Abstract
Orientation: The quality of basic education in South Africa is in need of interventions to improve the general standard of education offered in many public schools. Teachers and their work experiences are important factors that impact this standard.Research purpose: The aim of this study was to shed light on the factors that contribute to the experiences and outcomes of illegitimate tasks, as experienced by teachers, and the potential buffers to the negative effects of these tasks.Motivation for the study: The motivation for this study was to inform human resource practices and interventions to enhance the work experiences of teachers.Research approach/design and method: Exploratory qualitative research was conducted with 10 primary school teachers (n = 10) from a selected Western Cape education district. Responses to semi-structured individual interviews were transcribed verbatim, unedited and categorised into main themes through directed content analysis.Main findings: Environmental and psychological factors that lead to the experience of unnecessary and unreasonable illegitimate tasks, the time-consuming nature and outcomes of these tasks, as well as mechanisms that can buffer the harmful effects of illegitimate tasks, were identified.Practical/managerial implications: The identification of various contributing factors resulting in teachers’ experience of different types of illegitimate tasks and associated outcomes. Potential interventions and recommendations for future research are made.Contribution/value-addition: Qualitative studies regarding teachers’ experience of illegitimate tasks in the South African context are lacking. This article sheds light on the contributing factors, unnecessary and unreasonable tasks experienced and outcomes, as well as mechanisms that buffer the effect of illegitimate tasks amongst primary school teachers.
Highlights
In South Africa, there are numerous signs indicating that there is a crisis in education (Modisaotsile, 2012)
The main findings of the study provided valuable insights into the constructs of illegitimate tasks, as experienced by participants, including: (1) the perceived experience of illegitimate tasks amongst primary school teachers, (2) the perceived environmental and psychological factors contributing to the experience of illegitimate tasks, (3) the psychological, emotional, physical and behavioural outcomes of illegitimate tasks, (4) the time-consuming nature of illegitimate tasks and (5) the mechanisms that could provide potential buffers to the effects of illegitimate tasks
The perceived environmental and psychological factors contributing to the experience of illegitimate tasks The findings of the study indicated numerous environmental factors that contributed to the teachers’ experience of illegitimate tasks
Summary
In South Africa, there are numerous signs indicating that there is a crisis in education (Modisaotsile, 2012). Despite the report of the Department of Basic Education (DBE) that the annual pass rate of Grade 12 students improved from 78.20% in 2018 6), of the 1 171 323 learners enrolled for Grade 1 in 2007 9), only 400 761 passed the National Senior Certificate (NSC) examination in 2018 1 122 114 learners were enrolled for Grade 1 in 2008 11), but only 409 906 of these students passed their NSC examination in 2019 Several cross-national assessments have directed attention to challenges with the quality of primary and secondary education offered in many public schools across South Africa. The Global Competitiveness Report (GCR) of 2017–2018 ranked South Africa 116th in terms of the quality of primary and secondary education and 85th in terms of higher education and training out of 137 countries across the globe (World Economic Forum, 2018)
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