Stress has been a concern all over the world. The study of teacher stress is not a new area of research. However, most of the research studies have been oriented around secondary and high school teachers. Teaching in primary schools differs from secondary and high schools. Therefore, their experiences differ. This project has been conducted with the purpose of investigating teachers' experiences of stress in a primary school and what they think the school is doing to help them cope if it does. The study was conducted in one primary school in Lesotho which was selected because of its accessibility to me as I was a teacher in this school. Twelve teachers were interviewed as participants. The case study methodology based on semi-structured interviews and observations were employed. These methods were used to help me gain understanding of the teachers' experiences of stress and for the validation of the data. Ethical issues were considered in this study as permission was requested from the authorities and informed consent letters for the participants were also sought. Pseudonyms were used for confidentiality. The interview questions were formulated in themes. As a result, data presentation and findings was done in accordance to those themes. The findings of this study revealed that teachers' experiences of stress are: teachers' interaction with the principal; teacher-learner relationships, inadequate resources; workload; role demand. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban, 2009.

Teachers are exposed to stressful situations, of which increasing work demands is but one, leading to an alarming escalation of stress and professional burnout as career risks in the teaching profession. The focus of this study is on stress coping strategies to prevent burnout among primary school teachers in Lesotho. Some of the reasons which urged the researcher to carry out this study pertain to the fact that, although teacher burnout is an international concern, limited studies have addressed burnout and stress coping strategies among staff in the teaching service in Lesotho. Prolonged stress is a social problem leading to mental and physical ill health, with an increasing number of teachers leaving the teaching profession in Lesotho due to burnout. The population for the study was 600 primary school teachers who were engaging in professional development by pursuing a Bachelor of Education in primary education at the National University of Lesotho. This is a part-time programme offered by the University for practising teachers who hold a Diploma in Primary Education. The study followed a mixed-methods research approach, so for the qualitative study, data were collected using semi-structured individual interviews with 20 participants. For the quantitative study, questionnaires were administered to 350 respondents. Qualitative data were analysed using an inductive approach. Quantitative data were analysed using multiple regression, Chi-square and t-test. Key findings revealed that variables such as work overload, organisational climate and role conflict are predictors of burnout among teachers. Other variables predicting teacher burnout pertain to learner indiscipline, teacher personality and insufficient teacher remuneration. Burnout attacks career motivation. It also causes aggressive and violent behaviour among teachers. Teachers buffer stress and prevent burnout by employing constructive, less constructive and neutral stress coping strategies. The Lesotho Ministry of Education and Training can alleviate stress and prevent burnout among teachers by clarifying their job descriptions, instituting formal induction programmes for new teachers and ensuring that teacher salaries are on par with equivalent professional careers. / Onderwysers word aan stresvolle situasies blootgestel, waarvan toenemende werkseise net een is; dit lei tot 'n kommerwekkende styging van stres en professionele uitbranding as loopbaanrisiko's in die onderwysberoep. Hierdie studie fokus op strategieë om stres te hanteer om uitbranding onder laerskoolonderwysers in Lesotho te voorkom. Sommige redes wat die navorser genoop het om die studie te doen, hou verband met die feit dat alhoewel onderwyseruitbranding 'n internasionale bekommernis is, is beperkte studies gedoen om uitbranding en strategieë om stres te hanteer onder onderwysers in Lesotho gedoen. Langdurige stres is 'n sosiale probleem wat tot geestelike en fisiese swak gesondheid kan lei, met 'n toenemende aantal onderwysers wat die beroep verlaat in Lesotho as gevolg van uitbranding. Die populasie vir die studie was 600 laerskoolonderwysers wat by professionele ontwikkeling betrokke was deur vir 'n baccalaureusgraad in Opvoedkunde in primêre onderwys in te skryf by die Nasionale Universiteit van Lesotho. Dit is 'n deeltydse program wat die Universiteit aanbied vir praktiserende onderwysers met 'n Diploma in Primêre Opvoedkunde. Die studie het 'n benadering gebruik van gemengde navorsingsmetodes. Vir die kwalitatiewe studie is data versamel deur semigestruktureerde individuele onderhoude met 20 deelnemers. Vir die kwantitatiewe studie is vraelyste aan 350 respondente gegee. Kwalitatiewe data is ontleed deur 'n induktiewe benadering te gebruik. Kwantitatiewe data is ontleed deur meervoudige regressie, chi-kwadraat en t-toets te gebruik. Sleutelbevindings het getoon dat veranderlikes soos werksoorlading, organisatoriese klimaat en rolkonflik aanwysers van uitbranding onder onderwysers is. Ander veranderlikes wat onderwyseruitbranding aandui hou verband met leerders se gebrek aan dissipline, onderwysers se persoonlikhede en onvoldoende vergoeding vir onderwysers. Uitbranding val loopbaanmotivering aan. Dit lei ook tot aggressiewe en gewelddadige gedrag onder onderwysers. Onderwysers keer stres en voorkom uitbranding deur konstruktiewe, minder konstruktiewe en neutrale strategieë te gebruik om stres te hanteer. Lesotho se Ministerie van Onderwys en Opleiding kan stres verlig en uitbranding onder onderwysers voorkom deur hul posbeskrywings duidelik te maak, formele oriënteringsprogramme vir nuwe onderwysers daar te stel en te verseker dat onderwysers se salarisse ooreenkom met soortgelyke professionele beroepe. / Barutiši ba lebana le maemo a kgatelelo ya monagano, ao go ona a bakwago ke dinyakego tša mošomo o montši, gomme se se feletša go kgolo ya godimo ya kgatelelo ya monagano le go lapa mošomong wa bona wa sephrofešenale bjalo ka go tsena kotsing ya mošomo wa bona ka phrofešeneng ya biorutiši. Nepišo ya dinyakišišo tše e go maano a go kgona go šoma ka fase ga kgatelelo ye ka nepo ya go thibela go lapa kudu gareng ga barutiši ba phoraemari ka Lesotho. A mangwe a mabaka ao a dirilego gore banyakišiši ba dire dinyakišišo tše ke mabapi le taba ya gore, le ge e le gore go lapa kudu ga barutiši ke tlhobaboroko maemong a boditšhabatšhaba, dinyakišišo tše mmalwa fela di boletše ka ga maano a go kgona go šoma ka mathata a go lapa kudu le a ka fase ga kgatelelo ya monagano gareng ga bašomi ka tirelong ya borutiši ka Lesotho. Kgatelelo ya monagano ye e tšeago lebaka le letelele ke bothata bja setšhaba bjo bo feletšago ka bofokodi bja maphelo a monagano le a mmeleng, fao palo ya godimo ya barutiši e tlogelago phrofešene ya borutiši ka Lesotho ka lebaka la go lapa kudu. Batho bao ba botšišwago dipotšišo ka mo dinyakišišong tše ke barutiši ba dikolo tša phoraemari ba 600 bao ba bego ba kgatha tema ka tlhabollong ya sephrofešenale ka go dira Kgrata ya Borutiši ka thuto ya phoraemari ka Yunibesithing ya Bosetšhaba ya Lesotho. Le ke lenaneo la thuto leo le dirwago dinako tše dingwe leo le abjago ke Yunibesithi ye go barutiši bao ba šomago bao ba nago le Tiploma ya Thuto ya Phoraemari. Dinyakišišo di latetše mekgwa ya dinyakišišo ye e kopantšwego, ka fao bjalo ka dinyakišišo tša boleng, datha e kgobokeditšwe ka go šomiša dipotšišo tšeo di beakantšwego ka seripa tšeo di botšišwago motho ka o tee ka o tee fao go nago le bakgathatema ba 20. Go dinyakišišo tša bontši, dipotšišonyakišišo di filwe baarabi ba 350. Datha ya bontši e sekasekilwe ka go šomiša mokgwa wa tirišo ya bohlatse. Datha ya bontši e sekasekilwe ka go šomiša dipalopalo tša go akanya kamano, Chi-square le t-test. Dikutollo tše bohlokwa di utollotše gore dilo tše dingwe tše di fapanego tša go swana le go šoma mošomo o montši go fetišiša, seemo sa ka mošomong le thulano ya go šoma mošomo ke dilo tšeo di bonwago bjalo ka tšeo di bakago go lapa kudu gareng ga barutiši. Dilo tše dingwe tše di fapanego tše di bakago go lapa kudu di mabapi le go se be le maitshwaro a mabotse ga baithuti, semelo sa barutiši le tefelo ya barutiši ye e sego ya lekana. Go lapa kudu go hlasela tlhohleletšo ya go dira mošomo. Gape go baka maitshwaro a go befelwa le a dikgaruru gareng ga barutiši. Barutiši ba fokotša kgatelelo ya monagano le go thibela go lapa kudu ka go diriša maano a go kgona go phela ka kgatelelo ao a kwagalago, ao a kwagala gannyane le a magareng. Kgoro ya Thuto le Tlhahlo ya Lesotho e ka fediša kgatelelo ya monagano le go thibela go lapa kudu gareng ga barutiši ka go hlatholla gabotse mešomo ya bona, ka go hloma mananeo a semmušo a tlwaelo ya barutiši ba baswa le go netefatša gore meputso ya barutiši e lekana le ya mešomo ye mengwe ya go swana le yona ya sephrofešenale. / Educational Management and Leadership / D. Ed. (Educational Management)