ERIC Number: EJ1374459
Record Type: Journal
Publication Date: 2022-May
Pages: 9
Abstractor: As Provided
ISBN: N/A
ISSN: ISSN-0256-0100
EISSN: EISSN-2076-3433
Qualitative Exploration of Workplace Demands, Resources and Bullying among Teachers in South African Schools: Implications for Individual and Organisational Well-Being
Bernstein, Colleen; Batchelor, Toni Paige
South African Journal of Education, v42 n2 Article 2081 May 2022
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).
Descriptors: Bullying, Work Environment, Teachers, Teaching Conditions, Faculty Workload, Resources, Barriers, Stress Variables, Aggression, Peer Relationship, Psychological Patterns, Mental Health, Well Being, Foreign Countries, Social Problems, Professional Autonomy, Teacher Burnout
Education Association of South Africa. University of Pretoria, Centre for the Study of Resilience, Level 3, Groenkloof Student Centre, Department of Educational Psychology, Faculty of Education, George Storrar Road and Lleyds Street, Pretoria 0001, South Africa. Web site: http://www.sajournalofeducation.co.za/index.php/saje/index
Publication Type: Journal Articles; Reports - Research
Education Level: N/A
Audience: N/A
Language: English
Sponsor: N/A
Authoring Institution: N/A
Identifiers - Location: South Africa
Grant or Contract Numbers: N/A