the association between power relations and the dimensions thereof and how it manifests as psychological violence. In turn, it may have detrimental effects on the health of the teacher and the whole teaching-learning process. Based on the findings, recommendations for this - and future research - are proposed. Open-ended phenomenological interviews were used to collecct the qaulitative data. Eleven participants indicated their willingness to be individually interviewed for the study. The qualitative findings indicated that teachers experience power relations as psychological violence, it is experienced severely and emanates mostly from colleagues in management positions. The most prevalent and severe forms of power relations as psychological violence as experienced by teachers include being subjected to power abuse from principals; being subjected to autocratic management styles and management’s power abuse through the abdication of responsibility. The most severe physical health consequenses as experienced by teachers include feeling tired and experiencing physical ill health. It further emerged that the most severe phychological health consequenses were experienced in the form of feelings of helplessness and feeling emotional or wanting to cry. Teachers’ lack of work productivity and motivation were the most severe behavioural consequense because of the experience of power abuse as psychological violence. Teachers’ personal and family relations and teachers withdrawing socially were the most evident social consequense due to negative experiences. The findings from the study indicated that teachers experience power relations as psychological violence in various forms and that it is highly prevalent. The research results have shown that teachers identified many dimensions of power relations, such as management styles, the perception or experience of someone’s power or “weak point”, possessing no power or status, female teachers being treated in a subordinate manner and racial or cultural differences of others as a contributer to abuse power in relationships at school. This study contributes towards the power relations and psychological violence literature in general and in particular, teachers’ experiences in South Africa. In the light of the findings the study recommends that teacher support programmes should be put in place in order to address the experience of power relations as psychological violence. It further recommends that teachers and students studying to become teachers should be provided with information about power relations as psychological violence to create awareness. / Thesis (MEd (Educational Psychology))--North-West University, Potchefstroom Campus, 2013