Sources of occupational stress for teachers, with specific reference to the inclusive education module in the Western Cape

Abstract

Stress is an occurrence that must be recognised and addressed in various professions- the teaching profession is no exception (Oliver & Venter, 2003). In recent years, inclusive education has risen to prominence, which changed the traditional roles of teachers, from using a “talk and chalk” method, to being more pupil-centred. Within the South African context, learners traditionally seen as having special needs are accommodated within the inclusive education environment (National Department of Education, 2001). Research highlights that teacher’s experience with respect to inclusive education is very limited, and that they do not have the skill and disposition to handle diversity (Engelbrecht & Eloff, 2001). The role of teachers in mainstream schools has become more varied and challenging. Research has shown that casual factors for stress include role overload, poor learner behaviour, lack of resources (Kyriacou, 1998); the number of individuals for whom teachers are responsible, diversity in individuals with whom they have to work, resistance and lack of motivation of co-workers (Smylie, 1999). 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. A stratified random sample of 115 teachers was selected from a population of 300 teachers, teaching at the various schools, located in the Cape Town area of the Western Cape.