Job satisfaction and organisational commitment have been found to both be inversely related to such withdrawal behaviours as tardiness, absenteeism and turnover (Yousef, 2000). Moreover, they have also been linked to increased productivity and organisational effectiveness (Buitendach &amp / de Witte, 2005). This is furthermore postulated to have an influence on whether employees will have a propensity to remain with the organisation and to perform at higher levels.<br /> <br /> According to Bishay (1996), the teaching profession ranks high on the success list of a society. In conjunction with this, &ldquo / teachers' organisational commitment and general job satisfaction&rdquo / (Howell &amp / Dorfman, 1986, p. 37) have been identified as important to understanding the work behaviour of employees in organisations.<br /> <br /> Job satisfaction amongst teachers is a multifaceted construct that is critical to teacher retention and has been shown to be a significant determinant of teacher commitment, and in turn, a contributor to school effectiveness. Research, however, reveals wide&ndash / ranging differences in what contributes to job satisfaction and group differences according to demographic factors (Shan, 1998).

This study explores and attempts to shed light on what motivates teachers and how teacher motivation is affected by a principal's leadership style. The worldviews of pragmatism and critical realism were used as the basis for exploring teacher motivation in a South African school. A primary school in the Eastern Cape of South Africa was chosen for the case study. Three data gathering tools, a leadership questionnaire, teacher survey, and interviews were used to generate data on teacher motivation and the interaction between leadership style and teacher motivation. In regards to teachers, religion, social justice, and self-efficacy were all identified as motivators. The principal was strongly charismatic in her leadership and along with transformational and social justice leadership played a major role in influencing teacher behaviors. Self-determination theory was identified as helping to explain different levels of intrinsic and extrinsic motivation and thereby to better understand varying degrees of teacher motivation. There are many difficulties in South African education and around the world in general and this study is premised on the belief that if teacher motivation can be studied and advanced there will be an improvement in education and learning. This thesis was limited in its scope and ability to fully explore the different levels of ontology as outlined by the critical realist and this is identified as a possible future course of action for not only studying teacher motivation but getting to the 'heart of the matter'.

This dissertation is a narrative account of a self-study undertaken with the primary aim of positively influencing the morale of colleagues in my school department. It addresses an area of personal and professional concern where my values were being denied in my practice. As a Head of Department, I was worried that the low morale of my colleagues would negatively impact on the quality of teaching and learning at school, and on their own mental health. Situated within self-efficacy theory, my study reflects the values I attach to human dignity, respect, fairness, honesty perseverance and caring. These values were applied as the living standard by which I judged the quality of my leadership practice. I describe how I used an Action Research methodology as a living transformational process to reflect on my own leadership in terms of how I could influence the development of positive morale in the department. My findings offer new conceptualisations about how teachers can take action to improve the emotional climate of the school. I am claiming that the significance of my research is grounded in my ability to facilitate an improvement in the low morale of myself and my colleagues in order for us to ultimately contribute to self and school improvement.

The aim of this study was to identify the kinds of disciplinary problems educators experience in schools, their causes, as well as their impact on the morale of educators. The researcher made use of a quantitative approach whereby questionnaires were completed by educators from five secondary schools in the Zebediela area. In total, 89 respondents completed the questionnaires. They were from both genders, with various years’ of teaching experience, and generally well qualified. The results indicated that there indeed existed disciplinary problems in the schools. These problems were caused by factors relating to the learners, to their parents, the educators, as well as to the school principal. The impact of a lack of discipline on educator morale included anger, irritability, tiredness, loss of control, and expressing the wish to leave the teaching profession. The study made recommendations for managers on how to improve the situation, and also for further study. Some limitations of the study were also identified. / Further Teacher Education / M.Ed. (Education Management)

This study investigated the factors that affect the job satisfaction of principals of previously disadvantaged secondary schools in the North West Province. The aims of the study were to determine empirically, through quantitative and qualitative means, the factors that influence the job satisfaction of the principals, and to make recommendations of ways to improve their job satisfaction. In the quantitative phase the research design was a survey. Data were collected from a purposefully selected sample of 30 principals of 30 secondary schools conveniently situated and accessible, in rural villages and townships. Thereafter a phenomenological approach was used to select eight principals from the same sample. The aim was to, by means of interviews, find clarity on the trends observed in the quantitative phase. The researcher purposefully selected participants representing a maximum variation regarding gender, geographical location, and years of experience as a teacher or a headmaster. The results indicated that the factors that enhanced the job satisfaction of the selected principals related to the nature of their work in the sense that it was stimulating, important and varied. Their interpersonal relationships were also gratifying. These relationships referred to cooperative staff, appreciative colleagues and supervisors, well-behaved learners, and supportive parents. Specific factors also brought about job dissatisfaction. In particular, the majority of the principals were frustrated with poor management on the part of the Department of Education. This was linked to a lack of autonomy of the principals, excessive bureaucracy, and poor policies. The principals believed that these policies exacerbated the problems they already had with ill-disciplined learners, the poor work ethics of some educators, unsatisfactory matriculation results, pitiable physical working conditions, and uninvolved parents.Results from the research also showed that the principals thought their workloads were not aligned to their salaries, and that reward systems were needed. Recommendations to enhance the job satisfaction of the principals of the identified secondary schools were made to the SGB and other school managers, as well as to the Department of Education, and recommendations for future research were also put forward. Finally, a number of limitations of the study were pointed out. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of this study was to identify the kinds of disciplinary problems educators experience in schools, their causes, as well as their impact on the morale of educators. The researcher made use of a quantitative approach whereby questionnaires were completed by educators from five secondary schools in the Zebediela area. In total, 89 respondents completed the questionnaires. They were from both genders, with various years’ of teaching experience, and generally well qualified. The results indicated that there indeed existed disciplinary problems in the schools. These problems were caused by factors relating to the learners, to their parents, the educators, as well as to the school principal. The impact of a lack of discipline on educator morale included anger, irritability, tiredness, loss of control, and expressing the wish to leave the teaching profession. The study made recommendations for managers on how to improve the situation, and also for further study. Some limitations of the study were also identified. / Further Teacher Education / M.Ed. (Education Management)

This study investigated the factors that affect the job satisfaction of principals of previously disadvantaged secondary schools in the North West Province. The aims of the study were to determine empirically, through quantitative and qualitative means, the factors that influence the job satisfaction of the principals, and to make recommendations of ways to improve their job satisfaction. In the quantitative phase the research design was a survey. Data were collected from a purposefully selected sample of 30 principals of 30 secondary schools conveniently situated and accessible, in rural villages and townships. Thereafter a phenomenological approach was used to select eight principals from the same sample. The aim was to, by means of interviews, find clarity on the trends observed in the quantitative phase. The researcher purposefully selected participants representing a maximum variation regarding gender, geographical location, and years of experience as a teacher or a headmaster. The results indicated that the factors that enhanced the job satisfaction of the selected principals related to the nature of their work in the sense that it was stimulating, important and varied. Their interpersonal relationships were also gratifying. These relationships referred to cooperative staff, appreciative colleagues and supervisors, well-behaved learners, and supportive parents. Specific factors also brought about job dissatisfaction. In particular, the majority of the principals were frustrated with poor management on the part of the Department of Education. This was linked to a lack of autonomy of the principals, excessive bureaucracy, and poor policies. The principals believed that these policies exacerbated the problems they already had with ill-disciplined learners, the poor work ethics of some educators, unsatisfactory matriculation results, pitiable physical working conditions, and uninvolved parents.Results from the research also showed that the principals thought their workloads were not aligned to their salaries, and that reward systems were needed. Recommendations to enhance the job satisfaction of the principals of the identified secondary schools were made to the SGB and other school managers, as well as to the Department of Education, and recommendations for future research were also put forward. Finally, a number of limitations of the study were pointed out. / Educational Studies / D. Ed. (Education Management)

The aim of the research study, Combatting the Downward Spiral: Burnout, Support Networks and Coping Strategies of TESOL Teachers at Private Language Schools in Johannesburg, South Africa was firstly to determine whether TESOL teachers working in private language schools in Johannesburg, South Africa suffered from burnout. Secondly, the aim was to discover which factors caused stress for TESOL teachers inside and outside the classroom, what support structures were available for burned out TESOL teachers and the type of coping strategies TESOL teachers used to manage burnout. Using a mixed method design which consisted of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey and semi-structured interviews, the findings revealed that 46% of the TESOL teachers who participated in the research study were suffering from high levels of burnout. Interviews revealed three main areas that caused stress for TESOL teachers: the job of teaching, relationships at work and organisational and TESOL-related issues. These areas were divided further into various sub-themes. Furthermore, support structures for burned out TESOL teachers were generally inadequate and although TESOL teachers attempted to manage burnout by using a variety of coping strategies, these did not seem to be effective in the long-term. / English Studies / D. Lit. et Phil. (English)

This study investigated teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The aims of this study were broken into two, namely, the primary and secondary aims. The primary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers hold a positive or a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. The secondary aim was also broken into two. The first secondary aim was to find out whether rural secondary school teachers' personal characteristics such as age, sex, marital status, rank, qualification and teaching experience in rural school(s), as well as the school in which the teacher teaches, have a significant influence on their attitudes towards a career in rural schools. The second secondary aim was to determine the nature of attitudes with regard to A-B-C components of attitudes. To this end, a questionnaire was compiled and used as an attitude rating scale. The questionnaire was administered to a representative sample of one hundred and thirty four rural secondary school teachers from six schools, under Mehlwesizwe circuit in KwaZulu-Natal. Statistical analyses were conducted to fulfil the aims of the study and to test the research hypotheses stated. This study revealed that rural secondary school teachers hold a negative attitude towards a career in rural schools. It also revealed that, irrespective of teachers' personal characteristics, their attitude towards a career in rural school is the same, that is, it is negative. Therefore it was concluded that teachers' personal variables have no significant influence on their attitudes. This study also revealed that, statistically, there were significant differences in the affective and cognitive components of attitude but differences in the behavioural component were not significant. This indicated that the affective and cognitive components are more closely related to each other than they are with the behavioural component. On the basis of teachers' responses to attitude statements, the researcher offered two lines of direction as recommendation, namely, "Rethink resource allocation" and "Direction of restructuring". The former will assist in improving the conditions under which rural teachers work and the circumstances surrounding their workplace. The latter will assist in collaborating the Reconstruction and Development Programme (RDP) structures at national, regional and local level with the Department of Education and Culture, as well as with the private sector, for improving the conditions under which rural teachers work. In that case teachers' attitudes towards a career in rural schools might be changed from negative to positive. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Thesis (MEd)--Stellenbosch University, 2013. / Bibliography / ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This is an exploratory study of how school leaders can negotiate the various spaces in their schools in order to promote teacher motivation and, by implication, learner achievement. This research focuses on how three principals in the Western Cape Province have produced or re-appropriated spaces to create new, productive learning environments which positively engage the users of these spaces. According to section 4 of the Employment of Educators Act 76 of 1998 (PAM), all school leaders are expected to create a learning space that is conducive to teaching and learning. In order to know what such a leadership responsibility may entail, this study tries to capture the dynamic interplay between physical (perceived) and mental (conceived) spaces as embodied in social (lived) spaces in a school. It uses Lefebvre‟s spatial triad as its theoretical lens. Linked to the study‟s aim to investigate what the interplay is between the various Lefebvrean spaces in schools, is an examination of how school leaders can manage to negotiate the production of these spaces. For lived school spaces to have embodied meaning that is conducive to teaching and learning, they must be co-produced and co-owned by the users of that space. To illuminate the way in which school leaders can achieve this, the study draws on a model of transformational leadership. The qualitative study uses a focus group, individual interviews and observations of three schools that have all achieved recognition as schools with excellent learner achievement: a public primary school, a public high school and an independent high school. The main research findings are that each of the three school leaders instinctively followed a transformational leadership style, and produced spaces that encouraged professional interaction amongst their teachers as well as strong collegial support for their spatial changes. The staffrooms have been modernised and equipped with lush furniture, flat screen TV‟s, appealing decorations and stimulating pictures, all with the purpose of lifting the spirits and energy levels of the staff. In addition, teachers‟ professional meeting rooms and confidential workspaces have been established. Classrooms have been changed into inviting and functional 21st century ICT learning spaces, with flexible use of furniture and stimulating visuals. Outdoor learning spaces and safe “emotional zones” have been constructed At all three schools the entrances and receptions areas have been made into welcoming spaces in which learners can gather for meetings, and the schools‟ symbols and achievements are showcased. Clear signposting makes the visitor feel engaged. Braai areas for teacher and parent functions ensure that the school keeps parents involved. The main findings about the embodied spaces in the school are that the three school leaders have changed the physical spaces at their schools into new mental spaces which influence the perception, mood and motivation of the users of that space. / AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Hierdie studie verken hoe skoolleiers die verskillende ruimtes in hul skole kan aanwend ten einde onderwysermotivering, en gevolglik ook leerderprestasie, te bevorder. Die navorsing konsentreer op hoe drie skoolhoofde in die Wes-Kaapse provinsie ruimtes geskep of heringerig het om nuwe, produktiewe leeromgewings teweeg te bring wat die gebruikers van hierdie ruimtes op 'n positiewe manier by onderrig betrek. Ingevolge artikel 4 van die Wet op Indiensneming van Opvoeders, Wet 76 van 1998 (PAM), moet alle skoolhoofde 'n bevorderlike ruimte vir onderrig en leer skep. Ten einde vas te stel wat sodanige leierskapsverantwoordelikheid behels, probeer hierdie studie die dinamiese wisselwerking tussen fisiese of waargenome (“perceived space”) en voorgestelde of veronderstelde (“conceived space”) ruimtes beskryf soos dit in die sosiale of belewingsruimtes (“lived spaces”) in 'n skool vergestalt word. Die navorsing gebruik Lefebvre se ruimtelike triade as teoretiese lens. Benewens die studiedoelwit om ondersoek in te stel na watter wisselwerking daar tussen Lefebvre se verskillende ruimtes in skole plaasvind, val die soeklig ook op hoe skoolleiers die skepping van hierdie ruimtes kan hanteer. Belewingsruimtes in skole sal slegs oor die nodige vergestalte betekenis beskik om onderrig en leer te bevorder indien die gebruikers van daardie ruimtes dit help skep en as hul eie aanvaar. Die studie put uit 'n model van transformasionele leierskap om lig te werp op hoe skoolleiers dít kan bereik. Hierdie kwalitatiewe studie gebruik 'n fokusgroep, individuele onderhoude sowel as waarnemings in drie skole wat bekend is vir hul uitnemende leerderprestasie: 'n openbare laerskool, 'n openbare hoërskool en 'n onafhanklike hoërskool. Die hoofbevindinge is dat elk van die drie skoolleiers instinktief 'n transformasionele leierskapstyl volg en ruimtes geskep het wat professionele wisselwerking tussen hul onderwysers sowel as sterk kollegiale steun vir hul ruimtelike veranderinge aanmoedig. Die personeelkamers is modern ingerig met gemaklike meubels, platskermtelevisies, aantreklike versierings en stimulerende prente, wat alles ten doel het om personeel se geesdrif en energievlakke te verhoog. Voorts is professionele vergaderlokale en vertroulike werkruimtes vir onderwysers tot stand gebring. Klaskamers is omskep in aantreklike en funksionele, 21ste-eeuse IKT-leerruimtes, met buigsame gebruik van meubels en stimulerende visuele elemente. Buitelugleerruimtes en veilige "emosionele sones" is ook geskep. By ál drie skole is die ingange en ontvangslokale in aanloklike ruimtes verander waar leerders vir vergaderings kan byeenkom en die skole se simbole en prestasies ten toon gestel word. Duidelike aanwysings betrek besoekers onmiddellik by die skoolomgewing. Braaigeriewe vir onderwyser-en-ouergeleenthede verseker ook voortdurende skakeling tussen die skool en ouers. Die hoofbevinding oor die belewingsruimtes in die skole is dat die drie skoolleiers die fisiese ruimtes by hul skole in nuwe geestesruimtes omskep het, wat die opvattings, gemoed en motivering van die gebruikers van daardie ruimtes beïnvloed.