Sources of stress for teachers at high risk secondary schools in the Western Cape

Abstract

The main sources of teacher stress stem from difficulty in maintaining classroom discipline, time pressures, workload demands, excessive change, being evaluated by others, challenging relationships with colleagues and poor working conditions. This study therefore highlights the significant relationship between occupational stressors and the stress experienced by teachers at high risk secondary schools in the Western Cape. Occupational stress is related to job satisfaction, job overload and job control. The coping strategies of teachers at high risk secondary schools are explored. The results indicate that there were no significant relationships between teacher stress and job satisfaction, job overload and job control at high risk secondary schools in the Western Cape. Job satisfaction however, showed an inverse, albeit not significant relationship to teacher stress. Furthermore, male and female teachers respond differently to these occupational stressors. Females were more prone to the experience of stress than males. The recommendations are based on the conclusions drawn from the study. In conclusion, occupational stress is considered a major source of stress for teachers, which needs to be addressed more vigorously at high risk secondary schools in the Western Cape.