Primary School Teachers’ Perspective on Stress Triggers: A South African Case Study
Thanduxolo Albert Nomtshongwana 
& Andrea Mqondiso Buka
Issue: Vol.4 No.13 Article 22 pp.1656 – 1663
DOI: https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202341322 | Published online 15th January, 2024
© 2023 The Author(s). This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
This paper sought to establish teachers’ perspectives on the daily stress triggers they face in primary schools in Chris Hani East District in South Africa. Regardless of gender, wealth, or surroundings, stress is a universal phenomenon that impacts everyone. Although this occurrence has been extensively studied, teachers’ stress experiences continue to pose a serious threat, especially to the efficacy of schools. In South African classrooms, rationalization and the high teacher-to-learner ratio are just two of the problems teachers encounter. Schools must develop more effective intervention initiatives that can help instructors manage their stress. With a survey-only design, a quantitative study technique was used. One hundred schools were chosen randomly. Utilizing the Statistical Package for Social Sciences, data was examined. (SPSS). The findings of this study indicated that the demotivation of teachers which triggers stress levels in schools is due to the lack of promotion, poor rationalisation process and lack of motivation from management. It is recommended that school managers must come up with better strategies to motivate teachers and the Department of Education must intervene with programmes that can help teachers deal with stress. This article contributes to the discourse on employee welfare in the educational space.
Keywords: Teacher Stress Triggers, Professional Development, Stress Management, Intervention Strategies.
Belloc, Marianna, Simone D’Alessandro, Michele Di Maio, Francesco Drago, and Pietro Vertova. “Technology and the Environment in the History of the Economic Thought.” International Journal of Global Environmental Issues 8, no. 4 (2008): 311–34.
Bottiani, Jessika H, Chelsea A K Duran, Elise T Pas, and Catherine P Bradshaw. “Teacher Stress and Burnout in Urban Middle Schools: Associations with Job Demands, Resources, and Effective Classroom Practices.” Journal of School Psychology 77 (2019): 36–51.
Dakduki, J. “The Ecological Well-Being and Job Satisfaction in Primary Schools Teachers: A Comparative Study between the Arab-Israeli Teachers and the Palestinian (West Bank and Gaza Strip).,” 2015.
Dannetta, Vincent. “What Factors Influence a Teacher’s Commitment to Student Learning?” Leadership and Policy in Schools 1, no. 2 (2002): 144–71.
Dlova, N. “The Causes of Stress in South African School.” Walter Sisulu University, 2014.
Drew, W., and M. S. Edwards. “Overcoming Stress in the Workplace,” 2011. http://www.valueoptionsmarketing.com/.
Dunham, Jack, and Ved Prakash Varma. “Stress in Teachers: Past, Present and Future.” (No Title), 1998.
Eppley, Kenneth R, Allan I Abrams, and Jonathan Shear. “Differential Effects of Relaxation Techniques on Trait Anxiety: A Meta‐analysis.” Journal of Clinical Psychology 45, no. 6 (1989): 957–74.
Hong, Jon-Chao, Chiu Pei-Yu, Hsiao-Feng Shih, and Pei-Shin Lin. “Computer Self-Efficacy, Competitive Anxiety and Flow State: Escaping from Firing Online Game.” Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology-TOJET 11, no. 3 (2012): 70–76.
Israel, M. “From Chaos to Coherence: Managing Stress While Teaching.” Education World–Connecting Educators to What Works, 2015.
Kleynhans, I C, U E MacIntyre, and E C Albertse. “Stunting among Young Black Children and the Socio-Economic and Health Status of Their Mothers/Caregivers in Poor Areas of Rural Limpopo and Urban Gauteng-the NutriGro Study.” South African Journal of Clinical Nutrition 19, no. 4 (2006): 163–70.
Leedy, Paul D, and Jeanne Ellis Ormrod. Practical Research. Vol. 108. Pearson Custom Saddle River, NJ, USA, 2005.
Mulaudzi, Israel Creleanor. “Effects of Teacher Stress on Learner Academic Performance in Rural Secondary Schools in the Vhembe District.” University of Zululand, 2018.
Mvo, Nelisa Enid. “Factors That Contribute to Teachers’ Job Satisfaction/Dissatisfaction as Percieved by Teachers in Libode District: A Case of Two Schools.” Walter Sisulu University, 2013.
Ngidi, David P, and Patrick T Sibaya. “Black Teachers’ Personality Dimensions and Work-Related Stress Factors.” South African Journal of Psychology 32, no. 3 (2002): 7–15.
Nomtshongwana, T. “Factors Contributing to Stress among Primary School Teachers. A Case Study of 2 Circuits in Ngcobo District of Education.” Unpublished Dissertation, Walter Sisulu University, 2014.
Paramanandam, P, and Diyana Kamarudin. “Impact of Perceived Stress on Job Satisfaction among the School Teachers of Pahang and Coimbatore–A Comparative Study.” PRERANA: Journal of Management Thought and Practice, 2019, 33–42.
Pines, A.M., and S. Ronen. “Gender Differences in Burnout.” In New Directions in Organizational Psychology and Behavioural Medicine, edited by A.S. Antoniou and C.L. Cooper. Burlington: Gower Publishing Company, 2013.
Quint, Evelien E, Donika Zogaj, Louise B D Banning, Stan Benjamens, Coby Annema, Stephan J L Bakker, Gertrude J Nieuwenhuijs-Moeke, Dorry L Segev, Mara A McAdams-DeMarco, and Robert A Pol. “Frailty and Kidney Transplantation: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.” Transplantation Direct 7, no. 6 (2021).
Ramberg, Joacim, Sara Brolin Låftman, Torbjörn Åkerstedt, and Bitte Modin. “Teacher Stress and Students’ School Well-Being: The Case of Upper Secondary Schools in Stockholm.” Scandinavian Journal of Educational Research 64, no. 6 (2020): 816–30.
Rossouw, J P. “The Feasibility of Localised Strike Action by Educators in Cases of Learner Misconduct.” South African Journal of Education 32, no. 2 (2012): 133–43.
Santrock, Robert D, Matthew M Buchanan, Thomas H Lee, and Gregory C Berlet. “Osteochondral Lesions of the Talus.” Foot and Ankle Clinics 8, no. 1 (2003): 73–90.
Schwarzer, Ralf, and Suhair Hallum. “Perceived Teacher Self‐efficacy as a Predictor of Job Stress and Burnout: Mediation Analyses.” Applied Psychology 57 (2008): 152–71.
Uma, M. “Effectiveness of Acupressure on Improving the Quality of Sleep among Cancer Patients in HCG Cancer Center at Erode.” Bishop’s College of Nursing, Dharapuram, 2011.
Wallace, Robert Keith, and Herbert Benson. “The Physiology of Meditation.” Scientific American 226, no. 2 (1972): 84–91.
Thanduxolo Nomtshongwana is a Doctor Education student at the Walter Sisulu University,Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. He is also a fulltime professional teacher in Department of Basic Education, Eastern Cape, South Africa. His research focuses on education leadership and management, teachers’ stress, especially in psych education research.
Andrea Mqondiso Buka is currently a Senior Lecturer at the Faculty of Education in the continuing professional teacher development at Walter Sisulu University, Mthatha, Eastern Cape, South Africa. His research focuses on inclusive education and educational management and policy, especially psycho-pedagogical research.
Nomtshongwana, Thanduxolo Albert & Buka, Andrea Mqondiso. “Primary School Teachers’ Perspective on Stress Triggers: A South African Case Study.” E-Journal of Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences 4, no.13 (2023): 1655 – 1662. https://doi.org/10.38159/ehass.202341322
© 2023 The Author(s). Published and Maintained by Noyam Journals. This is an open access article under the CCBY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/).
