Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)

Psychology of Education / D. Ed. (Sielkundige Opvoedkunde)

A research report submitted to the Faculty of Humanities, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Arts in Social Work in the field of Occupational Social Work, September 2017 / School violence over the years has been on an increase. It has been particularly known and researched that learners have been affected by such a persistent phenomenon (Burton & Leoschut, 2013). Notably, teachers themselves are increasingly becoming victims of school violence. It has been said that much of the school violence stems from the violent nature of society; violence in society being complex in nature (Mncube & Harber, 2012). Limited research has been directed towards exploring victimisation of teachers by their learners, hence the interest in the topic. In order for one to gain knowledge and insight in this topic, the qualitative approach and a case study design was used. The unit of analysis consisted of 5 high school teachers within the Johannesburg South Region. Snowballing, which is a type of non – probability sampling was used to identify participants. A semi – structured interview scheduled was used as a data gathering tool, during the face – to face interviews. The thematic content analysis was used to analyse the data collected, so as to find common themes and topics relevant to the study. As predicted, the study helped in gaining insights in understanding the consequences of school violence and bullying on teachers. It helped in understanding teachers’ experiences of school violence and the consequences it has in the workplace. Additionally, it assisted in gaining insight on what may contribute towards the creation of a healthier work environment. / XL2018

The morale of educators in certain schools is very low. From the literature review I concluded that not all schools experience low morale in the same way. There are different factors impacting on the morale of educators at different schools. In this study, the causes of low educator morale, indicators of low morale, the importance of high morale and how low morale can be dealt with were addressed in order to provide guidelines to improve low morale. An empirical study was conducted and 2 schools in the Northern Areas of Port Elizabeth were used in this case study to establish to what measure the educators are exposed to the abovementioned variables. The data was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. South Africa is divided into different demographic areas. The majority of people living in the communities where these schools are located are poor, unskilled, unemployed and the crime levels are very high. The socio-economic context within which these schools are located also has an impact on the morale of the educators at these schools and it affects their working lives. Educators, SMTs and principals took part in the empirical study so that their views can be compared and to facilitate the researcher to make recommendations on improving low educator morale. The research outcomes were analysed and deductions, recommendations and a need for further research were given. The empirical and literature study emphasised that the morale of educators is low in the schools and this morale status impacts on learners’ achievements, the health of the educators and the health of the institution. The educators in this study ranked their own morale status as low and some of the causes of the low morale according to the empirical study are lack of resources, ill-disciplined learners, uninvolved parents and an ineffective management style of the principal.

Submitted in fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF EDUCATION in the Department of Educational Planning and Administration at the University of Zululand, 2005. / This study set out to investigate the prevalence of burnout among teachers. To this end, the following objectives were formulated: To (a) ascertain the incidence of burnout among teachers in KwaZulu-Natal. (b) determine the manner in which teachers manifest burnout, (c) find out whether there is any association between teachers' biographical factors and burnout. In order to investigate the aims of the study the Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey was used. This instrument was administered to a sample of 364 teachers who teach in traditionally black secondary schools in three districts of the Zululand region of the province of KwaZulu-Natal. Data was analysed by means of the chi-square one-sample test and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). After the analysis and interpretation of data was done, the study came to the following conclusions: (i) teachers differ in the extent to which they experience the incidence of burnout. There is a group of teachers who experience low burnout levels, there is also a group that experience moderate burnout levels and a group that experiences high burnout levels. However, the test revealed that the majority of teachers experience low burnout levels, (ii) There is a positive relationship between the variable of the level of education and emotional exhaustion, and between the variable of gender and personal accomplishment. This means that teachers who hold a postgraduate qualification experience high emotional exhaustion compared to their counterparts who hold lower qualifications. This further means that male teachers experience high personal accomplishment levels compared to their female counterparts, (iii) Finally the study revealed that there is no relationship between teachers' biographical factors (gender, age, marital status, level of education, position at school, work experience, average number of learners in classes taught, location of school) and burnout.

Dissertation / The aim of this study is to investigate teacher stress and to identify factors that contribute to the stress experienced by township secondary school teachers. Based on an extensive literature study, an inventory, the Teacher Stress Identification Test was developed. The inventory was completed by 368 teachers who live in townships and work in township secondary schools in the Free State. Information thus gained was analysed with the use of a statistical computer programme. It appears from the research that the inventory has both a high reliability coefficient and construct validity. The empirical research revealed that township secondary school teachers experience moderate to high levels of stress. It also gave a clear indication of the factors contributing to the stress experienced by these teachers, allowing the researcher to make several recommendations. Lastly, the manifestations of stress as well as the coping mechanisms of these teachers were briefly investigated. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

Dissertation / The aim of this study is to investigate teacher stress and to identify factors that contribute to the stress experienced by township secondary school teachers. Based on an extensive literature study, an inventory, the Teacher Stress Identification Test was developed. The inventory was completed by 368 teachers who live in townships and work in township secondary schools in the Free State. Information thus gained was analysed with the use of a statistical computer programme. It appears from the research that the inventory has both a high reliability coefficient and construct validity. The empirical research revealed that township secondary school teachers experience moderate to high levels of stress. It also gave a clear indication of the factors contributing to the stress experienced by these teachers, allowing the researcher to make several recommendations. Lastly, the manifestations of stress as well as the coping mechanisms of these teachers were briefly investigated. / Psychology of Education / M. Ed. (Psychology of Education)

<p>The aim of this paper was to identify the sources of stress for teachers involved with inclusive education as well as whether there is a statistically significant difference in stress experienced by teachers based on their biographical details. In this research the focus was on intellectual disability.</p>

This study explores the concepts of adversity, the facets of adversity and the nature of adversity and how teachers cope under these adversarial conditions. Adversity is a phenomenon that is challenging to grasp yet it affects people daily. In this study, “those people” are the teachers whom I have engaged with. Adversity comes in different forms and under different circumstances and is very much a part of every persons life. These forms include physical structures, emotional inter-relationships and social interaction with teachers, learners and the community. Adversity in the context of this study means to have a great measure of misfortune, hardships, difficulty, danger, harsh conditions and hard times as these have negative connotations to it. The participants in this study share, impart, reveal and disclose both their personal experiences at home, with their families and professional experiences at school with the main stakeholders being the learners. The professional experience of adversity includes teacher intensification, for example, more administrative work, large class sizes, teaching second and third language learners, lack of promotion opportunities, educators with HIV/ AIDS, lack of educational resources such as computers and overhead projectors, changing curriculum, multicultural educational challenges, more meetings during school time and school fund raising. Educators salaries and their qualifications were another issue that needed to be addressed. Teachers reflect on their efforts to pursue tertiary studies, the cost they have incurred and the sacrifices they have made to achieve their diplomas and degrees. With this in mind teachers find that the remuneration they receive for the sacrifices they have made certainly do not match the efforts of their endeavors. Years of studying and the intellectual capacity needed to acquire a teaching diploma and degree remain unrewarded. Teachers continue to compare the salaries of employees in the private sector to those of the public sector. Teaching therefore, seems to more of a service than that of a ‘job’. The financial rewards for teachers continue to allude them. The state does not provide sufficient incentives for teachers to remain in the profession. Therefore, many teachers look for ‘greener pastures’ .Teachers find employment outside the teaching profession in the private sector or even x emigrate to cities like London to seek better financial rewards. Teachers acknowledge that to teach, one requires passion and dedication and zeal for it. This study concentrates on how teachers cope, manage, handle and deal with such conditions in the school setting. These conditions include high volumes of administration, learner apathy, miscommunication with senior management and the employer, handling difficult learners and parents and coping with limited resources. This study reveals how teachers survive these difficult conditions. It further explores the reasons and factors that motivate these teachers to continue teaching. / Thesis (M.Ed.)-University of KwaZulu-Natal, Edgewood, 2011.

<p>The aim of this paper was to identify the sources of stress for teachers involved with inclusive education as well as whether there is a statistically significant difference in stress experienced by teachers based on their biographical details. In this research the focus was on intellectual disability.</p>