Counseling Underperforming Teachers towards Sustainable Teaching Environment (abstract only)  

Oleh:

Maluleke, Mary ; Kutame, Philip

Jenis: Article from Proceeding
Dalam koleksi: The International Symposium on Social Sciences (TISSS) and Hong Kong International Conference on Education, Psychology and Society (HKICEPS) at Hongkong, December 2013, page 780-781.
Topik: Sustainable teaching; counseling; underperforming teachers; environment; mental health; adverse conditions
Fulltext: Hong Kong-Conference 124.pdf (215.69KB)

Isi artikel

Rural based schools in South Africa are faced with challenges regarding teachers who find it difficult, if not impossible, to cope with working with learners who are underperforming. The majority of these learners in these rural schools in these disadvantaged communities come from poor family backgrounds. The student enrolment mostly comprises of students from low or no income households with poor secondary school entrance preparation. In an attempt to support these teachers who teach learners experiencing learning difficulties in rural schools, intervention programmes have been introduced to improve teaching and learning in these schools. The Department of Education at District level has support programmes in which Grade 12 learners are given extra lessons in identified subjects. Fewer teachers are involved in this programme. Evaluation of support programmes reveals that some support programmes have shortcomings. Pavich and Orkin (1995:220), for instance, found that such programmes are peripheral when addressing the needs of students. Programmes that establish ways to improve pass rate of learners, particularly in the context of under-resourced schools, tend to focus on what is lacking and are less likely to assist students toward academic achievement. This negatively affects the teachers as their evaluative performance is based on learner performance. Situational analysis on the challenges that teachers experience in their schools indicate teachers’ mental health is negatively affected by adverse conditions in their schools. This negatively affects their performance level, resulting in poor innovations regarding issues related to improving learner academic performance and school effectiveness. The aim of the study was to determine the teachers’ expected support mechanisms on the challenges affecting their teaching situations for them to succeed in their schools. This action research is qualitative in nature. The research question that guided this study was: What kind of support do teachers expect from the University for them to succeed in improving the quality of teaching and learning in the schools? Sampling: a sample, consisting of 51 teachers in seven rural-based secondary schools teaching identified subjects was selected through purposive sampling procedure. They were selected on the basis that they teach one of the following subjects in their schools: Life Science, Life Orientation, Mathematics, Physical Science or English in Grades 10 to 12. Data was collected through naïve sketches and focus group discussions. In naïve sketches, participants were requested to write down their school situations, issues that affect them negatively in their teaching and learning situations, the challenges they experience, and the support they would like in their quest for improving the quality of teaching and learning. Permission to conduct this research was obtained from the Department of Education while teachers were informed that participation in the study was voluntary. The findings from naïve sketches formed the basis for focus group discussion. Fifty-one participants participated in focus group discussions. There were 6 groups of 5 to 8 teachers per group. Focus groups discussions enabled the participants to share experiences, views and perceptions regarding the prevailing conditions in the subjects they teach in their schools and how these conditions impact on their quality of teaching. The data was analyzed using Techs’ method of open coding (in Creswell, 1994:142). The findings are that teachers’ mental health is grossly negatively affected by adverse conditions in the schools. This has resulted in low morale and is negatively affecting their performance in their quest to improve the teaching and learning situation in the school. They also revealed other aspects that are not addressed by the current departmental support namely, establishing sustainable positive learning environment in the schools, improving teachers’ methodology of teaching the subjects they are teaching, managing learners for improved learning, and their mental health. Further, results show that mental health support is not accommodated within the available teacher support programmes. Teachers expect a programme that would include personal support in the form of peer mentoring that would lead to their development in the teaching and learning atmosphere. Results also suggest that teachers are ready to make inputs in the methodology used in current support programmes, so they can say what kind of support would help them in their engagement with learners in the schools. Teachers, therefore, need some counseling on how they can deal with the situations at a school to improve the academic achievements of learners.

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