Teachers In South African Schools Research Articles

Confronting a leadership vacuum: the principal’s leadership role in peace education in South African schools

PurposeThis research aimed to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa.Design/methodology/approachThis study employed qualitative research approach to assess the leadership role of principals in the implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools in the Western Cape, South Africa. Data were gathered from a small sample of six principals from six selected secondary schools which were engaged in the implementation of a peace education programme, and data were analysed using thematic content analyses.FindingsFindings of the study suggest that principals possess a low level of understanding or awareness of their leadership role in the implementation of peace education. The study pointed out the constraints such as time constraints and learners' negative attitudes and social influences hinder the effective implementation of peace education in selected secondary schools.Research limitations/implicationsFirst, the data were self-reported and therefore subject to social desirability bias; participants may have provided socially desirable responses rather than their true belief or experiences. Thus, participants may have overstated their role in and commitment to the peace education programme.Originality/valueStudies that aim to explore alternative approaches to combat violence, such as peace education, are still limited in South Africa. Hence, this paper served to close that gap by contributing to the growing body of research on the leadership role of the principal in the implementation of peace education in the school and exploring barriers hampering its effective implementation.

Enhancing the Support System by the Department of Education to Teachers in Rural Setting of South Africa

This study examines the support system offered by the Department of Education in South African schools in the Free State Province of South Africa Participants were a purposive sample of t eight (8) teachers in rural setting of South Africa (female = 80%, 26 to 55 years old). Data on the support system by the Department of Education to support teachers were collected by means of semi-structured individual interviews. The data were thematically analysed by means of open coding. The study indicated that it is thought that improving the overall effectiveness of the educational system requires increasing the quality of teacher performance through teacher development programs. The study further indicated that viewed support in terms of teacher development especially on issues of instructional leadership or leadership in a general sense, curriculum delivery, while others viewed support in terms of resource provision. When it comes to resource provision, they expected to be provided with materials that would help them to execute their duties successfully. The study indicated that the support that is to be provided by the District Support Team has to be informed by teacher’s needs, meaning there must be a collaboration between the two stakeholders whereby they sit and plan together on issues that are of great concern regarding the context of the school.

Investigation of the challenges in online formative assessment faced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers in South African schools

Formative assessment is crucial for teachers to gauge students’ understanding of subject content, and applying formative assessment in an online context is more challenging than in a traditional Physical Sciences classroom. This study examines challenges experienced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers when enacting online formative assessment as per the research question. The empirical investigation adopted a generic qualitative design in which three purposively selected Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers from three different schools and quintiles within the Tshwane North District in South Africa. Data were collected through individual and focus group interviews. Interviews were video recorded, transcribed and thematically analysed using grounded theory to construct a thematic framework for supporting the study. Technological, pedagogical, and content knowledge (TPACK) was utilised as a theoretical framework underpinning the study to identify challenges experienced by Grade 10 Physical Sciences teachers when enacting online formative assessment. Challenges identified in this study include the enforced utilisation of Annual Teaching Plans, lack of technological knowledge, lack of internet connectivity, and poor digital infrastructure at schools, and in towns and cities in South Africa. The study aims to show that the Department of Basic Education faces the key imperative to provide continuous teacher professional development and concomitant online learning materials that can facilitate meaningful enactment of online formative assessment in various educational settings while policy is needed to ensure that every student has access to data and internet resources.

Parenting and Learner Support in Rural South African Schools: Home Involvement as a Conduit for Strengthening Home-School Partnership

For the delivery of effective and quality education, active parent participation regarding learning support both in schools and at home is crucial. The study, hinged on Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Model sought to analyse School Management Teams (SMTs) and parents’ views on and interpretations of parental school involvement. Interviews were used to collect data from fifteen (15) purposively selected participants from three Junior Secondary Schools in the OR Tambo Coastal District in the Eastern Cape Province. The data was analysed using Atlas. ti and presented thematically and through network diagrams. The findings revealed that while parents were valued stakeholders in schools, there was a lack of viable partnerships between parents and schools. It emerged that effective home-school partnership was hindered by communication challenges as most parents were illiterate, hence children received minimal learning support from home. The low socio-economic status of the parents drove them towards tilling their land to provide food rather than actively participating in school activities. It was concluded that while parents had a clear and consistent understanding of parental involvement in school activities, the high poverty diminished their motivation for school involvement. Recommendations include the need for the Department of Education to foresee that school governing bodies ensure collaboration between homes and schools. Also, there should be intervention programs to enhance active parental participation in schools. This study adds to the existing literature on inclusive education in South African schools. Keywords: Effective Education, Quality Education, Parent Participation, Team Spirit, Learner Performance.

Job Satisfaction Goes a Long Way: The Mediating Role of Teaching Satisfaction in the Relationship between Role Stress and Indices of Psychological Well-Being in the Time of COVID-19.

The COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures has resulted in drastic changes in the educational landscape. Teachers had to rapidly adapt to shifts in their work-related roles and responsibilities. This situation likely led to role stress and affected the levels of job satisfaction, mental health and general life satisfaction. In this study, we examined the role of teachers' job satisfaction in the relationship between role stress and indices of psychological well-being. The participants were South African school teachers (N = 355) who completed the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Teaching Satisfaction Scale, the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale, the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory and the Satisfaction with Life Scale. In addition to descriptive statistics and correlations, path analysis was performed to determine the mediating role of teaching satisfaction. Increased levels of teaching satisfaction were associated with decreased levels of depression and anxiety and increased levels of life satisfaction. Teaching satisfaction also mediated the relationship between role conflict, as well as role ambiguity and anxiety. The results indicated that teaching satisfaction is a critical protective factor for teachers. Thus, improving task significance and enhancing the meaning associated with the teaching profession may help promote the adaptive functioning of teachers.

Implementing a Learners’ Code of Conduct for Positive Discipline in Schools

Dealing with misbehaving learners remains a significant challenge for teachers in South African schools. Since the use of corporal punishment and other punitive measures in dealing with misbehaving learners is now illegal, alternative positive disciplinary measures have had to be put in place. There were nearly 11,600 cases of documented corporal punishment in schools across the country in 2019. In KwaZulu-Natal alone, the number of learners who experienced corporal punishment increased by three per cent, affecting a total of 226 372 learners between 2018 and 2019. The study reported on here, examined teachers’ and learners’ experiences in respect of the implementation of a learners’ code of conduct, to instil positive discipline in schools. Underpinned by the interpretivist paradigm, the study employed a qualitative research approach and phenomenological design. Two schools were sampled and, semi-structured interviews, observation and document reviews were used to collect data. The findings revealed that some teachers indeed implemented such a code of conduct, which communicated learners’ expected behaviour by outlining the rules and regulating behaviour. Notably, the findings also revealed that the code of conduct did not instil positive discipline across the board, as many learners continued misbehaving. Based on the findings, the study recommends that schools ensure that a proper code of conduct be drawn up to help teachers address learner indiscipline and that officials from the Department of Education undertake regular visits to schools, to offer support and arrange workshops/internet-based training to guide teachers on how to use such a code effectively.

Environmental Education in South African Schools: The Role of Civil Society Organizations

Environmental education (EE) is an integrated component of the South African Curriculum and Assessment Policy Statement (CAPS) document. Pro-EE civil society organisations are actively involved in the implementation of EE policies in schools. The roles played by civil society organisations contribute to the trajectory of practical environmental programmes. This study adopted an interpretive paradigm, a qualitative approach, and a phenomenological design anchored on Bronfenbrenner's philosophical view of human development. One Pro-EE civil society organisation and two respondents were purposefully sampled. Semi-structured interviews and documents were tools employed to collect qualitative data and results were analysed thematically. The study revealed that Pro-EE civil society organisations play a pivotal role which includes; equipping learners to live sustainably, teachers’ professional development, policy formulation, and implementation that actualizes the CAPS document's objectives. The study recommended that the South School Act be amended to make EE policy mandatory. The department of basic education (DBE) should provide sufficient resources to Pro-EE civil society organisations to expand Eco-Schools project-based initiatives in schools regardless of the geographical location.

The (De)Colonial Praxis: Confronting Present-Day Dilemmas of Transforming Knowledges and Societies in Kopano Matlwa’s Spilt Milk

Contemporary South African campus fiction has always been concerned with questions of power, being, and knowledge production. Kopano Matlwa’s novel Spilt Milk, like most campus fiction, evokes and challenges the South African academy, and looks at ways of making the school and/or university a hospitable place. Unlike Matlwa’s sister novels Coconut and Period Pain, Spilt Milk has received few scholarly reviews. I examine how the novel reveals and can be read as a starting point in exploring the intellectual dimensions of colonialism. I investigate the decolonial concept of the coloniality of knowledge and Matlwa’s seeming quest for decolonial education by foregrounding the educational institution Sekolo sa Ditlhora as the prime setting of the novel. The argument around the coloniality of knowledge I advance here is akin to current debates seeking to decolonise (or Africanise) education in South African schools and universities. Theoretically, this article draws from the decolonial ideas on the coloniality of knowledge whose foundations were laid by the Peruvian sociologist Aníbal Quijano, who suggested that, for global domination, colonisers imposed their own modes of knowing and methods of producing knowledge. The concept of the coloniality of knowledge in Matlwa’s fiction is multifaceted since it speaks to the colonisation of space, education, languages, and the ways of life of the colonised people. Following the 2015 #RhodesMustFall protests at South African universities, I argue that the characterisation of Mohumagadi, and her foregrounding of Africa as an epistemic site from which she interprets the world, is an attempt at moving the centre.

Causes of The Alarming Rise of False Sexual Allegations Against Teachers in South African Schools

<p>False sexual allegations against teachers have contributed to teachers leaving the profession early and a decline in males choosing the profession. The main focus of this study was to investigate learners' false allegations of sexual misconduct against teachers. This study was underpinned by Fabricated Rape Theory and adopted qualitative methodology data through semi-structured interviews. Four teachers, one deputy principal, and one principal making six participants in the South district of the Gauteng province of South Africa were selected using convenient selection methods. The collected data were analysed using the Thematic Analysis method, which enables the researcher to respond to the study's objectives one after the other. The study revealed that fear, emotional neglect, and revenge contribute to false sexual allegations against teachers and that the maintenance of professional conduct among teachers and policy change are the possible solutions. Therefore, the study recommends that students should be provided with adequate orientation and re-orientation about the implication of false allegations, that teachers should always maintain good conduct, and that there should be an improvement in school policies and code of conduct to include punishable consequences for false accusations.<strong></strong></p>

Qualitative exploration of workplace demands, resources and bullying among teachers in South African schools: Implications for individual and organisational well being

The aim of the study reported on here was to examine workplace bullying among teachers in South African schools. The research was framed by the Job Demands-Resources Model which was utilised to determine the extent of demands and resources that teachers experience and the implications thereof for creating an environment that fosters bullying and the effect of such bullying on teachers and schools. A qualitative interpretative research design was utilised. Data were collected by means of semi-structured interviews with 13 teachers. Thematic Content Analysis (TCA) was used to interpret the data. The findings reveal that teachers work in an environment characterised by excessive demands with ever increasing workloads and a lack of supportive resources. This environment fosters stress, anger, frustration and aggression, and increases perpetration of bullying acts, as teachers turn upon one another. The findings in this study indicate that in the aftermath of bullying, feelings of incompetence, emotional exhaustion, depression and anxiety manifest. Furthermore, teachers reported engaging in withdrawal behaviour and expressing an increased desire to leave the profession. The results of this study have serious implications for teachers’ well being and their willingness to remain within the profession. In order to protect the well being of teachers and the overall integrity of schools there is an urgent need to increase resources and interventions to create a more conducive and healthy work environment. The need for resource provision and a re examination of demands becomes even more evident during the era of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19).

The relationship between physical activity, body fatness and metabolic syndrome in urban South African school teachers: The sympathetic activity and ambulatory blood pressure in Africans study.

BackgroundGlobally, the prevalence of metabolic syndrome (MS) is rising because of increased levels of physical inactivity and obesity. In South Africa, information about teachers’ physical activity (PA), body fatness and MS is limited.AimTo assess the relationship between PA, body fatness and MS in urban South African teachers.SettingThe study setting was in Dr Kenneth Kaunda District in the North West province of South Africa.MethodsA cross-sectional study was conducted using secondary data drawn from the sympathetic activity and ambulatory blood pressure in Africans (SABPA) study of 216 teachers (aged 25–65 years). Variables included anthropometry, biochemical measurements, objectively measured PA and lifestyle behaviours.ResultsTwenty-nine percent of the total participants were classified with MS, with 46% in men compared to 13% in women; 33% were sedentary and 67% participated in light activity. A weak significant negative relationship was found between the mean 7-day awake metabolic equivalent of tasks (METs) and triglycerides (r = −0.29; p = 0.02) and gamma-glutamyl transferase (r = −0.25; p = 0.06), activity energy expenditure (r = −0.24; p = 0.06) and PA level (r = −0.23; p = 0.07). After adjusting for age, self-reported smoking and alcohol use or consumption, a weak significant negative relationship between mean 7-day awake METs and triglycerides (r = −0.28; p < 0.01) was observed.ConclusionIn the teachers with MS, only one MS marker (triglycerides) showed a negative association with PA. Physical activity could therefore be beneficial in the regulation of triglycerides. Participation in regular PA could be beneficial in the regulation of triglycerides. Focused PA interventions in school teachers that advocate the benefits of PA and healthy lifestyle choices to reduce dietary fat intake (and alcohol) are recommended.

Teaching for Comfort or Diversity in Comprehensive Sexuality Education Classrooms? Third-Year Student Teachers' Perspectives

Discussion of sexual rights in the context of disability is an often neglected and underdeveloped terrain within the human rights discourse, worldwide. More so, it becomes taboo to discuss the sexual health and reproductive rights of adolescents living with disabilities. This group of adolescents are often constructed as being sexually innocent, asexual, or lacking sexual agency thus denying their sexual autonomy. In other contexts, adolescents living with disabilities are constructed as hypersexual, thus putting them at risk of sexual exploitation and harm. While the human rights terrain has begun to acknowledge adolescents living with disabilities as ordinary citizens with rights equal to those of other citizens, they have not fully been recognised as sexual beings in their own right as human beings, especially in the Global South. Thus, in this article I aim at rethinking an inclusive sexuality education in South African schools that caters for the special needs of adolescents living with visual impairment. I employ theatre-in-education processes to explore student teachers' understandings and perceptions of teaching sexuality education to learners with visual impairment. Thirty-five student teachers participated in the study and engaged in theatre-in-education presentations and discussions. Data for this paper consist of students' discussions of their experiences of the theatre-in-education processes, which were thematically analysed. The findings indicate that the student teachers resorted to their comfort zones when designing their lesson portrayals-in line with their socialisation. However, their understandings and perceptions of using assistive devices to teach sexuality education were challenged and deconstructed through their engagement in theatre-in-education processes, thus highlighting the importance of engaged scholarship in deconstructing harmful norms towards transformative pedagogies.

A Scoping Review of Learners' Perceptions on What Influences Teachers' Approaches to Teaching Comprehensive Sexuality Education in South African Schools

Recent arguments regarding the South African comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) curriculum indicate that the existing programme neglects to incorporate factors that influence the behaviour of school learners in South Africa such as learners' and teachers' perceptions of cultural, social, and gender norms. Based on a literature search, it is evident that there is a paucity of research that reflects the voices of learners regarding their experience of how the CSE subject is taught as compared to what they want to learn. Therefore, this article aimed to conduct a scoping review to map learners' perceptions of what influences their teachers' approach to teaching CSE subject matter in South Africa. The Cochrane, EBSCOhost, Scopus, ProQuest, JSTOR, and Google Scholar databases were searched for studies (a) published from January 2010 till May 2021, (b) with an explicit focus on learner feedback on their perceptions of influences to teachers teaching CSE, (c) that were qualitative studies, and (d) were published in English in peer-reviewed journals. Four studies were identified that reported on data collected from learners aged 14-18 years using in-depth interviews (N = 1), focus group discussions (N = 2), and an ethnographic study (N = 1). A qualitative analysis of the findings identified three major themes: (1) an inherent bias towards heterosexuality as normal and natural, (2) the belief that learners need to be taught to uphold culturally dictated normative gender roles, and (3) an avoidance of subject matter relating to the LGBTQI+ community, influenced by beliefs that limited interactions would lead to limited gender and sexual fluidity. Findings conclude that transformative communication needs to take place to update the curriculum to create a space for all learners to learn about healthy life choices.

Facing Your Fear of COVID-19: Resilience as a Protective Factor Against Burnout in South African Teachers

ObjectiveFrontline workers have been distinctively impacted by the rapid spread of the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers, as frontline employees in the educational system, had to contend with unprecedented changes to their work role, as well as new job demands coupled with insufficient resources and the effects of the pandemic on their personal lives. While some teachers struggled to cope and reported intense levels of fear of COVID-19 and burnout, others were able to adapt and experienced a sense of growth and accomplishment. Therefore, the current study aimed to examine the role of resilience in the relationship between fear of COVID-19 and burnout among South African schoolteachers using a survey design. Materials and methodsSchoolteachers in South Africa (n=355) were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, and the Connor–Davidson Resilience Scale-10. ResultsThe results showed a positive relationship between fear of COVID-19 and emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Moreover, structural equation modeling confirmed a health-sustaining role for resilience as it had a significant direct effect on burnout. Resilience also partially mediated the impact of fear of COVID-19 on depersonalization as well as emotional exhaustion, and fully mediated the impact of fear of COVID-19 on personal accomplishment. ConclusionsOur findings underscore that promoting individual- and institutional-level strategies to support teachers is necessary to build resilience, especially in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Exploring the Decline of Agricultural Science Teachers in South African schools: A Case Study

The Department of Basic Education in South Africa is experiencing a shortage of Agricultural Science teachers since their numbers are drastically decreasing. Several schools are failing to recruit appropriately qualified Agricultural Science teachers. This decline seems to be worsening annually. It is not peculiar to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education Kwa-Zulu Natal province only but seems to be a national phenomenon. This study aims to identify and analyse the causes of the decline of Agricultural Science teachers in the Provincial Department of Education. A qualitative method of research was employed. Data was collected by interviewing respondents on either cell phones or telephones. The findings revealed severe shortages of Agricultural Science teachers in Kwa-Zulu Natal schools. However, it is not peculiar to the Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education only, but it seems a national phenomenon. The study recommended, among other things, a clear line of the communication channel between the national Department of Basic Education, Kwa-Zulu Natal Department of Education and the Department of Higher Education and Training to facilitate at local, provincial and national levels, a comprehensive recruitment and training plan for the Department of Basic Education. The study also recommended the introduction of a Bachelor of Education degree with a specialisation in Agricultural Science in some universities, especially in rural areas.

Generalized Resistance Resources in the Time of COVID-19: The Role of Sense of Coherence and Resilience in the Relationship between COVID-19 Fear and Loneliness among Schoolteachers

Fear has been the most common emotional response to the COVID-19 pandemic, and excessive fear is associated with various indices of psychological distress, particularly loneliness. Although most people have experienced pandemic-related fear and distress, certain groups who are on the front of service provision have experienced the pandemic in distinct ways, owing to its impact on the nature of their work. Schoolteachers represent one such group; therefore, it is imperative to identify resources that can safeguard against negative mental-health outcomes in schoolteachers. The current study investigated the potential protective role of sense of coherence (SOC) and resilience in the relationship between COVID-19 fear and loneliness. The participants were South African schoolteachers (N = 355); the participants completed the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the University of California Loneliness Scale, the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale-10, and the Sense of Coherence Scale-13. The results indicated that SOC and resilience had significant direct effects on loneliness, thereby suggesting their health-sustaining role. SOC and resilience also fully mediated the relationship between COVID-19 fear and loneliness. Therefore, although the provision of material resources is important, it is equally necessary to enhance people’s ability to comprehend, give meaning to, and manage the challenges associated with the pandemic. A salutogenic approach to mental health promotion in the workplace may be beneficial for enhancing SOC and resilience among schoolteachers.

Reimagining Responsible Research Innovations Regarding Professional Teaching Standards for Curriculum Practice

Applying teacher capabilities is widely considered to be a technique for enriching the quality of teaching in all teaching spaces, worldwide. Education reformists have a responsibility to ensure that education accommodates the best interests of all learners. Standards depend largely on teacher capabilities and the context of a country. This paper reflects on responsible research innovation techniques that are crucial for improving teacher capabilities and advancing professional standards that are needed to improve education in South African schools. An architecture theory, which draws heavily on the famous quotation of Adolf Loos, was used as the main lens for the study. Critical participatory action research (CPAR) was used to generate data. CPAR was preferred, since it pilgrimages three principles of responsible research innovations, that is, recognising participants, establishing professional learning communities, and engaging in critical reflection that deliberately embraces capabilities, to address the inequalities that characterise the context of the South African education space. Critical discourse analysis was used to arrive at the following broad findings: (i) A practical learning experience must be created for all teachers; and (ii) Teacher training institutions are central to edifying teacher capabilities. The paper concludes with a recommendation that the preconfigured standards for professional teaching practices should be reconfigured to involve a de-hierarchical list, and to avoid decontextualized performance and false dichotomies.

Teaching critical literacy in South African English classrooms: Constraints and affordances

Critical literacy is an approach to teaching that addresses the relationship between language and power. This study sought to ascertain whether or not PGCE (Post-Graduate Certificate in Education) graduates from the University of the Witwatersrand were able to apply what they had learned about critical literacy in their English teaching after graduation and how subjective experience, context and identity can influence the ways that teachers take up critical literacy. Three research participants, one of whom was the researcher, provided data on their experiences of attempting to teach from a critical literacy perspective, one in the form of the author’s auto-ethnographic narratives and two in the form of interviews. Narrative analysis was applied to all three sets of data. The findings suggest that English teachers in South African schools may be constrained by a chronic lack of time, lack of support from colleagues and institutions for the teaching of critical literacy, the overly prescriptive application of the current curriculum and schools’ own particular versions of performativity and accountability cultures. Despite these constraints, teaching critical literacy is eminently possible and efforts to practise critical literacy are aided by cultivating positive relationships with learners.

A serial model of the interrelationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, fear of COVID-19, and psychological distress among teachers in South Africa

The current study examined the serial relationship between perceived vulnerability to disease, fear of COVID-19, anxiety, and psychological distress among school teachers. Participants were South African school teachers (n=355) who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, Fear of COVID-19 Scale, trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory, Beck Hopelessness Scale, and the Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale. A path analysis confirmed that teachers who appraised themselves as more susceptible to disease, experienced heightened levels of fear of COVID-19, which led to heightened levels of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness. Specifically, germ aversion and perceived infectability were separately associated with heightened fear of COVID-19, which in turn was associated with heightened anxiety. This serial relationship was associated with heightened levels of hopelessness and depression. The current study extends research on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic among a distinct subgroup of the population.

Immigrant Parents' Voices on Children's Right to Education in South African Schools: Connecting the Disconnected

This paper focuses on the school's protection of the right to education for immigrant learners as perceived by their parents. With its approach to the subject from the human rights-based educational perspective, this paper sought to examine immigrant parents' views on their children's right to education against their background as vulnerable and marginalised school community members. The assumption on which the study presented in this paper is based is that meaningful discussion on the right to education for immigrant learners cannot be disconnected from the challenges their parents face in educating them. Immigrant parents have their views and experiences relating to children's educational rights, which are seldom studied. Guided by this view, a qualitative approach was followed to gather data through semi-structured individual interviews held with parents of immigrant learners from four purposively selected South African township schools. The results show that immigrant parents experience enormous challenges in the education of their children in South African schools. While some of the challenges are transferred from them to their children because of non-citizenship, they attribute most of the challenges to people who teach their children, namely, teachers. &#x0D; &#x0D; Received: 2 August 2021 / Accepted: 3 October 2021 / Published: 5 November 2021