Estelle Hendricks

i

GOOD PRACTICE GUIDELINES FOR IMPROVING

EDUCATOR MORALE

By

ESTELLE HENDRICKS

Submitted in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of

Magister in Business Administration

At the

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University

Business School

Research Supervisor: Dr. Robert Gerber

November 2009

ii

DECLARATION

I declare that this treatise is my own work and that it has not previously been

submitted for assessment to another university or for another qualification.

........................................................

ESTELLE HENDRICKS

PORT ELIZABETH

30 November 2009

iii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I wish to acknowledge the contributions of the following people to the

completion of my study:

• My God and Saviour who is faithful to HIS word. Thank you Father for

giving me the perseverance, faith and patience to fulfil this goal.

• Dr. Robert Gerber, my research supervisor, thank you for your

professional commitment, expert advice and for unselfishly sharing your

wisdom with me.

• My language practitioner, Mrs. Karen Matthys, thank you for your

valuable insight and commitment.

• My brother, Mark for always encouraging, motivating and believing in me.

• My two hearts, Eden and Will for sacrificing valuable family time to

accommodate me.

• My mother for her support in times when I really needed it.

• My family especially Gustav, Claudius, Rosaline, Natasha and Wess for

the small sacrifices that you made to accommodate me.

• All the participants in this study (educators and the principals) of the

schools involved.

• My dear friends and colleagues, Anthea Petrus, Mr. J. Spire and Olivia

Raphael for showing an interest in my study and always encouraging

and believing in me.

• A special thank you to the friendly library staff at the Missionvale Campus

who was always willing to help wherever they can.

• My husband and life partner, Elroy, for your love and for being such an

excellent support structure throughout the study.

iv

ABSTRACT

The morale of educators in certain schools is very low. From the literature

review I concluded that not all schools experience low morale in the same way.

There are different factors impacting on the morale of educators at different

schools. In this study, the causes of low educator morale, indicators of low

morale, the importance of high morale and how low morale can be dealt with

were addressed in order to provide guidelines to improve low morale. An

empirical study was conducted and 2 schools in the Northern Areas of Port

Elizabeth were used in this case study to establish to what measure the

educators are exposed to the abovementioned variables. The data was

analysed qualitatively and quantitatively. South Africa is divided into different

demographic areas. The majority of people living in the communities where

these schools are located are poor, unskilled, unemployed and the crime levels

are very high. The socio-economic context within which these schools are

located also has an impact on the morale of the educators at these schools and

it affects their working lives.

Educators, SMTs and principals took part in the empirical study so that their

views can be compared and to facilitate the researcher to make

recommendations on improving low educator morale. The research outcomes

were analysed and deductions, recommendations and a need for further

research were given. The empirical and literature study emphasised that the

morale of educators is low in the schools and this morale status impacts on

learners’ achievements, the health of the educators and the health of the

institution. The educators in this study ranked their own morale status as low

and some of the causes of the low morale according to the empirical study are

lack of resources, ill- disciplined learners, uninvolved parents and an ineffective

management style of the principal.

v

TABLE OF CONTENTS

DECLARATION ............................................................................. ii

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS .............................................................. iii

ABSTRACT .................................................................................... iv

1. INTRODUCTION AND FRAMING OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM ................................................................. 1

1.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 1

1.2 RATIONALE .................................................................................... 3

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY ......................................................... 4

1.3.1 Primary Objective ............................................................................ 5

1.3.2 Secondary Objective ....................................................................... 5

1.4 RESEARCH PROBLEM QUESTION AND

SUB-PROBLEMS..............................................................................5 1.5 DEMARCATION OF THE RESEARCH .......................................... 6

1.6 RESEARCH DESIGN ..................................................................... 6

1.7 CONCEPT DEFINITION ................................................................. 7

1.8 CHAPTER DIVISION ...................................................................... 7

2 RESEARCH DESIGN ..................................................................... 9

vi

2.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................ 9

2.2 SAMPLE SELECTION ..................................................................... 9

2.3 PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING DATA ............................................ 9

2.4 LITERATURE STUDY PROCESS ................................................... 12

2.5 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE

RESEARCH APPROACHES........................................................... 14

2.6 THE PROCESS IN DEVELOPING RESEARCH

DATA COLLECTION TOOL ............................................................ 14

2.6.1 Questionnaires ................................................ ................................ 14 2.6.1.1 Questionnaire that was given to educators ..................................... 16

2.6.1.2 Questionnaire that was given to principals and SMTs .................... 23

2.6.1.3 The pilot questionnaire ................................................................... 26

2.7 DATA ANALYSIS AND DATA INTERPRETATION

PROCEDURE ................................................................................. 26

2.7.1 Qualitative data analysis and interpretation .................................... 26

2.7.2 Quantitative data analysis and interpretation .................................. 27

2.8 CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 27

3 LITERATURE STUDY .................................................................... 29

3.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 29

3.2 HOW MORALE CAN BE EXPLAINED ............................................ 30

vii

3.3 CAUSES OF LOW MORALE .......................................................... 32

3.4 INDICATORS OF LOW MORALE ................................................... 39

3.5 IMPORTANCE OF HIGH TEACHER MORALE ............................. 41

3.6 HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH ............................... 44

3.7 CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 48

4 DATA ANALYSIS AND INTERPRETATION .................................. 50

4.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 50

4.2 DATA OBTAINED FROM EDUCATORS, PRINCIPALS AND

SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS...................................................50

4.2.1 Data obtained from educators ......................................................... 50

4.2.2 Data obtained from School Management Teams ............................ 61

4.2.3 Data obtained from principals ......................................................... 68

4.3 WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNT FROM THIS RESEARCH

STUDY?........................................................................................... 74 4.4 CONCLUSION ................................................................................ 79

5 OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH, DEDUCTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS,

NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH AND CONCLUSION ............. 80

5.1 INTRODUCTION ............................................................................. 80

5.2 OVERVIEW OF SUMMARIES ......................................................... 80

viii

5.3 IMPORTANT DEDUCTIONS FROM LITERATURE AND

EMPIRICAL STUDY ......................................................................... 81

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS ................................................................... 83

5.5 POSSIBLE RESEARCH THAT COULD BE UNDERTAKEN .......... 85

5.6 CONCLUSION .............................................................................. 85

6 REFERENCE LIST ...................................................................... 87

ix

LIST OF TABLES

TABLE 1: Identification of data …………………………………………. 10

TABLE 2: Biographical Information of Educators........................……. 50

TABLE 3: Derived Categories and Motivation (Educators) …………. 51

TABLE 4: Responses to Question 13 …………………………………. 56

TABLE 5: Biographical Information of SMTs …………………………. 61

TABLE 6: Derived Categories and Motivation (SMTs) ………………. 62

TABLE 7: Biographical Information of Principals …………………….. 68

TABLE 8: Derived Categories and Motivation (Principals) ………….. 69

TABLE 9: Learning ……………………………………………………… 74

x

LIST OF APPENDIXES

APPENDIX A: QUESTIONNAIRE TO EDUCATORS ……………… 92

APPENDIX B: QUESTIONNAIRE TO PRINCIPALS ……………… 102

APPENDIX C: QUESTIONNAIRE TO SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS ……………………………………………….. 103

APPENDIX D: DATA RESPONSES OFEDUCATORS ………....... 112 APPENDIX E: DATA RESPONSES OF SCHOOL

MANAGEMENT TEAMS …...………………………. 144

APPENDIX F: DATA RESPONSES OF PRINCIPALS ……….. ... 153

APPENDIX G: LETTER OF PERMISSION TO THE DEPARTMENT OF

EDUCATION TO CONDUCT RESEARCH......... 156

APPENDIX H: LETTER OF PERMISSION TO THE PRINCIPALS TO

CONDUCT RESEARCH ……………................ 158

APPENDIX I: LETTER OF PERMISSION GRANTED BY

THE DEPARTMENT OF EDUCATION ………… 160

1

CHAPTER 1

INTRODUCTION AND FRAMING OF THE RESEARCH PROBLEM

1.1 INTRODUCTION

We are currently in a period where teacher strikes, budget disputes and a

shortage of teachers are the order of the day. It is therefore vital for

management to make positive contributions towards the education system as a

whole and view teachers as important role players in the advancement of

quality education for our children. Educators play a vital role in the education

process because according to the Sunday Times (18 October 2009) “resources

are not everything. All you need is a chalkboard, a dedicated teacher and willing

learners”. According to Thurlow (2003) and Hayward (2002), the level of

motivation of educators has dropped quite significantly due to the low morale

that educators experience in certain schools.

In 2004 Inman and Marlow did a study on the reasons behind new teachers

remaining in the profession as well as factors related to attrition. They

concluded that new teachers need support systems within the school

environment e.g. teacher education mentors, cooperation between colleagues

to promote sharing of ideas, an administrator who promotes teachers’ ideas and

an involved community that is supportive. If the needs of new teachers are

fulfilled, high morale will be maintained among them and they will remain in the

profession.

The previous issues are directly related to the degree of morale experienced by

educators. The study that follows addresses some of the reasons why the

morale levels of educators drop.

2

Blocker and Richardson (1963) carried out a 25 year study into teacher morale

and job satisfaction and they concluded that the school principal was the key

figure affecting the morale of educators. The satisfaction of teachers depended

greatly on the quality of the administrative relationships which they were in and

on the quality of leadership they were given within this structure. Ineffective

administrative structures and the poor leadership that they received from the

principal, contributed to the low morale of teachers.

Evans (1998) carried out a 4 stage study into the effects of Senior Management

Teams (SMTs) on teacher morale and job satisfaction at a primary school in the

United Kingdom. She found that a feeling of divisiveness was evident amongst

teachers and the source of divisiveness was the management team, because

teachers were excluded from decision making and their views were

disregarded. The morale of the teachers decreased because they felt

unappreciated and thoughts of exiting the profession surfaced.

I was prompted to do this study after coming across research studies such as

the ones mentioned above, as well as observing my own environment and

occurrences that play a major role in altering educator morale, such as the ones

mentioned below.

In the late 1990s the Department of Education implemented Outcomes Based

Education (OBE) in Primary Schools (General Education and Training Band) in

South Africa. Teachers who were teaching at that stage, especially those with

20-30 years teaching experience found it difficult to understand the new

curriculum and many of them resigned or took early retirement packages. The

teaching profession lost many experienced teachers such as Heads of

Department, Deputy Principals and Principals. In 2005 The National Curriculum

Statement (NCS) became an OBE infused curriculum for grades 10-12. Many

3

teachers are still struggling with the new curriculum because of inadequate

training provided by the Department of Education. Many teachers still have

curriculum issues that need to be addressed and this negatively affects their

morale.

Another factor which changed the morale of teachers was identifying teachers

in excess resulting in redeployment being implemented by the stakeholders in

education in 1998. Approximately 10 000 Eastern Cape teachers had been

declared in excess and 9 700 were redeployed to fill vacant posts elsewhere

(Daily Dispatch 12 April 2002:7). According to the Daily Dispatch (9 May

2002:6), “one cannot turn educators into an army and teachers into soldiers

who are redeployed wherever the state wills. They [educators] are professionals

who have the right to choose where they work. The redeployment process was

a disaster for precisely this reason”. During this process, many educators

sought counselling from doctors or psychologists because many of them who

were redeployed refused to work at the schools where they were posted

through redeployment (Daily Dispatch 12 April 2002:7). This action again

caused many teachers to go on early retirement and others resigned. Those

that stayed behind were experiencing feelings of uncertainty, insecurity and

distrust toward their employer.

Were the issues of educator morale - of those that were redeployed and those

that were not - ever addressed by the principals, School Management Teams or

the Department of Education?

1.2 RATIONALE

Bhella (2001:369) describes the school as a multifarious institution having

various individuals interacting to execute different roles within a policy

framework that is often vague and under inspection by the public.

4

This research may benefit the Department of Education as a method of

improving the productivity in its schools. If educator morale is high, it could

affect learner achievement as well the status of teachers in the community

which may attract prospective students to pursue this profession. It may also

facilitate principals to rethink their management styles and the organisational

culture currently in their schools and make them assess what works and what

does not work.

The social impact of this research could produce teachers that are satisfied with

their work which may impact positively on their learners, their colleagues and

their families. In turn this may perhaps produce learners with a will to achieve

and pursue higher qualifications which can cause a decrease in unemployment,

a decrease in crime levels and an increase in skills development which

contributes positively to a growing economy.

This research may change current practices and organisational cultures in

schools because principals could be empowered. Meaningful and valid

recommendations will be made based on the truth and on what teachers are

currently thinking when it comes to what affects them in their work situation.

Teacher morale is a major problem in schools. Schools need to improve the

quality of education, by engaging educators in maximum productivity.

Educators, together with parents must ensure that learners are highly motivated

and present inside the classrooms. The principal, together with his management

team, have the potential to be agents of change.

1.3 OBJECTIVE OF THE STUDY

5

The objectives of the research were to indicate the proposed outcome(s) of the

research project. Furthermore, it helped the researcher to organise the research

into a relevant procedure. A primary and secondary objective was set for this

research project.

1.3.1 Primary Objective

The primary objective of this research is to develop guidelines which principals,

School Management Teams and the Department of Education can use to

improve educator morale.

1.3.2 Secondary Objective

The secondary objective of this research is to define morale, identify indicators

for and causes of low morale among educators, the importance of high morale

and to suggest how low morale can be dealt with.

1.4 RESEARCH PROBLEM QUESTION AND SUB-PROBLEMS

The research problem is: What suggestions can be made to limit the influence

of negative factors affecting the morale of educators?

In order to be able to attend to the above question, the following sub-foci need

to be addressed:

1. How can morale be defined?

2. What are the indicators of low morale of educators?

6

3. What is the importance of educator morale?

4. What are the causes of low educator morale?

5. How can low morale be dealt with?

1.5 DEMARCATION OF THE RESEARCH

The research focused on two high schools in the Northern Areas of the Nelson

Mandela Metropolitan Municipality. The reason for this demarcation is that the

majority of learners in both schools come from predominantly poor

backgrounds. Another consideration was the fact that the educators of these

schools are exposed to gangsterism, violent behaviour of learners and learner

drug abuse on a daily basis.

1.6 RESEARCH DESIGN

In order to address the problem statement and the sub-foci, a literature review

was done in order to determine the definition of morale, indicators of low

morale, causes of low morale and how low morale can be dealt with.

The outcome of the literature review resulted in a questionnaire being compiled

to determine the views of the three groups (Educators, Principals and School

Management Teams (SMTs)) at the 2 case study schools. The questionnaire

looked into the definition of morale, causes of low morale, importance of high

morale and possible ways of dealing with low educator morale in their school

context.

7

Data that was collected was analysed qualitatively and quantitatively to enable

a comparison to take place between the target groups’ responses and other

findings with that of the literature review. This led to examining the researcher's

learning in order to make recommendations to provide good practice guidelines

for improving educator morale.

1.7 CONCEPT DEFINITION

The Education Law and Policy Handbook (1999:4-9) defines an educator and

SMT as follows-:

Educator : any person who teaches, educates or trains other persons at any

school or performs education management services as stipulated

the Department of Education.

SMT : abbreviation for School Management Team.

1.8 CHAPTER DIVISION

The chapters of the treatise will be divided in the following way:

Chapter 1: An overview of what can be expected in the treatise.

Chapter 2: An explanation of the research design.

Chapter 3: An overview of the Literature Study.

Chapter 4: Analysis and interpretation of data and listing of learning.

Chapter 5: Conclusion and Summaries that provide suggestions regarding good

practice guidelines for improving educator morale as well as

8

possible research that could be undertaken.

The next chapter provides a detailed account of the research design which

includes, how the data was identified, the literature study process, the data

collection tools, the different research approaches used and the data analysis

and data interpretation procedure.

9

CHAPTER 2

RESEARCH DESIGN

2.1 INTRODUCTION

The key focus of this chapter is to give a detailed account of the research

methodology used (description and motivation for the methodology), how the

data collection tools and data interpretation procedures were developed and

what they looked like. This embodies the empirical part of this study.

2.2 SAMPLE SELECTION

The research sample consisted of 2 principals and 42 educators, 10 of who is

part of the School Management Teams (SMTs). The study covers 2 high

schools situated in the Northern Areas of the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan

area. These 2 high schools were chosen because they have certain

characteristics that are similar, namely, both are situated in predominantly poor

communities where educators are exposed on a daily basis, to gangsterism,

learner drug abuse and an unsafe working environment. The two schools are

approximately one kilometer from each other and that made it easier for the

researcher to conduct the research.

2.3 PROCESS FOR IDENTIFYING THE DATA NEEDED

The data needed was identified by answering the question: “What do I need to

solve?” The sub-foci in this research were used as sub-categories for the

10

research question. Following this, the sub-categories were populated by

answering the following questions with regard to each sub-category.

(i) What do I need to know to arrive at a solution?

(ii) What do I need to show to justify and validate what I have learnt?

(iii) From whom/where will I get the information?

(iv) How can I collect the data?

TABLE 1: Identification of data

What do I need to

solve?

What do I need to know to arrive at a

solution?

What do I need to show to justify and validate what I have learnt?

From whom or where will I get the

information?

How can I collect

the data?

How can low morale be explained?

What characterises low morale? What are the indicators of low morale? What are the causes of low morale?

References where I found the information.

Literature, dictionary.

Review literature sources, review of

dictionary.

What does the literature say about the causes of low morale in Educators?

Causes of low morale in Educators

References, tools and data collected.

Literature, Educators, Principals and SMTs.

Review questionnair

e for Educators, Questionnai

re for principals

and SMTs.

What ways does the literature deal with low morale of Educators?

Ways to deal with low morale of Educators.

Tools and data collected.

Literature, Educators.

Review Questionnai

re for Educators.

What do Educators say causes low morale?

Causes of low morale according to Educators.


Educators. Questionnaire for

Educators.

11

According to Principals, what causes low morale of Educators?

Causes of low morale of Educators according to Principals.


Principals. Questionnaire for

Principals.

How do principals deal with low morale of Educators?

Ways Principals deal with low morale of Educators.


Educators, Principals.

Questionnaire for

Educators; Questionnai

re for Principals.

What according to SMTs causes low morale of Educators?

Causes of low morale of Educators according to SMTs.


SMTs. Questionnaire for SMTs.

How do SMTs deal with low morale of Educators?

Ways SMTs deal with low morale of educators.


SMTs, educators.

Questionnaires for SMTs;

Questionnaires for

Educators.

The first step was to explain and define low morale. To be able to define and

describe this phenomenon, literature sources and dictionaries were consulted.

This exercise helped to explain the concept and to identify the characteristics of

low morale, the indicators of low morale and the causes of low morale, all of

which are encapsulated in this definition.

The next step was to consult literature sources to determine what causes low

morale in educators. Additional information on the various causes of low morale

of educators was collected from educators, principals and the School

Management Teams (SMTs) of the two schools involved via questionnaires

which helped to validate what was gathered from the literature study.

Literature sources and educators from the schools gave the researcher valuable

information which enhanced the knowledge of how to deal with low morale in

12

order to develop suggestions for improvement of low morale among educators.

The questionnaires and literature review were used to justify and validate what

had been learnt.

Principals' viewpoints with regard to what causes low morale among educators

were vital in this research. It helped the researcher understand what is currently

being done about the low morale of educators in schools and also how

principals deal with this. Data was also collected via questionnaires. This would

be used to verify these findings.

The SMT plays an invaluable role in the management of the school and the

educators, as well as the teaching at these schools. Information was collected

by means of questionnaires to establish their viewpoints on causes of low

morale of educators and how they deal with low educator morale in their

schools.

2.4 THE LITERATURE STUDY PROCESS

According to Struwig and Stead (2001) a literature study includes gathering

information that speaks about the research problem and entails tracing,

categorising and investigating documents that relate to the research.

The research was divided into themes namely, defining morale, causes of low

morale, indicators of low morale, importance of high teacher morale and how

low morale can be dealt with, which are the sub-problems of this research

study. Then the researcher looked for and collected literature using journals,

theses, conference papers, textbooks and the internet that relate to the

research problem in order to build up an understanding of the research

problem. Subsequently, the literature was divided into these above-mentioned

13

themes. The main ideas of the authors were recorded and subdivided into the

different themes.

The researcher then studied the literature for keywords related to the research

question such as “morale”, “job satisfaction”, “stress”, etc. This would make it

easier for the researcher to define the concept of morale, to have a better

understanding of the word and how it relates to the research topic. This

understanding and breakdown of the concept allowed the researcher to apply

and to analyse the knowledge gained from previous literature.

The different literature sources were then used to collect and synthesize

information that emphasized the various causes of low morale. The literature

was then connected to this study. The researcher was constantly reminded of

how this existing data relates to the research problem.

The indicators of low morale were extracted from the different literature sources

and then evaluated. Previous studies where low morale among educators is

apparent were used to establish the effect on schools, educators and learners

by involving various schools.

Since morale affects workers in any industry, including schools, the researcher

consulted literature sources that gave a breakdown of the importance of high

morale in industry and in schools and also how these organisations may deal

with low morale.

The purpose of the literature review is to collect information regarding the sub

problems. It also highlights the sub–foci and it is a framework for developing a

data collection tool. It helps to provide a solid foundation for the research

14

problem and research method. Doing the literature study helped the researcher

understand all the information related to the research problem.

2.5 QUALITATIVE AND QUANTITATIVE RESEARCH APPROACHES

Both numeric and textual information were obtained from the questionnaires.

That is the reason quantitative and qualitative techniques were used to obtain

answers to the research question. This mixed methods (qualitative and

quantitative) approach to the research also advanced the researcher’s

understanding of the respondents’ work circumstances because the qualitative

aspect broadened and deepened the information obtained from the numeric

information (quantitative aspect) on the questionnaires.

2.6 THE PROCESS OF DEVELOPING RESEARCH DATA COLLECTION TOOL

The data collection tool used was a questionnaire. The two questionnaires were

set up around the themes relating to the sub-foci, mentioned in Chapter 1.4.

The respondents are educators, SMTs and principals. Conducting research is

also an ethical exercise and respondents were assured that the information

obtained would be treated as confidential and the results would be used for

research purposes only.

2.6.1 Questionnaires

A questionnaire is a data collection tool that is used for data analysis and

interpretation (Struwig and Stead 2001). The purpose of the questionnaire is to

find and list information obtained from principals, SMTs and educators and to

15

compare it with the evidence from the literature study which can be used for the

advancement of knowledge.

The aim of the questionnaires is to acquire information from SMTs, educators

and principals about the morale issues of educators at their schools. The

objectives of the questionnaire are to obtain the following information:

• the SMTs’, principals’ and educators’ opinions of morale;

• SMTs’, principals’ and educators’ opinion regarding the causes of low

morale among educators; and

• SMTs’, principals’ and educators’ views on how low morale can be dealt

with.

The first section in the questionnaires focuses on respondents’ biographical

data in order to get some background information about them. The second part

of the questionnaires focuses on the respondents' view of what they think

morale means in order to be able to define the concept. The third section of the

questionnaires focuses on the causes of low morale of educators. Viewpoints of

educators, SMTs and principals are important because this will allow the

researcher ways to develop suggestions for dealing with low morale and morale

in general. Partly-structured questions were posed to the respondents and they

could choose an answer and/or give their own response.

The types of questions used in the questionnaire were:

• Open-ended questions;

• Multiple-choice questions;

• Dichotomous questions;

• Scaled-response questions; and

• Ranking questions.

These are the types of questions asked in the questionnaire to get maximum

and varied data from respondents regarding the research problem.

16

Two different questionnaires were set up for the respondents, one for the

educators and the other for principals and SMTs. The two questionnaires

helped the researcher to assess and compare the responses of management

with that of the people who are managed by them and it will help authenticate

the research by validation.

2.6.1.1 Questionnaires that was given to educators

Section A of both questionnaires (Questions1-4) deals with the biographical

information of the respondents regarding age, gender, years of teaching

experience and rank. This will guide the interpretation of their responses and it

will give the researcher information on why the respondents approach questions

differently and will also allow for assessments about the diverse responses.

Section B, C and D of both questionnaires were designed by consulting various

literature sources. Questions 5, 6, 7 and 8 appear in both questionnaires.

Questions 5 and 7 are scaled-response questions.

Question 5: High morale is present in the job when a person’s needs are

satisfied. The question to ascertain whether the respondents understood the

meaning of the concept and also to get feedback from them about whether they

thought high morale equated to their needs being satisfied. The other reason for

this question was to establish whether the majority agreed or strongly agreed. If

the majority were in the category of “agree and strongly agree”, it would mean

there is a relationship between the respondents' responses. If the majority

disagreed and strongly disagreed, it would mean that there would be no

relationship between the respondents' responses. If the majority of the

respondents agreed and disagreed, the majority of them would be unsure.

There would be no agreement between the respondents.

17

Agree 1 Strongly Agree 2 Disagree 3 Strongly Disagree 4

In Question 6 the respondents had to give a reason for their choice in Question

5. This gave them the opportunity to express their ideas in their own words and

it allowed the researcher to collect additional information related to the focus of

the question. This question was prompted by page 30 and 31 of the literature

review because according to Bentley and Rempel high morale is linked to

concern and excitement for the job.

Question 7: High morale is evident in the job situation when a person shows

interest in his/her job and is enthusiastic about it. This question was informed by

issues raised on page 29 and 31 of the literature review.

Agree 1 Strongly Agree 2 Disagree 3 Strongly Disagree 4

In Question 8 the respondents had to give a reason for their choice in Question

7 and in this way the researcher could establish whether the respondents

understood the concept. It allowed for further elucidation of the concept and for

the researcher to establish whether interest and enthusiasm towards a job,

according to respondents could be linked to high morale.

The questions asked were to gather data on the respondents’ views and

perceptions of the concept of high morale. The questions were guided by

literature sources (refer to page 30, 31 and 32 of Chapter 3).

The following is a list of dichotomous questions that were asked

18

10. Do you feel your needs are satisfied in this job situation? Y 1 N 2

11. Are you still interested and enthusiastic about your job? Y N1 2

18. Are you excluded from important aspects of decision-making? Y N 1 2

19. Do you think SMTs and principals only are best qualified to make

decisions at your school?

Y 1 N 2

20. Have you ever thought of leaving the profession? Y N 1 2

25. Does the principal provide recognition to you for a job well done? Y N 1 2

26. Do you think that recognition from the principal will contribute to high

morale?

Y N 1 2

29. Do you think that the public expect too much of you as an educator? Y N 1 2

31. Do you get the necessary support from parents? Y N1 2

33. Are the parents involved in the education of their children? Y N 1 2

37. Do you think that being part of the decision-making will increase your

morale?

Y N 1 2

39. Do you think that community involvement in your school would

contribute to high morale?

Y N 1 2

41. Does it affect your morale if the education dept. does not supply you

with the necessary resources?

Y N 1 2

42. Does it affect your morale if management provides you with assistance

to resolve personal issues?

Y N 1 2

43. Will realistic opportunities for growth and advancement contribute to

higher morale?

Y N1 2

Questions 20, 31,37, 39, 41, 42, 43 are yes/no questions that are followed by

21, 32, 38 and 44 respectively where respondents must give a reason for their

answer or motivate their answer. These questions were prompted under the

guidance of the literature study (refer to pages 36, 37, 38, 45 and 48 of Chapter

3) to get further clarification from the respondents regarding, what is morale

19

(questions 10 and 11), causes for low morale ( questions 18, 19, 20, 25, 26, 29,

31 and 33), how can low morale be dealt with (questions 37, 39, 41, 42 and 43)

and to establish whether the factors mentioned above currently affect the

morale of educators and why. It also gives the respondents an opportunity to

express their opinions in their own words. Questions 10 and 11 are followed by,

“If no why?” Questions 26 and 29 are followed by, “If yes why?” This was done

to gain further explanations and to get the different view points of the educators

in their current job situations.

The following multiple choice questions were asked where respondents must

choose between alternatives:

Question 9: Low morale at work arises from:

Personal experiences Job related experiences 1 2

Question 14: If I am not satisfied and happy with my work situation, I

Take a passive attitude towards my work. 1

Discuss the problem with the principal. 2

Talk to a colleague. 3

Talk to a SMT member. 4

Ignore it. 5

Other. 6

Question 16: The major factor influencing morale of teachers at this

school is:

The management style of the principal 1

Low motivation in learners 2

20

Public criticism of educators 3

Other…………………………………………………………………… 4

Question 23: Which of the following according to you is the best way to deal

with low morale of educators?

Involve the educators in decision-making processes at the school 1

Proactive teacher education workshops 2

If appreciation is shown toward teachers for a job well done 3

Principal should manage conflict appropriately 4

Other…………………………………………………………………… 5

Question 28: Which of the following has an impact on your morale status at the

school?

Unfavourable working conditions 1

Management style of the principal 2

Ineffective administrative structures 3

No possibility for advancement (promotion) 4

Question 34: Which of the following statements describes your sense of

belonging toward the school best?

You feel that you belong 1

You feel detached from the group/ cannot fit in 2

Question 35: Which of the following have the most negative impact on your

morale status at the school?

21

Vandalism of the school 1

Physically aggressive learners 2

Socio-economic context within which the school is located 3

Abolition of corporal punishment 4

The researcher was prompted by pages 30, 31, 32 and 33 of Chapter 3 in the

literature study to formulate questions 9 and 14 because it speaks about the

different factors that affect educator morale. The aim of this was to understand

the morale status of educators and to find out whether they understand it.

Questions 14 and 16 were followed by, explain your choice. Questions 16, 28

and 35 touch on the factors that affect low morale and also the causes of low

morale of educators and it will help the researcher come up with suggestions for

improvement. I was lead to ask these questions (16, 28 and 35) because they

were mentioned in previous studies (refer to pages 33, 34, 36, and 37 of

Chapter 3) and they put emphasis on the sub-foci. Question 23 deals with how

low morale can be dealt with.

The following types of questions are ranking questions:

Question 13: Rank the following causes of teacher morale on a scale from 1-5

(1. Indicating very high frequency and 5 very low frequency)

Management style of the principal 1 2 3 4 5

Lack of educational resources 1 2 3 4 5

Relationships among peer groups 1 2 3 4 5

Conflicting personalities in the job situation 1 2 3 4 5

Poor working conditions 1 2 3 4 5

Question 22: How do you rank you own morale status?

22

Low High 1 Very High 2 3

Question 13 elicits responses that speak to the causes of low morale among

educators. The question was asked to establish the status of educator morale

and also for educators to evaluate themselves according to their work situation.

It will also be easy to link the causes of low morale to the morale status of the

educators. This question was guided by pages 33, 34, 35, 36 and 37 of the

literature study. In Questions 13 and 22 the researcher attempts to measure the

mind-sets and opinions of the respondents (educators).

In this questionnaire open- ended questions that were asked are listed below.

Question 24: What are the main causes of your morale status at the school?

Question 36: Of what value is a high level of morale among educators to the

learners?

Question 45: How do you think management can best deal with low morale of

educators?

Question 46: If you have any other concern that affects your morale but is not

covered in this questionnaire, please write it down. The rationale on which these

questions are based is the eliciting of various responses from the respondents

and it will give the researcher grounds to formulate certain recommendations.

The questions were asked to obtain current information from respondents on

causes and ways of dealing with low morale of educators.

2.6.1.2 Questionnaire that was given to principals and School Management Teams

23

The following dichotomous questions were asked in this questionnaire

9. Do you think the exclusion of post level 1 educators from decision-

making processes contributes to low morale?

Y1 N 2

19. Are there teachers at your school that are assigned subjects that they

do not specialise in?

Y N1 2

22. In your opinion are the educators at your school still excited about the

profession?

Y N1 2

25. Do you think that if parents support teachers with the discipline

problems of their children it will contribute to high teacher morale?

Y N1 2

26. Does a high attendance of parents at parent meetings contribute to

high teacher morale?

Y N1 2

28. Will the assistance of educators to resolve personal issues contribute

to high teacher morale?

Y N1 2

Refer to pages 36, 37, 38, 43 and 45 of chapter 3 in the literature review on

which the questions are based. In all the questions above respondents must

either give a reason for their choice or motivate their answers. It gives

respondents a chance to express their answers in their own words and to get

further revelation from the respondents about their views regarding the issues at

hand.

The following multiple choice questions were asked where respondents had to

choose between alternatives:

Question 14: Which of the following would you say is the biggest cause of low

educator morale? Select one:

Conflicting personalities among staff members (difficult

relationships)

1

24

Lack of educational resources (poor working conditions) 2

Personal problems of educators 3

Poor discipline among learners 4

Other

(specify)……………………………………………………………………

5

The question was motivated by pages 33, 34 and 36 of the literature review

.The question above is followed by “give a reason for your answer”. This further

clarifies why the choice was made.

The ranking questions that were used in the questionnaire were:

Question 11: How do you rank the morale status of the educators at your

school?

Low 1 High 2 Very High 3

This question overlaps with question 22 on the educators’ questionnaire. It is to

establish whether principals and SMTs know the morale status of educators at

their schools and also to compare the different responses.

Question 16: How frequently do you acknowledge post level 1 teachers for a job

well done?

Never 1 Always 2 Sometimes 3

25

Question 17: How frequently do you acknowledge them in front of other staff

members?

Never 1 Always 2 Sometimes 3

Acknowledgement of educators for a job well done is one way to deal with low

morale among educators according to literature (see pages 46 and 47 of

Chapter 3)

Question 18: Indicate teacher absenteeism at your school:

2-9 teachers per week 1 10-17 teachers per

week 2

18+ teachers per week

3

Teacher absenteeism is listed as an indicator of low morale among educators

according to the literature review page 41 and 42. It will enable the researcher

to establish the morale status of educators from the sample audience.

The rest of the questions on the questionnaire are open-ended questions and

are listed below.

Question 13: What gives you an indication that the morale status at your school

is high or low?

Question 24: What measures do you have in place to keep beginning teachers

motivated and excited about teaching at your school?

Question 30: In your opinion, who or what are the main causes of the morale

issues among the staff (if any) at your school?

Question 31: How do you deal with low morale of educators at your school?

Question 32: If there are other factors impacting on educator morale that are not

covered in this questionnaire, please write it down. These questions were asked

26

to get the different view points from principals and SMTs about the causes of

low morale and how they currently deal with low morale among educators.

2.6.1.3 The pilot questionnaire

Pilot questionnaires were issued to establish whether instructions were clear

and understandable. Two SMT members and three educators were used to pilot

the questionnaires. The educators and SMT members checked the clarity of the

questions and commented on them. The educators commented that the

questions were easy to understand and that the questionnaires did not take

long to answer. The questionnaires were well balanced, easy to read and

enough space was provided to write the responses. The SMT members

commented that the questions were clear and relevant to the work situation for

which it was intended. Simple and understandable language had been used.

2.7 DATA ANALYSIS AND DATA INTERPRETATION PROCEDURE

2.7.1 Qualitative data analysis and interpretation

The researcher firstly organised the raw data from the open-ended questions

into the categories (defining the concept, causes of low morale and how can low

morale be dealt with) mentioned on the questionnaire- these categories were

the main categories. It was then divided into sub-categories with a question

probe attached to each sub-category. Thereafter, the data was divided into

groups that were more or less similar. Every utterance by the research

respondents was accounted for because the sample size was not large. The

data obtained from the questionnaire that was not similar to the rest of that of

the sample audience was listed under miscellaneous.

27

The data was interpreted by making sense of the responses with the highest

prevalence of open-ended responses. Each respondent's words were

interpreted. Similar responses were identified, as well as the reasons for having

certain feelings about certain questions.

2.7.2 Quantitative data analysis and interpretation

The questionnaires were already divided into themes or categories for the

tabulation of the data and this made it easier for the researcher to continue, in

line with the study’s objectives. One question at a time was dealt with and the

responses were counted per question and per response possibility. The data

was then presented in the form of tables. The interpretations were based on the

different themes and categories used in the study. For data interpretation, the

researcher looked at the highest percentage of people that agreed with certain

responses.

2.8 CONCLUSION

The above chapter dealt with the research design and covered the information

indicated below.

The sample selection: why this particular sample was chosen, the size of

the sample and the persons that represented the sample.

How the data was identified: the following were taken into consideration,

namely, how the data was collected, where the information would come

from, what needed to be shown as validation and justification for learning

, what do I need to know to arrive at a solution, and what do I need to

solve.

28

How the literature study was conducted.

The types of research approaches used in this study.

How the questionnaires were developed with a detailed discussion of

each questionnaire (SMTs, principals and educators), why each question

was asked and also the types of questions asked.

Why, how and to whom the pilot questionnaires were issued and the

outcome of the pilot questionnaires.

How the data analysis and interpretation were done.

The next chapter provides the literature study that was done for this research.

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CHAPTER 3

LITERATURE STUDY

3.1 INTRODUCTION

This deals with available literature on how to advise principals and School

Management Teams (SMTs) on how best to deal with instances of low morale

of educators in certain schools.

In order to have a better understanding of the problems that relate to low

educator morale, the researcher will focus mainly on the sub-problems as

captured in the research study. The literature review will provide historical

perspectives on educator morale and how it ties in with this research. The sub-

foci are:

(i) What is morale?

(ii) What are the causes of low morale?

(iii) What are the indicators of low morale?

(iv) What is the importance of educator morale?

(v) How can low morale be dealt with?

It is anticipated that the literature review will contribute partially to a solution of

the research question. To this end the researcher will attempt to provide a link

between existing mechanisms from previous studies for dealing with low morale

in general, in order to provide a background to understand the sub problems to

be evaluated. The literature review will serve as a framework to do the research

design for example setting up of questionnaires. It will guide the researcher to

determine which questions to ask, because it provides knowledge regarding the

30

different types of questions asked which can be validated against the

information collected from respondents.

3.2 HOW MORALE CAN BE EXPLAINED

In order to address a topic on morale one needs to have an understanding of

the meaning of the concept “morale”, and how it is explained as per the relevant

literature.

Morale is an unclear concept and the expression itself is often used without

being appropriately described. Webster’s New Collegiate Dictionary (1977:748)

describes morale as the “mental and emotional attitude of an individual to the

function or tasks expected of him “. It is also “a sense of common purpose with

respect to a group”.

According to Bentley and Rempel as cited in Bhella (2001:369), morale is the

degree to which an individual’s desires are fulfilled and how the individual

identifies satisfaction with respect to his/her job situation. They also state that

high morale is present when an individual demonstrates a concern for his job

and when the individual is excited about the job. What the person thinks,

perceives and feels is more significant than the circumstances that may exist as

thought of by others. Management, according to the authors, can only be

perceptive of morale when a person expresses certain feelings and channels

them towards their job situations in the form of different behavioural patterns.

It is common knowledge that in any organisation where low morale is evident,

productivity levels are low, and in schools where teachers are not performing to

desired levels, it can adversely affect learner achievement. Indeed, Ellenberg

(1972:76) found that teacher morale affects student achievement. On the other

31

hand, in schools where high morale is present, learner achievement is

enhanced.

Morale has been thought of variously as a “feeling, a state of mind, a mental

attitude and an emotional attitude” (Mendel as cited in Lumsden 1988:2), which

is echoed by Evans L (1997:832) that morale is “a state of mind determined by

the individual’s anticipation of the extent of satisfaction of those needs which

he/she perceives as significantly affecting his/her total work situation.”

Another study by Washington and Watson cited by Lumsden (1998:2) describes

morale as the feeling an employee has about his profession based on how he

perceives himself in the institution and whether or not the institution meets that

person’s desires and expectations.

Fuller (1985:9) observed that morale is often perceived as an institutional

phenomenon and that organisational morale is a shared expression of individual

mindsets. It is the author’s contention that one should start at a personal level in

order to deal effectively with grievances.

Morale has been explained as the professional interest and passion that a

person exhibits towards the realisation of individual and group goals in a given

job situation. Dreeben as cited in Engel (1986:104-105). It follows then that if

each person in a specific job situation reaches his/her individual goals, then the

group goals could be achieved.

The following then comprises the quoted sources’ understanding of morale:

• Morale is the degree to which an individual’s needs are fulfilled and how

the individual recognises satisfaction in the job situation.

32

• The presence of high morale is indicative of an individual who displays

an interest in his/her job or who is enthusiastic about his/her job.

• Morale is thought of in many respects as a feeling, a state of mind, a

mental attitude and an emotional attitude.

• Morale is viewed as a state of mind determined by the individual’s

expectation of the level of contentment of those needs which he/she

perceives as significantly affecting his/her entire work situation.

• Organisational morale is viewed as a collective expression of individual

feelings.

• Morale has been explained as the professional interest and enthusiasm

that a person displays towards the achievement of individual and group

goals in a given job situation.

From the above definitions of morale, the researcher defines it as an individual’s

multi-faceted state of mind that arises from personal experiences, which give

rise to certain feelings and perceptions, which in turn shapes the nature of a

person’s day-to-day contact with other people in a given job situation. The

diverse schools of thought on the definition of morale, which exist in the

literature, should facilitate the researcher’s understanding of its meaning.

For the sake of completeness, the causes of the various states (high or low) of

morale will also be afforded an exposition in what follows.

3.3 CAUSES OF LOW MORALE

In this subsection the core of the problem will be highlighted via the views of

other researchers. Before one can begin to address the problem as outlined in

the introduction, we need to know its origins. In this subsection the researcher is

going to summarise the causes of low morale of educators.

33

Naong cited by Naong (2007:291) pointed out that educators in South Africa are

generally unhappy, demoralised and exhausted. The current status of teaching

in South Africa is recognised by extremely trying circumstances (i) the incidence

and influence of stress, (ii) the declining morale (iii) the number of teachers

leaving or intending to leave the profession. Lorgat as cited in Mahabeer

(2008:44) concurs that many educators are exiting the profession and one of

the many reasons is, that they experience immense pressure dealing with the

effects of HIV and Aids.

The incidence of HIV infections amongst teachers was found by the Education

Labour Relations Council (ELRC) Report, to be 12% nationally. The prevalence

of HIV infection among teachers is higher than the 11% average figure. The

study also reflects marked provincial deviations (Hall et al 2005:23). School

efficiency will decrease where a considerable proportion of teachers are ill,

lacking morale and are unable to concentrate and this is confirmed by the

Mobile Task Team (2005:3) that states that there is a strong link between low

morale, poor job satisfaction and high job stress in relation to the absenteeism

rate related with HIV and Aids.

According to SAIDE (2001:21) studies have shown that that the following impact

greatly on the morale of educators: a lack of support for educators; shortage of

subject advisors; workshops aimed at educator improvement taking a long time

to materialise; the socio-economic context within which schools are located

greatly affects learning; high unemployment rate and rivalry over scarce

resources in communities which contributes to social problems for example

vandalism of schools, gang wars and drug trafficking. The Daily Dispatch (11

February 2003:2) cited that “Teachers' low morale was caused by the

government's failure to build proper school building structures to create an

environment conducive to teaching and learning”. According to the Daily

Dispatch (February 2002:1) the poor performance of teachers in the classroom

and the miserable pass rates of the Eastern Cape schools is due to low

educator morale.

34

The Educators Voice (July 2009:14) reveals that there are various stresses

placed on teachers who are expected to deliver a new curriculum within the

structure of poor classroom settings, inefficient schools and communities

disjointed by poverty and unemployment. These factors place stress on

teachers and make the accomplishment of teaching and learning objectives a

challenge.

Another cause of low morale of educators is the abolition of corporal

punishment in schools and the escalating lack of discipline in schools (Naong

2007:283). According to the author there is a direct correlation between

educator morale and learner discipline at schools. Malone, Bonitz and Rickett

as cited in Valentic (2005:11) concurred that the main reason teachers leave

the profession is due to a lack of learner discipline. Teachers find this unruly

behaviour annoying and claim that it reduces their efficiency and hinders their

ability to increase student achievement. Students are becoming more physically

and verbally hostile and it is expected of educators to manage their classrooms

in these climates. Teachers use precious teaching time on discipline matters

and this disruptive behaviour destroys educator morale.

According to Whitaker (1995:80) the following are causes for low educator morale:

• Inadequate and poor reward systems by principals for a job well done.

• Uneasy relationships, conflicting norms and outlooks.

• Lack of educational facilities and resources - poor working conditions.

The source of the problem is not only job-related, it is also personal since,

according to Andrew et al (1985:49), illness, marital problems and financial

problems cause depression, which is carried over to the work situation, which

35

suggests that, and this is affirmed by Evans L (1992:163), morale is an

individual phenomenon rather than a group phenomenon.

Each individual has his/her own personal issues and they enter their work

environment with their own sets of problems, which inevitably impacts

negatively on their work. Hayward (2002) cited in Management Today,

highlights that a high level of educator stress and low morale are apparent in

contemporary South African schools. This is emphasised in Stenlund

(1995:146) where the effects of stress on morale and how it can result in

emotional and physical fatigue and a reduction in work motivation, involvement

and fulfillment is discussed. Kelehear (2004:30) corroborates that “stress occurs

among all groups in a school community and can affect morale, performance

and leadership ability”. It is, furthermore this author’s argument that when

schools function under high levels of stress, especially unmanaged stress, the

school environment becomes unhealthy and inefficient. The Sunday Times (29

September 2002:17) also emphasised that teaching is a stressful job that offers

inadequate prospects for promotion and few incentives.

According to He and Xhuan as cited in Pan and Qin (2007: 66) teacher job

satisfaction refers to teachers’ emotional observation of their work, occupation

and job situation. These observations and experiences are directed onto

education and teaching, affecting teachers’ morale and the quality of education

and teaching.

Pan and Qin (2007:75) is also a useful source of information on the various

causes of low morale, which could assist the researcher to compile a few

suggestions for principals to improve the morale status of educators at their

schools. This may also convey information on what behaviours principals

should not express. Pan and Qin stress the following points that principals

should adhere to:

36

• The establishment of effective administrative structures.

• The creation of superior teaching climates and an enabling setting for

teachers to improve their qualifications (it will raise teachers’ morale and

improve job satisfaction, resulting in teachers acknowledging

management).

• Avoiding an autocratic management style, whereby power is

concentrated in the hands of dictatorial principals. This can result in

educators expressing resentment towards their principals, losing

confidence in management, and becoming taciturn towards their work.

In addition, the following contributing factors according to Dreeben as

mentioned by Mattera et al (1991:3) create an awareness of the different

elements that adversely affect teacher morale, which are part of the sub-

problems that the researcher identifies:

• Non-existent relationships in the workplace (between peer groups).

• Lack of freedom in planning work.

• Lack of opportunities for policy planning.

• Educators’ perceptions of their supervisors.

McDonough, cited in Inman and Marlow (2004:606) and Engel (1986:104-105)

also identify the following as negatively impacting on teacher morale and

creating stress in the workplace:

• Uninvolved parents and invasive bureaucracy (McDonough).

• New and enhanced public expectations (Engel).

In fact, Inman and Marlow (2004:613) pointed out that detached parents and

persistent bureaucratic interferences tend to “influence the inclination of

teachers to leave the classroom”. The latter authors also corroborate Engel’s

findings on the effects of public expectations.

37

According to Andrew et al (1985:24-29), teachers view the principal as the

major influencing factor on morale. In Andrew’s study: ‘inconsistent’,

‘unsupportive’, ‘formal’ and ‘impatient’ were some of the adjectives used to

describe principals of schools experiencing low levels of morale.

Ball (1987:103) identifies the establishment of SMTs in schools as awkward,

since staff that is not part of the Senior Management Team tends to think of

themselves as prohibited from the important parts of decision-making.

According to a study done by Evans L (1998:427), teachers expressed their

desire to be part of the decision making processes at their school.

Hierarchical decision-making structures are entrenched in schools and

regardless of democratic gains; the reality of the situation is that the decision-

making process within the school may be vested in the principal. Hierarchically

based decision-making is restricted. The principal’s hierarchism is based on the

idea “that those holding the most senior posts are best qualified to make

decisions”; in other words that “seniority equates to decision-making

competence” (Evans L 1998:426).

One of the recurring themes which emanates from the previously quoted

researches implicitly speaks to the need for an effective management style of

the principal as a deterrent to low levels of teacher morale. In addition, what

surfaced is that teachers yearn to be a part of and stakeholders in the education

of learners, and in the education process. Excluding them from these, creates a

sense of apathy and resentment toward the principal, which subsequently

negates high morale.

38

Gonder and Hymes (1994:11) defines school climate as follows. It refers to the

atmosphere in a school by saying; it consists of mannerisms and mindsets

shared by members of subgroups, such as students, management and staff and

by the school population as a whole. Climate impacts on morale, productivity

and satisfaction of persons involved in an organisation and are generally

considered to be positive or negative.

To summarise, the causes of low educator morale are:

• Insufficient reward systems by principals, fluid relationships, incompatible

values and views and poor working conditions.

• Personal problems resulting in stress.

• Ineffective administrative structures, unfavourable working conditions

without the possibility of personal advancement, and an autocratic

management style.

• Non-existent relationships in the workplace (between peer groups), lack

of freedom in planning work, lack of opportunities for policy planning and

educators’ perceptions of their supervisors.

• Indifferent parents and invasive bureaucracy, and new and enhanced

public expectations.

• The establishment of management structures, e.g. SMTs which exclude

teachers from decision-making.

• The abolition of corporal punishment.

• The school climate.

• Socio-economic context within which schools are located.

• Vandalism of schools.

• Physically and verbally aggressive learners.

• Prevalence of HIV infections among educators.

• Job satisfaction - emotional perception of their work, profession and

working conditions.

39

The causes of low morale fits in with the research problem in that it will assist

the researcher to design a data collection tool and to pose questions which

would ideally elicit responses that speak to the sub-foci. It helps bring the

different elements together that contribute to this problem.

In the subsequent section the indicators of low morale will be explored.

3.4 INDICATORS OF LOW MORALE

In this subsection I extract the indicators by ascertaining from the literature what

happens to educators, learners and schools where low morale is evident.

There is a direct correlation between high educator morale and learners’

performances in schools where the learners’ achievements are commendable.

The converse also holds true (Bhella 2001:371).

In a study conducted by Andrew et al (1985:24-29), in schools with low morale,

only disciplinary and academic problems are discussed during meetings.

Another problem identified in these schools is the presence of cliques which

creates defensiveness on the part of the principal. In such situations the

principal more often than not, only communicates with certain groups rather

than the whole staff thereby excluding certain teachers in the decision-making

processes at the school, especially in matters that affect them professionally.

Teachers clearly identified students as the primary and central factor that has

an impact on both their professional enthusiasm and discouragement. Teachers

treasure student responsiveness and enthusiasm and conversely list low

motivation in students as a discourager (Stenlund 1995:146). In schools where

40

the majority of learners underperform, teachers are discouraged and

unenthusiastic towards their work.

Another indicator of low morale is “a loss of concern for and detachment from

the people with whom one works, decreased quality of teaching, depression,

greater use of sick leave, efforts to leave the profession, and a cynical and

dehumanised perception of students” (Mendel citing Holt 1980) (Lumsden

1998:4).

In instances where there are high levels of morale, teachers feel a sense of

achievement and satisfaction from their jobs (Hoy and Miskel 1987). According

to Lawless (1979:305), the high morale group is held together by inner

cohesiveness “Goodwill, cohesiveness and adaptability are marks of morale”.

Being part of such a group offers the individual a wide range of support as well

as some sense of support or protection against dissatisfaction or harsh

circumstances in the workplace.

Hayward (2002) found in a study on teacher morale that good collegial

associations and good interactions with senior management were seen as the

foundation of very high educator morale.

In summary, the indicators constitute the following:

• Low learner achievement.

• Selective communication.

• Ignoring certain human resource issues.

• A lack of learner responsiveness and enthusiasm.

• High frequency of teacher absenteeism.

• Low standard of teaching.

• Cynical perception of learners.

41

• Efforts to exit the profession.

• Detachment from colleagues.

• Not being able to adapt.

• Bad relationships with colleagues and senior management.

In the next section, the importance of high teacher morale will be addressed.

3.5 IMPORTANCE OF HIGH TEACHER MORALE

In this segment the importance of high educator morale will receive attention

and its importance with respect to learners, will be highlighted. The profession

and the professional health of both educator and the institution will also be

discussed.

According to the Restaurant Hospitality (1 March 2009:16), if morale is high in

any workplace, the employees are happy and happy employees provide better

customer service.

Teacher morale is a very important aspect in our schools. It is important

because it impacts on learner achievement and if morale is low, learner

achievement is low. This is confirmed by Asmal K (1999) who states that, “Low

teacher morale is a serious barrier to learning”.

People are the most important aspect in organisations. Organisations cannot

survive without their people. That is why morale is closely linked to

organisational survival. Johnrud and Rosser as cited by Valentic (2005:4) affirm

that morale is a vital aspect in teachers' decisions whether or not to stay in the

profession. If the work life of the staff can be improved, then morale will

42

increase, thereby increasing teacher retention. According to Andrew et al

(1985:30), positive steps must be taken to advance the morale status of

teachers, students and administrators in schools that have low morale.

“Many studies indicate that social factors such as group interaction, supportive

relationships, human relation skills, management skills, high performance goals

and above all, morale are the most important determinants of productivity and

success in human enterprises “(Bhella 2001:369).

The recipe for success at one of South Africa's top one hundred schools is: a

happy, stimulating environment, a highly qualified and driven staff that is

motivated, professional and committed and an institution that has all the

structures in place with a code of conduct for educators and learners without

any loopholes (Sunday Times 18 October 2009:4).

Miller, as cited by Lumsden (1998:3), stated that teacher morale can have a

positive effect on pupils’ mindsets and the way they learn. Elevating the level of

morale of teachers does not only make teaching more pleasant for teachers, but

also learning more pleasant for learners. This creates an environment that is

more conducive to learning and that is why it is vital that we deal with it. This is

confirmed by Mendel as cited in Lumsden (1998:4) when he says that teacher

morale affects student learning, the health of the organization and the health of

the teachers.

Hall (1998:201) found that poor morale affects output and efficiency in

organizations. Absenteeism, labour disputes, misappropriation and

embezzlement of funds and poor quality are all indicators of turmoil and low

morale. It certainly impinges on how well people do what needs to be done. Low

performance can contribute to attrition.

43

According to the Daily Dispatch (9 May 2002:6) educators are the Education

Department’s most priceless asset because they accomplish the core duties of

the department which is, to teach children. The physical infrastructure within

which the teachers work is fundamentally poor and weakening, with the result

that many of our disheartened teachers are failing our children.

The following can be summarised from the above literature:

Morale is important because a high level of morale ensures:

• Happy and healthy employees;

• an increase in productivity;

• an increase in learner achievement;

• decrease in teacher attrition;

• improvement in the success of the organization;

• improvement in the way learners learn;

• the production of a healthy environment;

• an increase in teacher retention.

From the above studies it can be concluded that people are important assets in

an organisation. Some textbooks classify people as an intangible resource (i.e.

knowledge, trust between employees and managers, managerial capabilities,

the unique way people work together and the organisation’s reputation) which is

an advanced and more compelling source of core competencies. Organisations

rely on their intangible resources because they cannot be purchased, imitated

by competitors or substituted. They set one organization apart from another. It

is important to look after this resource and nurture it because the survival of the

organisation depends on it.

44

The next segment is going to investigate how low morale can be dealt with.

3.6 HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH

The following investigations will help the researcher focus on how to deal with

the research problem and it will assist in making suggestions to principals and

SMTs with regard to the improvement of morale issues at their schools.

According to Nowell and Van der Merwe as cited in Mahabeer (2008:63),

principals should reduce stigmatization of HIV positive staff and remedy any

fallacies and uncertainties regarding HIV and Aids. Stigmatization and prejudice

derives from ignorance and misinformation which impact negatively on the

efficiency, morale and enthusiasm of employees.

The Government Gazette (SA National Dept. of Education, 18 February 1999:

12-13) highlights the fact that the school principal’s responsibility towards the

educators that he manages is among others, to afford professional headship

within the school and be accountable for the improvement of staff training

programmes.

Andrews et al (1985:30-51) cited the following ways for principals to deal with

low morale at their schools:

• Principals must have a good self morale.

• They should involve educators in the decision-making processes at their

schools. These are, among others, setting objectives and planning.

• Know the wishes and ideals of the community, students and staff.

• Provide the resources needed to accomplish the schools’ goals.

• Communicate effectively at various levels.

45

• Help teachers find resolutions for personal problems.

• Create a platform to acquaint themselves with the teachers’ work and

show an appreciation for it.

• Assign teachers to subjects that they specialize in and provide those

outside their specialty with assistance.

• Principals should provide opportunities for growth and development.

• Principals should efficiently manage conflict and not repress it.

.

According to Wild-life Management Professional (April 2009:2), management

can raise the morale of employees and propel them to higher levels of

competence by showing employees how appreciative they are for a job well

done. Employees like to know that their efforts do not go unnoticed and that

their hard work and commitment is appreciated. They will feel motivated,

content and happy and enjoy coming to work. “Happy employees provide good

customer service”. Hayward (2002) as cited in Management Today stated that

the customers in a school are the parents, learners and the community. The

employees, according to Wild-life Management Professional, are the internal

customers. According to this quoted source, good companies have programmes

in place to show their gratitude towards employees and great companies

execute those programmes.

Lumsden L (1998:4) quoted Bolin, who states that teachers are not even fully

aware of the subtle decline of their morale status. Teachers need to be aware

otherwise nothing can be done about it. Teachers must first admit to their

deteriorating morale status and then take action to improve.

(Berman 1987) alludes to the fact that educators need to give consideration to

the care and replenishment of self if they are to be vibrant, responsive, sensitive

persons - persons who get enthused about ideas and people. Teachers need to

be able to keep the originality and spark that commonly mark a novice in the

46

field, while at the same time embedding freshness in acumen and

consideration.

Inman D and Marlow L (2004:613) did a study on “Teacher Retention: Why do

beginning teachers remain in the profession.” This study is very important

because if the problem is dealt with from the start, where educators enter the

profession, much will be accomplished. Inman and Marlow stated that:

• Beginning teachers can benefit when provided with prospects to interact

and work with (1) teacher mentors, (2) with colleagues with similar ideas

about teaching, (3) administrators who encourage and promote teachers’

ideas and (4) communities who make them feel positive about the

education system.

• It is vital that teacher education workshops be proactive and provides

support.

• Benefits for the teachers include a positive self image, worthwhile

contributions to the curriculum, a support network, positive interactions

with parents and other local authorities for the beginning teacher. All this

ultimately benefits the students within the beginning teacher’s classroom.

According to the Restaurant Hospitality (1 March 2009:16) there are eight ways

to build employee loyalty and boost the morale of employees. I chose those that

are applicable to this research because the others are based on the corporate

world:

• Thanking employees for a job well done.

• Awarding employees by giving them a framed certificate to show your

appreciation.

• Writing them a thank you note.

• Helping them to improve their qualifications. In that way you invest in

their future and the result could be more productive employees.

47

• Asking them what they would like to improve and in that way make them

part of the decision-making which is echoed by Humphreys (1995:68-69),

who states that the whole staff should be involved in decision-making.

Humphreys also states that the main requirements to create positive staff

morale are:

• Interaction among all staff members.

• Principals need to be approachable and available to both learners and

educators.

Hill (1994:224) outlines the following statements that can improve educator

morale:

• Learner achievement;

• recognition of educator’s achievements;

• job satisfaction;

• entrusting educators with certain responsibilities;

• possibility for advancement (promotion);

• possibility for personal growth.

The following information from literature will assist the researcher to make some

suggestions to management to build up the morale of their employees.

The following summarises the ways that management can deal with the low

morale of educators:

• Educators must be involved in decision-making.

• Community involvement must be positive.

• Schools must be provided with the necessary resources.

• Teachers need to be provided with assistance to resolve personal

issues.

48

• Teachers need recognition for a job well done.

• Opportunities for growth, development and advancement (promotion).

• Proactive teacher training workshops.

• Beginning teachers need to work closely with other teachers and teacher

mentors.

• Principals need to be approachable and available to teachers and

learners.

• Principals should equip themselves with the necessary knowledge of HIV

and Aids to reduce stigmatisation of employees.

The above literature should assist the researcher to set up a data collection tool

because it deals with the solution of the research question.

3.7 CONCLUSION

From the above literature study it is obvious that low teacher morale is a

problem in schools and it shapes learner achievement and ultimately the health

of the institution. For schools to run efficiently it is imperative for principals and

SMTs to reconsider their behaviour and make all the teachers part of the

decision-making processes at their schools since teachers are the stakeholders

in the education system and also in the learning processes at their schools.

Learners learn by the way teachers teach and if that is not done effectively the

vision and the mission of the institution may be compromised. This chapter

clearly indicates that morale is the result of collective behaviours exhibited by

educators and these behaviours have a major impact on their job situation.

Teachers need to be aware of their diminished status and confess it before they

can begin to address it. It is also clear that a lack of resources, a lack of support

from the principals and a lack of opportunities for advancement is another

reason why teacher morale drops and why teachers have the tendency to exit

49

the profession. SMTs and principals need to value the teachers at their school

and treat them with the respect that they deserve. In that way teachers will also

feel that they belong and they will also feel a sense of ownership towards one of

the most cherished educational institutions in the world.

The next chapter will provide a detailed account of the data analysis and data

interpretation procedures used in this study.

50

CHAPTER 4

DATA ANALYSIS AND DATA INTERPRETATION

4.1 INTRODUCTION

The key focus of this chapter is to provide a detailed account of data analysis

and interpretation of data obtained from educators, principals and SMTs. The

data obtained from educators and SMTs is expressed as percentages in this

chapter. “A percentage is a proportion or rate per hundred parts.” (Collins

1989:956). Since only two principals were used as respondents, numbers

instead of percentages were used for example one of the two or both.

4.2 DATA OBTAINED FROM EDUCATORS, PRINCIPALS AND SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS

4.2.1 Data obtained from educators

Biographical information

TABLE 2: Biographical Information of Educators

AGE GENDER YEARS TEACHING EXPERIENCE

20-30 12,5% Male 31,2% 0-4 15,6%

31-40 37,5% Female 68,8% 5-9 6.3%

41-50 41,6% 10-14 3,1%

51

51+ 9,4% 15-19 56,3%

20+ 18,8%

From the table 2 above, it can be concluded that the respondents are

representative in all the variables mentioned above. The majority of

respondents are 41-50 years of age. Most of them are females. The majority of

the educators have teaching experience of 15-19 years. They are in the middle

phase of their work life. As older females, they gave more mature viewpoints

when data was collected.

Table 3 below is a compilation of the different categories of the responses of the

educators. The responses are grouped according to question categories and

sub-categories. The table provides a list of all the main categories and sub-

categories identified in this study and the responses of the educators are

summarised as motivation for naming the sub-categories. This is followed by a

discussion of each category and a visual representation of the quantitative view

of the sub-categories in the form of charts.

TABLE 3: Derived Categories and Motivation (Educators)

MAIN CATEGORIES SUB-CATEGORIES MOTIVATION FROM THE

DATA FOR NAMING SUB-

CATEGORIES

1. Defining the

concept.

1. Leads to contentment. Needs satisfaction leads to

happy employees that will

give their best and improve

performance.

2. Leads to motivated

employees.

If you show interest and

enthusiasm in your job, you

will have job satisfaction. It

will push you to satisfy the

52

needs of your job.

3. Leads to excellent

work.

You are driven to do more

than is expected of you.

4. Leads to enjoyment. You feel excited about your

job.

5. Leads to

encouragement to do

your best.

You will strive to do your

best.

6. Lack of

support/resources.

Lack of support makes your

job unpleasant.

7. Inconsistency of

management and lack

of promotion.

Uncommitted manager, no

opportunity for advancement.

2. Causes of low

morale

8. Talking to colleagues

when not happy at

work.

Talking to a colleague is

more comfortable because

colleagues can relate to your

situation.

9. Reasons for talking to

or not talking to the

principal when I am

unhappy at work.

It is important to discuss the

matter with the principal but

the principal only listens to

certain people.

10. Demotivated learners. Learners show very little

interest in their schoolwork.

11. Poor management

style of principal.

The principal is uncommitted

to his duties. Causes division

among the staff. He is

disorganised.

12. Feel unappreciated. You are taken for granted

and your opinions count for

nothing.

13. Inadequate monetary

reward.

Salary levels are very low.

53

14. Management. Lack of good management

and guidance from

management.

15. Learner discipline. Learners are ill-disciplined.

16. Leads to a feeling of

inspiration.

You will feel valued and

respected.

17. Educators must fulfil

various roles.

The public thinks that

teachers know everything

and can do anything.

18. Parental roles

neglected.

It is expected that the teacher

must fulfil parental roles too,

like teaching children

manners.

19. Dysfunctional Dept. of

Education provides no

support.

Shows little or no

appreciation towards

teachers, teachers are not

protected by departmental

policies.

20. Disinterested parents. Parents are not interested in

the education of their

children.

21. Uninvolved parents. Parental involvement is non-

existent.

22. Some parents are

involved.

A small percentage does

show interest.

23. Leads to improvement

in learner attitudes.

High morale will rub off onto

learners and they will do their

best.

24. Leads to motivated

teachers.

Teachers will pass on a

positive attitude to learners

and the outcome will be a

better standard of teaching.

3. How low morale 25. Decision-making is not This is just part of the

54

can be dealt with. the only influencing

factor.

problem.

26. Feel valued. If involved in decision-making

you feels that you belong.

You feel a sense of

ownership towards the

school.

27. Improvement in

learner discipline.

Community involvement will

result in learner attitudes

changing for the better.

Learners will be motivated.

28. Learners and teachers

will feel safe.

Community involvement in

the school will result in

educators and learners

feeling safe at school.

29. Greater support. Involvement of community

leads to less pressure placed

on educators.

30. Lack of resources. Performance will be improved

if you are supplied with the

necessary resources.

31. Need for personal

support.

Leads to teachers being

more productive, you feel as

if you are important and that

you matter.

32. Opportunities for

growth and

advancement.

Will motivate you to give your

best.

33. Support with regard to

their work.

Teachers need support in

disciplining the learners,

34. Listen to teachers’

grievances.

Listen to what they have to

say.

35. Commitment from Management should value

their staff and be more

55

management. respectful towards educators.

36. Governmental role in

education.

Better financial compensation

for all educators. Lack of the

Dept. presence at the school.

Defining the concept

Sub-categories 1-3 of Table 3 were derived from question 6. The respondents

felt that when your needs are satisfied, it will lead to contentment because the

majority of them stated that you “will be happy” in your work situation. According

to the teachers it will improve their motivation and they will do more than is

expected of them. The quality of their work will also improve. According to the

data 45% of the educators agree that high morale is present when a person’s

needs are satisfied, 48% however strongly agree to this question. Only 3% of

educators disagree and 3% of educators strongly disagree to this question. I

can deduce from these percentages that the majority of the educators in the

sample are currently just doing what is expected of them in their work situation.

The reason for this deduction is the use of the words “will improve” and “will do

more”. From the 3% who strongly disagree and disagree I can deduce that they

do not think that needs satisfaction will lead to contentment, because they are

already doing more than is expected even if their needs are or are not satisfied

in the job situation.

Sub-categories 4-5 of Table 3 were derived from question 8. The majority of the

respondents felt that if you are interested in and enthusiastic about your job you

will enjoy your work and you will be encouraged to do your best. One of the

respondents felt that, “you will keep on doing your best and not be afraid of

challenges”. The respondents also felt that interest and enthusiasm towards

your job, will drive you to do your best. According to the data collected, 63% of

56

educators strongly agree that high morale is evident in the job situation if a

person shows interest in his/her job and is enthusiastic about the job. Twenty

eight percent of educators agree with this question, 3% disagree and 3%

strongly disagree. I can deduce from these percentages the majority of

educators are not interested in and enthusiastic about their jobs. The reason for

this deduction is the use of words, “you will keep...” and “will drive you”. From

the 3% of respondents that disagree and strongly disagree I can deduce that

there are other reasons that encourage them to do their best.

Ninety-two percent of the respondents are of the opinion that low morale at

work arises from job-related experiences and only 8% stated that low morale

arises from personal experiences. The researcher can thus conclude that there

are factors in the working environment of the respondents that break morale

down. These factors impede them from doing their best.

Sub-categories 6-7 of Table 3 were derived from question 12. Eighty-eight

percent of educators feel that their needs are not satisfied in the job situation

and 13% of them feel that their needs are satisfied in the job situation. The

majority of them, 59% are not interested in and enthusiastic about their work

and 47% of them are still interested in and enthusiastic about their work. Most

of the respondents cited that lack of support (lack of resources) makes your job

unpleasant. Inconsistency of management (an uncommitted manager) and lack

of promotion were posed as the main reasons educators are not enthusiastic

and excited about their work.

Causes of low morale

The following table is based on question 13:

TABLE 4: Responses to Question 13

(1.Indicating very high frequency and 5. very low frequency)

57

1 2 3 4 5

Management style of the principal 28,1% 9,4% 34,4% 18,8% 9,4%

Lack of educational resources 28,1% 15,6% 25% 9,4% 21,9%

Relationships among peer groups 3,1% 18,8% 40,6% 25% 12,5%

Conflicting personalities in the job

situation

12,5% 18,8% 31,3% 21,9% 15,6%

Poor working conditions 40,6% 6,3% 21,9% 12,5% 18,8%

From the table 4 above, it can be concluded that the majority of educators

indicated that lack of educational resources and poor working conditions are the

main causes of low teacher morale. Not many of them however, felt that

conflicting personalities and relationships among peer groups in the job

situation can be cited as one of the causes of morale.

The bulk of the educators would talk to a colleague if he/she were not happy

with his/her job situation and only 1 indicated that he/she would ignore it. Sub-

categories 8-9 of Table 3 were derived from question 15. The respondents felt

more comfortable talking to colleagues that were in the same situation as they

were because they could relate better to the situation. Many educators felt that

it was important to discuss the matter with the principal when you were not

happy at work, but the principal did not show interest and he only listened to

certain people.

Sub-categories 10-11 of Table 3 were derived from question 17. Many

educators felt that the management style of the principal and low motivation in

learners is the major factors influencing morale of teachers at their schools. The

respondents stated that learners showed very little interest in their school work.

“Learners have no respect, no goals in life and parents are not willing to help

the educators”. The respondents also stated that the principal caused division

58

among the staff and he was disorganised. “Teachers' needs are not considered

(ignored). Only get (receive) demands from management”.

Sub-categories 14-15 of Table 3 were derived from question 24. The

respondents stated that the main causes of the morale status at their school

were the lack of good management and guidance from management and also

disinterested and ill-disciplined learners.

Low motivation in learners is the major influencing factor of morale as

mentioned by the educators. Sixty-three percent of educators felt that they are

excluded from important aspects of decision-making. All the educators in the

sample indicated that SMTs and principals are not the only ones who are best

qualified to make decisions at their school. The bulk (77%) of the educators in

the sample audience indicated that they have thought of leaving the profession.

They stated that they felt unappreciated and that their opinions did not count

and also that the salary levels in the teaching profession were very low. They

gave these as reasons for wanting to leave the profession.

Many educators (55%) rank their own morale status as low. The educators

(52%) also felt that the principal did not provide them with recognition for a job

well done. Eighty-four percent of respondents thought that recognition from the

principal would contribute to high morale. The majority of the respondents

stated that recognition from the principal would make them feel valued and

respected and that it would inspire them to reach greater heights.

The majority of educators felt that unfavourable working conditions had a major

impact on their morale status at the school. According to the sample

respondents, 69% of them think that the public expects too much from them as

educators and 82% of them do not get the necessary support from parents.

Sub-categories 17, 18 and 19 of Table 3 were derived from question 30.

59

According to respondents, the public thinks that educators must fulfil various

roles and that educators know everything and can do anything. It is expected

that teachers must fulfil parental roles too, like teaching children manners.

According to the sample respondents, the education department is

“dysfunctional”. They provide no support for educators and show little or no

appreciation towards teachers. It was stated that, “teachers are not protected by

departmental policies”.

Sub-categories 20, 21, 22 and 23 of Table 3 were derived from question 32.

The majority of respondents cited that the majority of the parents were not

interested in the education of their children and that parental involvement was

non-existent. According to the respondents only a small percentage does show

interest. Eighty-seven percent of respondents also mentioned that parents were

not involved in the education of their children.

The majority of educators feel a sense of belonging toward the school although

the socio-economic context, within which the school is located, has the greatest

negative impact on their morale status.

Sub-categories 23-24 of Table 3 were derived from question 36. Many

respondents felt that a high level of morale would improve learner attitudes.

Educators would be motivated and would pass a positive attitude on to their

learners. The end result could be an improved standard of teaching and

learning.

How can low morale be dealt with?

Sub-categories 25 and 26 of Table 3 were derived from question 38. Some

respondents felt that decision-making was not the only factor influencing

60

morale; it was just part of the problem. Seventy-three percent of the sample size

indicated that being part of decision-making would increase their morale. They

felt that being part of decision-making would make them feel that they belonged

and they would have a sense of ownership towards the school.

Sub-categories 27-29 of Table 3 were derived from question 40. Community

involvement in the school according to the respondents would result in learners'

attitudes changing and learner discipline improving. Respondents felt that the

teachers and learners would feel safe at the school. According to them,

community involvement leads to less pressure placed on educators. There

would be greater support in terms of fundraising efforts and learner discipline. It

also shows 97% of the respondents felt that community involvement in their

school would contribute to high educator morale.

Sub-category 30 of Table 3 was derived from question 41. The sample

respondents felt that your performance will be enhanced if you are supplied with

the necessary resources to execute your daily tasks. Ninety-four percent of the

respondents felt that if they were not supplied with the necessary resources it

would affect their morale.

Sub-category 31 of Table 3 was derived from question 42. Respondents felt that

if their personal problems were taken care of, they would feel that they were

important and that they mattered. According to them, assistance in this regard

would improve their productivity. Of the respondents, 71% want management to

provide them with assistance to resolve personal issues.

Sub-category 32 of Table 3 was derived from question 43. Realistic

opportunities for growth and advancement would drive you to do your best,

according to the sample audience because 97% of respondents felt that realistic

opportunities for growth and advancement would contribute to higher morale.

61

Sub-categories 33-34 of Table 3 were derived from question 45. The majority of

educators in the sample felt that they needed support with regard to their work

especially in disciplining learners. They want management to listen to their

grievances.

Sub-categories 35-36 of Table 3 were derived from question 46. Other concerns

that affect educator morale according to respondents are, management must be

more committed toward their staff and be more respectful toward them. They

also felt that governmental role in education must be more visible because there

is a lack of departmental presence at their schools. Many respondents cited that

better financial compensation was a priority.

4.2.2 Data obtained from School Management Teams

Biographical Information

TABLE 5: Biographical Information of SMTs

AGE GENDER YEARS TEACHING

RANK

20-30 0% Male 70% 10-15 0% Deputy principal 30%

31-40 0% Female 30% 16-21 10% Heads of Department

50%

41-50 80% 22-27 60% Educator 10%

51+ 20% 28+ 30% Acting subject head

10%

62

From the table 5 on the biographical information of School Management Teams,

80% of the SMTs fall into the age group 41-50. The males made up 70% of the

respondents and the females 30%. Sixty percent of SMTs have been teaching

for 22-27 years and the majority is Heads of Department. This is an indication to

the researcher that for a long time they have been exposed to factors that

influence the morale of educators. Their feedback comes from more mature

viewpoints.

Table 6 is a compilation of the different categories of the responses of the

School Management Teams. The responses are grouped according to question

categories and sub-categories. The table provides a list of all the main

categories and sub-categories identified in this study and the responses of the

School Management Team are summarised as motivation. This is followed by a

discussion of each category and a visual representation of the quantitative view

of the sub-categories in the form of tables.

TABLE 6: Derived Categories and Motivation (SMTs)

MAIN CATEGORIES SUB-CATEGORIES MOTIVATION FROM THE DATA FOR NAMING of SUB-CATEGORIES

1. Defining the concept. 1. Leads to job satisfaction.

If all your needs are met, the working environment will be pleasant because all the resources that you need will be at your disposal and the quality of teaching and learning will be enhanced.

2. Leads to improvement in motivation in teachers.

Your performance will improve and you will be driven to reach greater heights.

2. Causes of low morale. 3. Involvement in decision-making leads to improvement in the institution.

Educators will feel part of the institution. The school's results will be improved.

4. Top down decision-making makes the school dysfunctional.

Everyone must partake in decision-making.

63

5. Management style of the principal.

Ineffective management structures.

6. Low motivation in educators.

High absenteeism rate and educators have minimal involvement in extra curricular duties.

7. Undisciplined learners. Learners are disrespectful towards teachers and teachers feel unsafe in their working environment.

8. Lack of involvement. Teachers are not happy about the current situation at the school they are engaged in the absolute minimum activities.

9. Bad learner discipline. Learners are not interested in education. There is no assistance from the Department of Education with regard to learner discipline.

10. Division among staff. Staff does not stand together. Too many cliques.

11. Favouritism - unequal treatment of educators.

All educators should be treated equally and fairly.

12. Working conditions. Decrease the workload of educators.

13. Guidance. Assign a mentor to each beginner teacher to guide him/her.

13. Low salaries and undisciplined learners.

Large classes with undisciplined learners. Lowest paid profession in South Africa.

14. Part of staff is motivated.

Young staff is highly motivated. Some of the older staff members do show enthusiasm and try to learn.

3. How low morale can be dealt with.

15. No mechanisms. None are in place.

16. Guardianship. Be supportive and assign somebody to teach them.

17. Parental duty neglected by parents.

Parents must work with educators in disciplining their children.

64

18. Attendance will indicate that parents are interested.

Teachers will go the extra mile.

19. Resolving personal issues, leads to improvement in the working environment.

The atmosphere at the school will be pleasant. Educator's performance will be enhanced.

20. Lack of confidentiality.

Teachers must resolve their own personal issues, otherwise everyone will know your personal issues

21. Principal's management style and an uneven distribution of work load.

There is favouritism toward certain educators. Workload is not evenly distributed.

22. No mechanisms in place.

Educators are left to deal with it on their own.

23. Attempts by different role players.

All role players must work together as a team and be supportive and build each other.

24. Salaries. Low salaries.


Sub-category 1 of Table 6 was derived from question 6. According to the

respondents, when your needs are satisfied, it leads to job satisfaction .Your

working environment will be pleasant and the quality of teaching and learning

will improve because you have everything that you need to your disposal. Fifty

percent of SMTs agree that when a person's needs for the job are satisfied,

high morale is present. Thirty percent of SMTs strongly agree and 20%

disagree.

65

Sub-category 2 of Table 6 was derived from question 8. Respondents felt that if

you feel interested in and enthusiastic about your job, you will feel motivated.

Your performance will improve and you will be driven to do your best. According

to one of the respondents, interest and enthusiasm leads to “improved results,

less disciplinary problems and greater interaction with co-workers”. Fifty percent

of SMTs strongly agrees that high morale is evident when a person is interested

in and enthusiastic about their work, 40% agree and 10% disagree.


Sub-categories 3-4 of Table 6 were derived from question 10. Involvement in

decision- making according to the majority of the respondents, leads to the

improvement of the institution because educators will feel part of the institution

and the school's results will improve. Eighty percent of SMTs felt that exclusion

of post level 1 educators from decision making will contribute to low educator

morale. Top down decision making according to the respondents, makes the

school dysfunctional. According to sample respondents, everyone must take

part in decision making. “Transparency is vital”.

Sub-categories 5-7 of Table 6 were derived from question 12. Eighty percent of

SMTs rank the morale status of educators as low. The reason for this is the

management style of the principal which is ineffective. The other reason is low

motivation in educators. They stated that there is a high absenteeism rate

among educators and educators are not involved, “they do the minimum of

duties”. Another reason cited by the SMTs for low motivation in educators is

undisciplined learners. SMTs felt that teachers feel unsafe in their working

environment, “learners are not respectful anymore”.

Sub-category 8 of Table 6 was derived from question 13. The lack of

involvement of educators was identified as an indicator of the morale status of

66

educators. According to one of the respondents, “it is evident that teachers are

unhappy with the situation at the school. The general feeling is, the less I can

do, the better”.

Sub-categories 9-10 of Table 6 were derived from question 15. Poor discipline

among learners was identified as the biggest cause of low educator morale.

Respondents felt that they do not get any assistance in this regard from the

Department Education. They stated that learners were just not interested in

education. Forty percent of SMTs think that poor discipline among learners is

the biggest cause of low morale, 30% of them think it is conflicting personalities

among staff members, 20% think it is the lack of adequate resources and 10%

think it is personal problems of educators. Conflicting personalities among staff

causes division among staff and the majority of the SMTs felt that there was a

“lack of unity among educators”.

Of SMTs 70% sometimes acknowledge Post level 1 educators for a job well

done. Seventy percent of them acknowledge Post level 1 educators sometimes

in front of other staff members. When they indicated teacher absenteeism rate

per week, 55% responded 2-9 teachers per week, 33% responded 10-17

teachers per week and 11% responded 18+ teachers per week.

Sub-categories 11-12 of Table 6 were derived from question 19. The majority of

SMTs felt that all educators should be treated equally, there should be no

favouritism and the workload of educators should be decreased.

Eighty percent of SMTs responded that there are teachers assigned subjects in

which they did not specialise. A mentor is assigned to each educator to guide

him/her according to the respondents, as a measure to assist them.

67

Seventy-seven percent of the SMTs think that educators are not excited about

the profession. Sub-categories 13-14 of Table 6 were derived from question 23.

The reasons that were indicated by the SMTs for this were low salaries and

undisciplined learners. One of them responded that it was the “lowest paid

profession in South Africa”. The young staff members are highly motivated,

according to some SMT members because they do show some enthusiasm and

try to learn.


Sub-categories 15-16 of Table 6 were derived from question 24. According to

the majority of sample respondents, no mechanisms are in place to keep

beginning teachers motivated and excited about the profession. According to

them, a mentor must be assigned to beginner teachers “to teach them the

ropes”. They should be provided with the necessary support.

One Hundred percent of SMT members think that parental support will increase

educator morale. Ninety percent of SMT members felt that the attendance of

parents at parent meetings will contribute to higher educator morale. Sub-

category 17 of Table 6 was derived from question 25. The majority of the

sample audience felt that parents must work together with educators in

disciplining their children. They feel that the parental duty is neglected by the

parents. Sub-category 18 of Table 6 was derived from question 26. According to

the SMT sample, attendance of parents at parent meetings will show that

parents are interested in the education of their children and because of that,

teachers will go the extra mile.

Sub-categories 19-20 of Table 6 were derived from question 29. Seventy

percent felt that assisting educators to resolve personal issues would contribute

to higher educator morale. If personal problems were resolved, it would lead to

68

improvement in the working environment. The performance of the educators

would be enhanced and the atmosphere in the workplace would be pleasant.

The SMTs also felt that there was a lack of confidentiality at the school and

teachers should resolve their own personal issues.

Sub-category 21 of Table 6 was derived from question 30. The majority of

SMTs felt that the main causes of the low morale among the staff were the

principal's management style and an uneven distribution of the workload.

Sub-categories 22-23 of Table 6 were derived from question 31. According to

the SMTs there are no mechanisms in place to deal with low morale of

educators. One of the SMT members responded that, “educators are left to their

own devices and those with low morale are often seen as rebels or plain lazy”.

They also mentioned that all the role players must work together as a team and

be supportive and motivate wherever they can.


SMT members, low salaries also impacted on morale of teachers.

4.2.3 Data obtained from principals

Biographical information

TABLE 7: Biographical Information of Principals

AGE GENDER YEARS TEACHING EXPERIENCE

69

51+ 2 M 2 28+ 2

From the above table it can be concluded that the two principals fall within the

same age group and gender and both of them have been in the profession for

more than 28 years. They are very mature managers and the many years of

service indicate to the researcher that for years they have been exposed to

factors that affect the morale status of educators. It also gives the researcher

information that they speak from a male perspective.

Table 8 is a compilation of the different categories of the responses of the

principals. The responses are grouped according to question categories and

sub-categories. The following table provides a list of all the main categories

identified in this study and the responses of the principals will be summarised

as motivation for naming the sub-category. This is followed by a discussion of

each category and a visual representation of the quantitative view of the sub-

categories in the form of tables.

TABLE 8: Derived Categories and Motivation (Principals)

MAIN CATEGORIES SUB-CATEGORIES MOTIVATION FROM DATA FOR NAMING THE SUB-CATEGORIES

1. Defining the concept. 1. Leads to fulfilment by overcoming obstacles.

You will not meet the objectives of the task if you teach with low morale.

2. Leads to service delivery. You will be fulfilled in your job and it will improve the quality of teaching and learning.

2. Causes of low morale. 3. Decision-making is very important.

Post level 1 educator contribution also important. Teachers also want to be part of the decisions taken.

4. Some obtain good results while others are poor.

Those that obtain good results get enjoyment from hard work. A consultative approach is needed.

70

5. Involvement and co-operation.

Lack of involvement and poor results is an indication of low morale and optimal co-operation is an indication of high morale.

6. Teacher unions. Unions cannot come to an agreement on how things must be done.

7. Trying different methods. By empowering them with knowledge and making them part of decision-making and also involving the Dept. of Education.

8.Training Use the knowledge gained from the Department.

9. Depends on the individual and also by making the individual part of the school.

His calling must become a reality to him.

3. How low morale can be dealt with.

10. Responsibility of the Education Dept. or Mentorship

They get support from senior teachers. It is the responsibility of the Department.

11. Discipline is the teachers' responsibility. Discipline is a parental issue.

It is the responsibility of parents and educators to discipline.

12. Leads to co-operation. Involvement of parents leads to better co-operation.

13. Leads to effectiveness of the educator in his duties.

Teachers will be effective in the execution of their duties.

14. Biggest cause is the Department of Education.

Schools are not provided with the necessary resources. Another issue is low salaries.

15. Show interest and have workshops.

Principals must be aware of the needs of the educators. Workshops were done but rejected by certain individuals.

16. None No other factors were mentioned.

71



principals, if your needs are satisfied, you will be fulfilled and do what you are

supposed to in the work situation. One of principals agreed that high morale is

evident when a person's need for the job is satisfied and one strongly agrees.

Sub-category 2 of Table 8 was derived from question 7. Interest and

enthusiasm lead to service delivery. You will be fulfilled and your performance

will be enhanced. One of principals agrees and one strongly agrees that high

morale is evident among educators when they show interest and enthusiasm

towards their job.


Sub-category 3 of Table 8 was derived from question 10. According to a

respondent, “post level 1 contribution to decision making is just as important as

those higher post levels”. One of the respondents felt that exclusion of post

level 1 educators from decision-making contributes to low morale because they

cited that educators want to feel part of the decisions. The other respondent felt

that exclusion of post level 1 educators from decision making will not contribute

to low morale.

Sub-category 4 of Table 8 was derived from question 12. One of the principals

in this study ranked the morale status of educators as high and the other one

ranked it as low. The respondent that ranked the morale status of educators as

low stated, “Some high, some low”. “The higher are engaged in what they were

72

employed for and enjoy it. The lower ones hide behind poor performance and

finding fault”. The other respondent, who ranked the morale status as high,

mentioned that they make use of a “consultative approach.” Sub-category 5 of

Table 8 was derived from question 13. An indicator of the morale status of

educators is the level of involvement of educators in their duties and also the

level of co-operation among them.

Both of the principals chose conflicting personalities among staff members as

the biggest cause of low morale among educators. A reason that was

mentioned as the root of this problem was the unions. They said that each

union had its own opinion on how things should be done.

One of the respondents always acknowledges educators in front of other staff

members for a job well done, while the other sometimes acknowledges

educators in front of other staff members for a job well done.


respondents, the morale status of educators can be improved by, having regular

workshops and involving them in decision-making. The other respondent

mentioned: “I tried various methods and the employer must attend to this very

important issue”. Both the respondents indicated teacher absenteeism as 2-9

educators per week. One of principals indicated that teachers are not assigned

subjects that they do not specialise in and the other one indicated that teachers

are assigned subjects that they do not specialise in. Sub-category 8 of Table 8

was derived from question 21. A respondent indicated that he would assist

educators by “making use of the training offered by the Dept. of Education.”

Both the respondents indicated that educators are still excited about the

profession. Sub-category 9 of Table 8 was derived from question 23. Principals

73

felt that they must realise their calling and also be made to feel part of decision

making.


Sub-category 10 of Table 8 was derived from question 24. To keep beginner

teachers motivated, a mentor e.g. a senior educator is assigned to the teacher.

The other respondent felt that it is the responsibility of the employer to keep

beginner teachers motivated.

Sub-category 11 of Table 8 was derived from question 25. One respondent felt

that parental support in discipline problems of their children would contribute to

high morale. One of the respondents felt that discipline was an educator issue

and the other respondent feel that discipline starts at home. One principal felt

that high attendance of parents at parent meetings contributed to high morale

(sub-category 12 of Table 8 was derived from question 26).

Sub-category 12 of Table 8 was derived from question 29. According to

respondents’ assistance to resolve personal issues of educators leads to

performance enhancement, high productivity levels and an improvement in

results.

Sub-category 13 of Table 8 was derived from question 30. The main causes of

low morale among educators, according to principals, are a lack of resources

and inadequate remuneration. This problem was solely in the hands of the

Department of Education.

74

Sub-category 14 of Table 8 was derived from question 31. According to

principals, to deal with low morale you need to show interest in the educators as

a manager and you need to hold frequent workshops.

4.3 WHAT HAS BEEN LEARNT FROM THIS RESEARCH STUDY?

Table 9 provides a list of learning as a result of the research:

TABLE 9: Learning

What have been learnt?

Where can it be found? (Questionnaire responses/literature Review)

What can be recommended?

Applicable to who are the recommendations.

Morale is the extent to which a person's needs are satisfied, the person will be happy and content.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 93 on the educator questionnaire), Literature Review (Bentley and Rempel as cited in Bhella (2001:369).

If person's needs are satisfied (personal and job needs) the person will meet the objectives of the institution. Management needs to show interest in educators' needs and try to meet them.

Principals and SMTs.

Morale affects the productivity levels in an institution.

Literature Review (Ellenberg 1972:76).

If productivity levels are low, learner achievement will be poor. Educators' needs need to be met. Principals must try to be more approachable to the staff. Ask suggestions from educators on how to improve their morale status.


75

Prevalence of HIV infections and the pressure dealing with the effects of HIV/AIDS.

Literature Review (Lorgat as cited in Mahabeer (2008:44) Hall et al (2005:23).

SMTs, principals and the education dept. must work hand in hand with the educators concerned. They must provide personal assistance in the form of motivation and outside psychological support. It is time for the Department of Education to invest in their educators. The principals should educate themselves with the necessary knowledge of HIV/AIDS to reduce stigmatisation of employees.

SMTs, principals and the Dept. of Education.

Lack of support in terms of discipline of learners is a cause of low morale.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 98 on the educator questionnaire) /Literature Review. Malone, Bonitz and Rickett as cited in Valentic (2005:11); Naong 2007: 283.

The Education Dept. must put solid structures in place when it comes to the discipline of the learners because these learners are protected by our constitution. Schools must have sound disciplinary codes for learners and educators. Parents must support teachers in the discipline of their learners.

The Dept. of Education, Principals, SMTs and Parents.

Low motivation in learners is a cause of low educator morale.

Questionnaire responses pg. 96 on the educator questionnaire) and Literature Review

Parents need to motivate the learners at home and show interest and involvement in their

Parents and Educators.

76

(Stenlund 1995:146). schoolwork and give them the necessary support. Teachers must motivate them at school by being committed to the objectives of the institution.

Socio-economic context within which the schools are located and community involvement is a cause of low morale.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 99 on the educator questionnaire), literature Review (SAIDE 2001:21).

Communities must work hand in hand with the school so that educators and learners can feel safe at these schools. Schools need community support. This will also motivate learners to become serious toward their work. Principals need to speak to community leaders and ward councillors and involve them in the school.

Community, principals and SMT.

Poor working conditions are a cause of low morale.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 98 on the educator questionnaire)/Literature Review.

The Dept. of Education should make more resources available to the schools e.g. textbooks, paper, stationery, equipped laboratories and especially assist schools in poorer communities. They should study these schools' feeder areas and understand how it impacts on the success rate of these schools.

The Dept. of Education.

77

Management style of the principal is one of the causes of low morale.

Literature Review (Pan and Qin 2007: 75) and questionnaire responses (pg. 96 on the educator questionnaire).

The principals should attempt to institute consistency and promote feelings of dedication among workers. They must introduce a common stake in the organisation's purposes and build relationships of reliance and deference among the staff.

Principals

Exclusion of educators from decision-making.

Literature Review (Evans L 1998:426) and questionnaire responses (pg. 99 on the educator questionnaire and pg. 105 on the SMT and principal questionnaire.

Principals must make educators part of the decisions. When you make educators part of the decisions, you make them part of the goals of the institution. When you make decisions, you set goals. With decision-making comes accountability, they might feel part owners in the institution. This could boost their morale and propel them to greater heights.


Inadequate salary structures are one of the causes of low morale.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 96 and 101 on the educator questionnaire and pg. 110 on the principal and SMT questionnaire).

The Education Dept. should revise their compensation systems. They could for example link a portion of the pay to job performance to encourage superior performance.

Dept. of Education.

Stress and physical Literature Review. The Dept. of Principals and

78

fatigue and assistance to resolve personal issues affect morale of educators as ways to deal with low morale.

(Stenlund 1995:146), Berman 1987. Questionnaire responses (pg. 100 on the educator questionnaire).

Education in co-operation with principals and SMTs should work together with other governmental institutions e.g. dept. of health and local municipalities and involve local clinics and hospitals and propose wellness programmes for both educators and learners.

SMTs and Dept. of Education.

Parental support is vital in improving learner discipline as a way to deal with low morale.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 98 on the educator questionnaire).

Educators need the support of the parents. Parents need to do their parental duties at home e.g. teach their children respect and discipline.

Parents.

Provide recognition for a job well done as one of the ways to deal with low morale of educators

Questionnaire responses (pg. 97 on the educator questionnaire)/Literature Review (Whitaker 1995:80)

Educators want recognition and they want to be recognised in front of the rest of the staff. Effective managers find ways to use various reward systems to motivate employees


Keep beginner teachers motivated as one of the ways to deal with low morale of educators.

Questionnaire responses (pg. 108 on the SMT and principal questionnaire. Educator and Literature Review (Inman and Marlow 2004).

Beginner teachers must work closely with teachers and teacher mentors.


79

4.4 CONCLUSION

The chapter gives an outline of the data analysis and data interpretation. The

first part of the chapter was divided into three sections:

data obtained from educators

data obtained from SMTs

data obtained from principals

The biographical information was summarised for each section according to the

questions that were asked on the questionnaires. The data was then

categorised according to main categories (defining the concept, causes of low

morale and how low morale can be dealt with). Each main category was divided

into sub-categories and a summary of the responses from the data were given

as a motivation for naming each sub-category. The data was then analysed and

interpreted. The numeric data were converted into percentages for educators

and SMTs. The actual numbers were used for the principals because there

were only 2 respondents.

The second part of the chapter was to compile a table of the learning listed in

this chapter under the headings: where can it be found (questionnaire or

literature review), what can I recommend and applicable to whom is the

recommendation.

In this chapter the data was analysed, interpreted and the learning was listed,

As a result of learning listing, recommendations could be made.

The next chapter provides an overview of summaries, deductions,

recommendations and further research.

80

CHAPTER 5

OVERVIEW OF RESEARCH, DEDUCTIONS, RECOMMENDATIONS, NEED FOR FURTHER RESEARCH and

CONCLUSION

5.1 INTRODUCTION

This chapter provides an overview of summaries, findings and

recommendations that provide suggestions on good practice guidelines for

improving educator morale as well as possible research that could be

undertaken.

5.2 OVERVIEW OF SUMMARIES

Chapter 1 provides a general introduction and motivation for the study and a list

of factors that affect educator morale negatively was provided. A general

background to what altered the morale of educators was provided. A short

report on the transformation of educator morale in South Africa and abroad was

given. The objectives of the study were clearly demarcated. The chapter

concluded by clarifying the concepts related to the research topic and outlining

the division of chapters.

Chapter 2 outlines the research methodology used to collect the data. The

outline is listed below.

• A discussion of why and how the sample was selected.

• An identification of the data needed.

81

• The literature study process.

• The types of research approaches (qualitative and quantitative).

• A discussion on how the questionnaires were developed.

• The data analysis and data interpretation procedure.

Chapter 3 outlines a literature review undertaken in order to determine what

educator morale is, causes of low morale, indicators of low morale, the

importance of high morale and how low morale can be dealt with.

Chapter 4 provides an analysis and interpretations of the empirical data. The

data obtained from educators, principals and SMTs was discussed under the

themes mentioned in the questionnaires (biographical information, defining the

concept, causes of low morale and how low morale can be dealt with).

Chapter 5 provides an overview of the research. Important findings from both

the literature review and empirical investigation were discussed.

Recommendations based on both literature review and empirical findings were

made to improve educator morale as well as possible research that could be

undertaken.

5.3 IMPORTANT DEDUCTIONS FROM LITERATURE AND EMPIRICAL STUDY

From the literature review and responses to the questionnaires, the following

deductions were made.

82

1. Morale is the extent to which a person's needs are satisfied, the person

will be happy and content. (Bentley and Rempel as cited in Bhella

(2001:369) and Pg. 93 on the educator questionnaire).

2. Morale affects the productivity levels in an institution. (Ellenberg 1972:76)

3. The prevalence of HIV infections and the pressure dealing with the

effects of HIV/AIDS is one of the causes of low morale. ((Lorgat as cited

in Mahabeer (2008:44) and Hall et al (2005:23)).

4. The lack of support in terms of discipline of learners is one of the causes

of low morale. (Malone, Bonitz and Rickett as cited in Valentic (2005:11),

Naong (2007:283) and Pg. 98 on the educator questionnaire).

5. Low motivation in learners is a cause of low morale. (Pg. 96 on the

educator questionnaire and Stenlund (1995:146)).

6. The socio-economic context within which the school is located and the

level of community involvement is a cause of low morale. (Pg. 99 on the

educator questionnaire and SAIDE (2001:21)).

7. A cause of low morale is poor working conditions. (Pg. 98 on the

educator questionnaire and Whitaker 1995:80)).

8. The management style of the principal is one of the causes of low

morale. (Pg. 96 on the educator questionnaire and Pan and Qin

(2007:75)).

9. The exclusion of educators from decision-making is a cause of low

morale. (Evans 1998:426), Pg. 99 on the educator questionnaire and Pg.

105 on SMT and principal questionnaire).

10. One of the causes of low morale is inadequate salary structures. (As a

response to Pg. 96 and pg.101 on the educator questionnaire and Pg.

110 on the SMT and principal questionnaire).

11. Stress and physical fatigue and assistance to resolve personal issues

affect morale of educators. (Stenlund 1995:146, Berman 1987 and Pg.

100 on the educator questionnaire).

83

12. Parental support is vital in improving learner discipline. (Pg. 98 on the

educator questionnaire).

13. Provide recognition for a job well done as one of the ways to deal with

low morale. (Pg. 97 on the educator questionnaire and Whitaker

1995:80).

14. Keep beginner teachers motivated as one of the ways to deal with low

morale. (Inman and Marlow 2004 and Pg. 108 on the SMT and principal

questionnaire).

5.4 RECOMMENDATIONS:

The general aim of the study was to investigate low morale among educators; a

literature study was done and served as a benchmark for the empirical study.

The deductions as well as the empirical investigation are encapsulated in the

following recommendations:

1. If a person's needs are satisfied, (personal and job needs) the person will

meet the objectives of the institution. Management needs to show

interest in educators' needs and try to meet them.

2. If productivity levels are low, learner achievement will be poor. Meet the

needs of the educators; try to be more approachable to the staff. Ask for

suggestions from educators on how to improve their morale status.

3. SMTs, principals and the education department must work hand in hand

with the educators that are infected and affected by HIV/AIDS. They

must provide personal assistance in the form of outside psychological

support. It is time for the education department to invest in their

educators. The principals should educate themselves with the necessary

knowledge of HIV/AIDS to reduce stigmatisation of employees.

4. The education department must put solid structures in place when it

comes to the discipline of the learners because these learners are

84

protected by our constitution. Schools must have sound disciplinary

codes for learners and educators. Parents must support educators in the

discipline of their children.

5. Parents need to motivate the learners at home and show interest and

involvement in their schoolwork and give them the necessary support.

Teachers must motivate them at school by being committed to the

objectives of the institution.

6. The community must work hand in hand with the school so that

educators and learners can feel safe at these schools. Schools need

community support. This will also motivate learners to become serious

toward their work. Principals need to speak to community leaders and

ward councillors and involve them in the school.

7. The education department should make more resources available to the

schools e.g. textbooks, paper, stationery, equipped laboratories and

especially assist schools in poorer communities. They should study these

schools' feeder areas and understand how it impacts on the success rate

of these schools.

8. The principals should attempt to institute consistency and promote

feelings of dedication among workers. They must introduce a common

stake in the organisation's purposes and build relationships of reliance

and deference among the staff.

9. Principals must make educators at all levels in the institution part of the

decisions. When you make educators part of the decision-making, you

make them part of the goals of the institution. When you make a

decision, you set goals. With decision-making comes accountability, they

will feel part owners in the institution. This will boost their morale and

propel them to greater heights.

10. The education department should revise their compensation systems.

They could, for example link a portion of the pay to job performance to

encourage superior performance.

85

11. The department of education, in co-operation with principals and SMTs

should work together with other governmental institutions e.g.

department of health and the local municipalities and involve local clinics

and hospitals and propose wellness programmes for both educators and

learners.

12. Educators need the support of the parents. Parents need to do their

parental duties at home e.g. teach their children respect and discipline.

13. Educators want recognition and they want to be recognised in front of

the rest of the staff. Effective managers find ways to use various reward

systems to motivate employees.

14. Beginning teachers must work closely with teachers and teacher mentors

and principals and SMTs must put mechanisms in place which are

designed, only for beginner teachers.

5.5 POSSIBLE RESEARCH THAT COULD BE UNDERTAKEN

From the data analysis and interpretation a need for further research could be:

Determining ways of how low morale is affecting different kinds of

schools.

Mechanisms for reporting incidence of low morale.

To provide an instrument to measure low morale of educators in schools.

5.6 CONCLUSION

The chapter provides an overview of the summaries of the 5 chapters that was

captured in this study. Important deductions from the literature and empirical

study were given. For each deduction, a recommendation was given. From the

86

data analysis and data interpretation a list of possible research that could be

undertaken was compiled.

Educator morale has dropped significantly over the past decade. Observe our

external environment. Listen to the media reports on violent behaviour of

learners on school premises. Take note of how educators are constantly

showing their disgruntled feelings about their salaries. Study the poor results in

certain schools. All these are factors that accentuate the motivational levels of

educators in our schools. The majority of educators in the study ranked their

morale levels as low and they cited that they needed support from the principal,

SMTs, education department, parents and the community.

FINALLY!

Words of Encouragement

You gain strength, courage and confidence by every experience by which you

really stop to look fear in the face. You are able to say to yourself: “I lived

through this horror, ‘I can take the next thing that comes along.’”

Eleanor Roosevelt

87

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Inman, D and Marlow, L. 2004. Teacher Retention: Why do Beginning Teachers remain in the Profession. Education Vol. 124(4), 605-614).

Kelehear, Z. 2004. Controlling stress. Principal Leardership. 5(3), 30-33.

Lumsden, L. 1998. Teacher Morale. Eugene, O.R.: Clearinghouse on Educational Management. ERIC Document Reproduction, Service no. EDO-EDA-98-4.

Lawless, D.J. 1979. Organisational behaviour: The Psychology of effective management. Englewood Cliffs, N.J.: Prentice Hall.

Mahabeer, P. 2008. School Principals’ perceptions and responses to the HIV and AIDS pandemic in schools in the Eastern Cape. MEd dissertation. Port Elizabeth: Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University.

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Mattera, J. and McConnell, D. 1991. Speaking of Morale. Clearing House 00098655. Vol. 64(6).

Mobile Task Team. 2005. Educator Attrition and Mortality in South Africa for the Education Labour Relations Council: Durban: University of Kwazulu Natal.

Naong, M. 2007. The impact of the abolition of corporal punishment on teacher morale: 1994-2004. South African Journal of Education, Vol. 27(2), 283-300.

Pan, X and Qin, Q. 2007. An Analysis of the Relation Between Secondary School Organizational Climate and Teacher Job Satisfaction. Chinese Education and Society, Vol. 40(5), 65-77.

Restaurant Hospitality. 8 Ways to show employees the love when you can’t show them the money. 1 March 2009.

S.A. National Department of Education. 1998. Government Gazette, 400(19320), 2 October: Pretoria: Government Printer.

SAIDE. 2001. Consolidated Report on SAIDE’s Research into Educational Programmes and Opportunities in Rural Areas. Cape Town: Oxford University Press.

South African Democratic Teachers Union. 2009. The Educator’s Voice. Union role in supporting teacher well-being- teacher perceptions. 13(2) July:14.

Stenlund, K. 1995. Teacher Perceptions Across cultures: The Impact of Students on Teacher Enthusiasm and Discouragement in a Cross-Cultural context. The Alberta Journal of Educational Research Vol. 41(2):145-61.

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Struwig, F.W. and Stead, G.B. 2001. Planning, designing and reporting research. Cape Town: Pearson education.

Sunday Times . You don’t need to ring a bell. 18 October 2009:4.

Sunday Times. The writing’s on the wall. 29 September 2002:17.

Thurlow, M. 2003. Managing people and performance. (cf. Managing human resources in South African schools. Edited by Lumby, J, Middlewood, D and Kaabwe, E. South African commonwealth secretariat)

Valentic, K.M. 2005. Teacher Morale. MEd dissertation. Ashland University.

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Wild-life Management Professional. Don’t forget your employees. April 2009:2.

92

APPENDIX A

QUESTIONNAIRE TO EDUCATORS

AIM :

AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

To acquire information from educators about their morale issues in their respective job situations

OBJECTIVES:

• To obtain information on what teachers ‘opinions are of morale.

• To obtain information from teachers on what the causes are of low morale among them.

• To obtain information from teachers on how low morale can be dealt with

CONFIDENTIALITY:

All information obtained will be treated as STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL and will only be used for research purposes. Respondents (educators, principal, School Management Team and the School) will never be identified by name.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

Indicate your most suitable choice or choices with a cross (X) in the block (s) as required for each statement or question or answer the question in the space provided. Note that the questionnaire is printed back-back.

TIME NEEDED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONNAIRE

It should take no longer than 30 minutes to answer the questionnaire.

Please complete the questionnaire by 10 September 2009.

Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to answer the questionnaire.

93

Answer the following questions as honest as possible. To ensure anonymity no names need to be furnished.

DATA COLLECTION TOOL FOR EDUCATORS:

1. AGE:

A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION:

20-30 1

31-40 2

41-50 3

51+ 4

2. GENDER

Male 1

Female 2

3. YEARS TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

0-4 1

5-9 2

10-14 3

15-19 4

20+ 5

4. RANK:

Educator 1

Head of Dept. 2

Deputy Principal 3

Principal 4

5. High morale is present in the job situation when a person’s needs are satisfied.

B. DEFINING THE CONCEPT

Agree 1

Strongly Agree 2

Disagree 3

Strongly Disagree 4

6. Give reasons for your choice above.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

94

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. High morale is evident in the job situation when a person shows interest in his/her job and is

enthusiastic about the job.

Agree 1

Strongly Agree 2

Disagree 3

Strongly Disagree 4

8. Give reasons for your choice above.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

9. Low morale at work arises from:

Personal experiences 1

Job related experiences 2

10. Do you feel your needs are satisfied in this job situation?

11. Are you still interested and enthusiastic about your job?

12. If no, why?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Y 1

N 2

Y 1

N 2

95

13. Rank the following causes of teacher morale on a scale from 1-5 (1. Indicating very high frequency and 5 very low frequency).

C. CAUSES OF LOW MORALE

A. Management style of the principal 1 2 3 4 5

B. Lack of educational resources 1 2 3 4 5

C. Relationships among peer groups 1 2 3 4 5

D. Conflicting personalities in the job situation 1 2 3 4 5

E. Poor working conditions 1 2 3 4 5

14. If I am not satisfied and happy with my work situation, I

Take a passive attitude towards my work 1.

Discuss the problem with the principal 2.

Talk to a colleague 3.

Talk to a SMT member 4.

Ignore it 5

Other………………………………………………………………………………………………….. 6.

15. Explain your choice.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

96

16. The major factor influencing morale of teachers at this school is:

The management style of the principal 1.

Low motivation in learners 2.

Public criticism of educators 3.

Other………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 4.

17. Explain your choice.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..................

18. Are you excluded from the important aspects of decision making at your school? Y 1

N 2

19. Do you think SMT’s and principals only are best qualified to make decisions at your school?

Y 1

N 2

20. Have you ever thought of leaving the profession? Y 1

N 2

97

21. Give a reason for your above answer in nr. 20.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………...............................

22. How do you rank your own morale status?

Low 1 High 2 Very High 3

23. Which of the following according to you, is the best way to deal with low morale of educators?

Involve the educators in decision making processes at the school 1.

Proactive teacher education workshops 2.

If appreciation is shown toward teachers for a job well done 3.

Principal should manage conflict appropriately 4.

Other………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………. 5.

24. What are the main causes of your morale status at your school? ……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

25. Does the principal provide recognition to you for a job well done? Y 1

N 2

98

26. Do you think that recognition from the principal will contribute to high morale?

27. If yes, motivate why you say so.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

28. Which of the following has an impact on your morale status at the school?

Unfavourable working conditions 1.

Management style of the principal 2.

Ineffective administrative structures 3.

No possibility for advancement (promotion) 4.

29. Do you think that the public expect too much of you as an educator?

30. If yes why do you think this?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

31. Do you get the necessary support from parents ?

Y 1

N 2

Y 1

N 2

Y 1

N 2

99

32. Motivate your answer.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

33. Are the parents involved in the education of their children ?

34. Which of the following statements describes your sense of belonging toward the school best ?

You feel that you belong 1.

You feel detached from the group/ cannot fit in 2.

35. Which of the following have the most negative impact on your morale status at the school?

Vandalism of the school 1.

Physically and aggressive learners 2.

Socio-economic context within which the school are located 3.

Abolition of corporal punishment 4.

36. Of what value is a high level of morale among educators to the learners?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Y 1

N 2

100

37. Do you think that being part of the decision making will increase your morale or not?

D. HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH?

38. Explain your answer

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..........................................................................................................................................................................

39. Do you think that community involvement in your school would contribute to high morale 40. Motivate your answer above

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

41. Does it affect your morale if the education dept. does not supply you with the necessary resources?

Y 1

N 2

42. Does it affect your morale if management provides you with assistance to resolve personal issues?

Y 1

N 2

43. Will realistic opportunities for growth and advancement contribute to higher morale? Y 1

N 2

44. Motivate your answers for each of the above questions:

41…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………42………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Y 1

N 2

Y 1

N 2

101

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………43……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

45. How do you think management can best deal with low morale of educators?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

46. If you have any other concern that affect your morale but is not covered in this questionnaire, please write it down.

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

102

APPENDIX B

QUESTIONNAIRE TO PRINCIPALS

AIM :

AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE

To acquire information from principals about the morale issues at their respective schools.

OBJECTIVES :

• To obtain information on what principals’ opinions are of morale.

• To obtain information from principals on what the causes are of low morale among educators.

• To obtain information from principals on how low morale can be dealt with.

CONFIDENTIALITY :

All information obtained will be treated as STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL and will only be used for

research purposes. Respondents (educators, principals, School Management Teams and the

school) will never be identified by name.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING QUESTIONNAIRE:

Indicate your most suitable choice or choices with a cross(X) in the block(s) as required for each

statement or question or answer the question in the space provided. Note that this questionnaire

is printed back-to back.

TIME NEEDED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONNAIRE:



Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to answer the

questionnaire.

103

APPENDIX C

QUESTIONNAIRE TO SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS

AIM:

AIM AND OBJECTIVES OF THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

To acquire information from School Management Teams (SMT’s) about the morale issues of

educators at their schools.

OBJECTIVES:

• To obtain information on what SMTs’ opinions are of morale.

• To obtain information from SMTs on what the causes are of low morale among educators.

• To obtain information from SMTs on how low morale can be dealt with. CONFIDENTIALITY:

All information obtained will be treated as STRICTLY CONFIDENTIAL and will only be used for

research purposes. Respondents (educators, principal, School Management Team and the school)

will never be identified by name.

INSTRUCTIONS FOR ANSWERING THE QUESTIONNAIRE:

Indicate your most suitable choice or choices with a cross (X) in the block(s) as required for each

statement or question or answer the question in the space provided. Note that this questionnaire

is printed back-to-back.

TIME NEEDED TO ANSWER THE QUESTIONNAIRE:



Thank you very much for taking the time and trouble to answer the

questionnaire.

104

Answer the questionnaire as honest as possible. To ensure anonymity no names need to be furnished.

DATA COLLECTION TOOL FOR PRINCIPALS AND SMT’s

1. AGE:

A. BIOGRAPHICAL INFORMATION

20-30 1

31-40 2

41-50 3

51+ 4

2. GENDER:

M 1

F 2

3. YEARS TEACHING EXPERIENCE:

10-15 1

16-21 2

22-27 3

28+ 4

4. RANK:

Principal/deputy principal 1

Head of Department

2

Educator

3

Acting subject head

4

5. High morale is present when the person’s needs for the job are satisfied:

B. DEFINING THE CONCEPT

Agree 1

Strongly Agree 2

Disagree 3

Strongly Disagree 4

105

6. Give reasons for your choice.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

7. High morale is evident among educators when they show interest in their job or are enthusiastic about their job.

Agree 1

Strongly Agree 2

Disagree 3

Strongly Disagree 4

8. Give reasons for your choice

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

9. Do you think the exclusion of post level 1 educators from decision making processes contributes to low morale?

C. CAUSES OF LOW MORALE

Y 1

N 2

106

10. Give a reason(s) for your choice above

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

11. How do you rank the morale status of the educators at your school?

Low 1

High 2

Very High 3

12. Motivate your choice.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

13. What gives you an indication that the morale status at your school is high or low?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

14. Which of the following would you say is the biggest cause for low educator morale? Select one

Conflicting personalities among staff members (difficult relationships) 1

Lack of educational facilities (poor working conditions) 2

Personal problems of educators 3

107

Poor discipline among learners 4

Other (specify)………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

5

15 Give reasons for your choice

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

16. How frequently do you acknowledge post level 1 teachers for a job well done?

Never 1

Always 2

Sometimes 3

17. How frequently do you acknowledge them in front of other staff members?

Never 1

Always 2

Sometimes 3

18. Indicate teacher absenteeism at your school:

2-9 teachers per week 1

10-17 teachers per week 2

18 + teachers per week 3

19. How do you think the morale status of teachers at this school can be improved?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

108

20. Are there teachers at your school that are assigned subjects that they do not specialise in?

21. What measures do you have in place to assist them?

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

22. In your opinion are the educators at your school still excited about the profession ?

23. What do you think are the reasons for this?

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

...............................................................................................................................................................

..............................................................................................................................................................

Y 1

N 2

Y 1

N 2

109

24. What measures do you have in place to keep beginning teachers motivated and excited about teaching at your school?

D. HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

25. Do you think that if parents support teachers in the discipline problems of their children will

Contribute to high teacher morale?

Y

1

N

2

26A. Explain your choice.

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

26B. Does a high attendance of parents at parent meetings contribute to high teacher morale?

Y

1

N

2

110

27. Motivate your choice

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

28. Will the assistance of educators to resolve personal issues contribute to high teacher morale?

29. Motivate your answer

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

30. In your opinion who or what are the main causes of the morale issues among the staff (if any) at your school?

…………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………

Y 1

N 2

111

31. How do you deal with low morale of educators at your school?

……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….

32. If there are other factors impacting on educator morale that are not covered in this questionnaire, please write it down.

………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………………..

112

APPENDIX D: DATA RESPONSES OF EDUCATORS MAIN CATEGORY : DEFINING THE CONCEPT Questions Question probe Sub- category Responden

ts Motivation for sub-category

6. Needs satisfaction 1. Leads to contentment 1. 2. 5. 9. 13. 19. 24.

* When a persons needs are satisfied – u feel happy- when happy always give best. * You can only be happy and satisfied if your needs are seen to. *If your needs are met it contributes to a positive attitude, dedication. A positive attitude comes with fulfilment which leads to high morale. * Whatever a person’s needs may be , if he feels that its been satisfied he will be a much happier and contented person. Personal satisfaction will result in higher morale. * Any individual no matter what the job description will develop a high morale if the individual’s needs leads to dissatisfaction, unhappiness and ultimately lack of interest in providing good performance. *“A happy worker is a hard worker”. Give educators what they need to do their job and you will see results. Educators have to struggle for everything. You have to beg, plead, etc. just to get photocopies. There’s no textbooks, educators have to use their own money to buy things. Educators must replace/repair locks of doors at their own expense. Fix windows, buy cleaning material to clean class rooms * No lack of resources; enthusiastic learners; Acceptable socio-economic conditions; Acceptable level of monetary reward; Happy colleagues.

2. Leads to Motivated employees

3. 10. 14. 16. 6. 12.

* I agree with this statement . If your needs are met in your job situation then you’ll feel more motivated and seeking new and better opportunities in your working place. You will also feel better and motivated to come to school. *If a person enjoys what he/she is doing , surely his/her morale will be highly positive. *I agree, if my needs are satisfied in a job, I will want to give back to my company because they are looking after my needs. However you find many people that will remain dissatisfied regardless of what is done for them in their job situation. *When your needs are satisfied , you satisfy the needs of your job. *If your needs are satisfied then you will feel enthusiastic to do your job. * A person can/may have confidence in his/her job even if his or her needs are not met. When referring to being motivated though, having one’s needs met will definitely play a

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25. 28. 29. 30. 31.

role by motivating a person. *If you are assisted as teacher by department , school and parents you will be able to do your job well. Have job satisfaction. * Morale goes hand in hand with motivation. If a person’s needs are satisfied then such a person will be motivated which leads to high morale and expectations. * The more motivated and encourage a person is , the more a person will make an effort to succeed. The need to be acknowledge for once efforts is a great emotional booster. The minute a person does not feel appreciated, all need to do once best is dampined. * A satisfying educator equals a motivated educator. This profession already has so many demanding factors. * I think you are motivated and you have a high morale , you will always do your best and have job satisfaction.

3. Leads to excellent work 4. 7. 11. 17 18. 21. 27.

*When your needs are satisfied only then can you produce work of high quality. *When an individual feels that their opinion counts and that their needs are satisfied their morale will be high and they will achieve higher levels of excellence in their work. * If morale is high you feel more willing to do your work and do more than it is expected of you. *Yes, when people at higher level such as your SMT for example take into consideration your workload, that you have other responsibilities at home and have some compassion for your situation. You as educator will give your best and do your best. *When your needs are met, it normally drive you to do more. *If your work situation and environment is good- obviously you can as a worker will also do your best. Also on the other hand I’m a person that will always try my best to do what needs to be done. *It depends on what the needs are that are satisfied. In many cases the need to have a income is the most important factor and with that a environment where the individual finds him/herself challenged to do their best.

4.Miscellaneous 8. 20. 22.

*When you feel part of when your opinion counts and you have the support no matter what. When at times you don’t feel like a prisoner. The childrens future is not messed with is not messed with when changing the curriculum. Giving the subject fancy names and children have no clue what they are doing. *If or when you not satisfied in your job your morale will decrease. *One cannot educate without the support of the parents, management and the Dept. of Education.

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23. 32.

*It depends on the personality of the person. High morale can also be present even if all your needs are not satisfied e.g. lack of resources at schools. You’ll have to improvise. *Basic needs need to be met it does boost an employees morale. But when these only favour certain people I strongly object.

8. Interest and enthusiasm towards the job

5. Leads to enjoyment. 4. 9. 16. 18. 19.

*When you show interest in your job and is enthusiastic about it, it mean that you are enjoying your job. *When a person shows interest in his/her job it proves that external factors do not deter him/her from enjoying what they are doing. *If you show interest in your work then all your needs are met then you feel enthusiastic and excited about your work. *You love what you are doing. *If you enjoy what you doing , you will be excited to do it. If educators struggle less to get things done, they will be more motivated. The role of educators must be recognised as important.

6. Leads to encouragement to do your best.

1. 5. 6. 7. 10. 14. 15. 20. 21. 23. 27.

*Work will always be up to date . On time. Always be available when called upon (assist). *If your morale is high you will do anything within your job situation because you will be interested and enthusiastic about your job. *If a person is enthusiastic about the job he will keep on doing his best and will not be afraid of challenges. *High morale leads to higher achievement as well as greater job satisfaction *I agree, if you love your job and are passionate about what you do nothing will affect your morale and you will continue to perform in class and as a teacher regardless of what the job situation is. *Work is not seen as a burden. You have reason to give your best. *Prepare lessons in advance; Go on workshops. *You will be eager to go to work and do your work to the best of your ability. *I think if you like your job. If your like what you are doing and you are passionate about your work you will always do your best no matter what. *There must be an interest and passion in your job, even if your circumstances at work is not conducive. *Work and stimulating environment and proper resources=High morale.

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28. 25. 29. 30.

*When a person shows interest there is a certain objective to be targeted. This interest can create enthusiasm and subsequently high morale. *If teachers are happy , they would want to do more *When one’s morale is high one is encouraged to work harder and to strive to do once best. Encouragement and motivation as well as acknowledgement for the efforts made makes one want to strive for better. *A good interest in your job leads to eagerness to improve and come up with innovative ideas.

7. Miscellaneous 2. 3. 8. 12. 13. 17. 22. 31. 32.

*Your interest does not determine your morale. *At the beginning of your career you feel strongly and enthusiastic about your work. If there’s opportunities you want to take part in those challenges but if its the same thing every year and nothing changes you seem to lose interest. *When you are not burdened with the things in the curriculum that you are not acquainted with. Putting pressure on you speaking about things you have no knowledge of. *A person will definitely display high morale when interested in his/her job. *Any person would develop a disinterest in his/her job if there is no enthusiasm w.r.t his/her job. It is vital to love the job you are doing, this will certainly develop a high morale. *Yes, I agree that you will be enthusiastic about your job and show interest when people treat you as an individual with respect. *One becomes despondent when too many factors challenge one’s objectives in the classroom. *If you have a high morale you will show interest in your job and you will be enthusiastic about doing your work. *Interest could also be show cased.

12. Reasons why interest and enthusiasm is not there anymore

8.Lack of support /resources

2. 11. 14. 15

*There is little assistance from the dept. of education * Colleagues are not doing what they are supposed to do – Dept. of Education –our employer is not playing its role. We feel demotivated. *Lack of support services; expected to perform miracles; nothing is constant; feel undermined. *Some needs are not satisfied it would be better if your environment in which you teach are more satisfying and I think if your environment in which you teach are more satisfying then your needs in your job will be satisfied - Very enthusiastic about my job but if there is not much teaching material for learners then

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21. 22. 24. 27. 29.

it makes your job unpleasant. *I’m definitely still enthusiastic but due to certain issues at my workplace certain things are not always available. Finances play a big role in our school and we lack that and it sometimes makes our lives as educators difficult. * Lack of support from parents- homework, discipline, etc. Lack of very basic needs- paper, textbooks, etc. Too much administration from the dept. without consultation with educators. Lack of financial support from the Dept of Education. -Poor salary structure -Lack of job upward mobility -Unsavoury resources -No monetary reward for excellent achievements -No recognition for hard work done -Level 1 teacher not listen too pertaining to OBE. Demotivated learners. *The work situation at this institution has been depressing for years. Lack of support, pupil ill discipline, lack of work ethics from pupils, poor working conditions and lack of promotion possibilities has brought many a teacher to give up. *. Not really. (yes and no) I love my job but the circumstances under which I work makes me feel demotivated and unenthusiastic about going to work. It is a job for the money which is also a very demotivating factor. The lack of resources ; discipline; respect in the workplace makes it hard for one to be enthusiastic and interested.

9.Inconsistency of management and lack of promotion

3. 4. 8.

*I do not have my own classroom and I must make use of different classrooms everyday. The travelling up and down is exhausting. I have no personal area of my own. Many times I must wait for teachers for their classes or they leave with their classroom keys.I have spoken to the principal about this but it looks like it fell on deaf ears. I get an SGB salary of R3465 which is far less than what I should be getting and I’m not permanently employed. I get phoned by the principal and he decides whether or not to employ me. If you get sick at school the principal takes his own time to see you and then he still don’t really want to send you home. If the situation/case were better I would feel more motivated to come to school but everyday I feel less for not wanting to be here. *There is no room for promotion at school- you will stay a level 1 teacher till kingdom come. Learners behaviour is also a factor, they are nowadays more rude towards teachers. The administrative part of teaching also play a huge role in the low morale of teacher. You spent more time on administrative work than teaching. * Children do not know to submit to authority, Teacher who are the authority the power is

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13. 16. 17. 19. 20. 31.

taken from them. Attending workshops finding out you have not received anything. Finding out many times you don’t know if you are on track and what is expected from you * I have answered yes and no as an educator I am very fulfilled with my duties as an educator. I feel that I have achieved many goals. With each learner who has attained success over the past years I consider that a success for me. I love being in the classroom teaching and interacting with the learners. A low morale for me stems from personal experiences at this school . Many individuals have hidden agendas, are guilty of back stabbing, are conniving and will go to any lengths in an attempt to achieve their unethical goals. In the process many innocent people are hurt, ill treated, unfairly treated and fall out of favour of especially management eg. The individual whom holds the power at this school. *Post Level 1 educators are not treated properly because we don’t get the proper recognition at this school. I feel useless because we as post level 1 educators must just fall in with what others say and decide, we don’t have a voice and we are not listened to . I am looking for another job maybe at another school or in another environment. * Sometimes they expect too much from a person. They take things for granted. The managers are not there to help and assist you .They do not look to needs or listen to us. To be very honest the students help a person to forget about any other issues. People have different issues at school. You experience poor working conditions and a lack of resources. *Too much are expected of educators. Sometimes educators who have been teaching for years, regard young educators who enters the profession as a threat. You won’t get an opportunity to grow. They will sophocate you by bombarding you with all the extra work. The Dept. of education and the parents do not show any interest in the school. Educators have to work without resources. Management makes the decisions and educators must just accept and adhere to it. Learners lack motivation. They cannot read or write when they get to high school. Pressure is mostly put on educators to perform, not on other stakeholders. * Management is not consistent , don’t have day to day planning, workplace needs a drastic change. Learners don’t give full participation. *Several circumstances leads to non-satisfaction in the job situations. Learners are undisciplined, demotivated, and not interested in doing their schoolwork. School is not always managed effectively due to certain structures not being in place e.g. discipline, admin, etc. Little/no parent involvement. Parents not always interested in learners progress. All parents do not even contribute to school fees. This puts a financial burden on the school. Educators have to struggle with little things like having sufficient photocopy paper.

10. Miscellaneous 7. * Mixed emotions in this regard, the interest and enthusiasm maintained is despite the low

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9. 11. 18. 25. 30.

morale and because of a conscious decision made to maintain that standard. Some interest and enthusiasm are lost because low morale contributes to a feeling of inadequacy. *I have other dreams and aspirations. *Colleagues are not doing what they are supposed to do-Dept. of Education- our employer is not playing its role. We feel demotivated. *Feel you do so much, but salary does not compensate for that. Workload too much. Full classes demotivates. *If I was working in a factory the answer to the question would have been no , but I am working with children. I really would not want to change my job but the situation, yes. *In order for me to remain same I force myself to remain enthusiastic about my job. I involve myself in things related to my subject in order to stay informed. Also I owe this to the learners. Although it does become frustrating at times when you need to perform under abnormal conditions.

MAIN CATEGORY : CAUSES OF LOW MORALE 15. Dissatisfaction and

unhappiness in job situation

11.Leads to talking to colleagues when not happy at work.

2. 7. 11. 16. 20. 21. 22. 29. 31.

* Sharing experiences with colleagues seem to be helping. * Colleagues can relate to your feelings but might not be able to uplift you. Friends out of the teaching profession can give you fresh perspectives and try to get you positive about your work. *I just do what is expected of me. I try to overcome my problem by talking to colleagues (who is the wrong persons to talk to in this situation) I just need to talk to someone even the wrong people. *I will talk to a colleague that I trust. *I prefer talking to a colleague because I feel comfortable doing it that way. *I sometimes feel that the principal only listens to certain teachers at school so its almost like a waste time to go to him so instead I rather talk to one of my colleagues. *Talking to a colleague makes me feel better because she can relate, unlike the principal or the Dept. an SMT member can raise the issue in a meeting. *I tend to do the minimum amount of work and I do not make any effort for my lessons to be interesting and well planned. I moan and complain to my close colleagues and friends on the staff . Sometimes I view my dissatisfaction and unhappiness in the staffroom during meetings but that is also a fewtile exercise. *If I know the principal can do something about the situation I discuss it with him, if not, I do not bother. Sometimes talking to a colleague and hearing that they experience the same negative things helps me to feel better in knowing I am not alone. Sometimes I try to ignore

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32.

it because I know nothing can/will be done to rectify situation. This makes me feel frustrated and demotivated. *I always try to get the ontake from people I work with, sum up the situation than decide from that stance.

12.Reasons for talking to or not talking to principal when unhappy at work.

1. 3. 4. 6. 10. 13. 15. 17. 19. 23.

*Not allowed to give ideas-rejected. Do not feel free to speak your tongue *I feel negative and show less interest. I’ve tried talking to the principal but it doesn’t help because I see no improvement. This is a bad reflection on me because then I’ll stay absent because I do not feel motivated enough to come to school and the learners lose out on work. *I can speak openly to my friends at school about problems It seems like the principal don’t see any problems at school, like he is in denial. He think that he is not the problem, it is always somebody else. *Because he is the manager he should know what must be done to rectify the situation. *I feel it is important to discuss a problem in your work situation with the principal as the principal is the person who is most likely to do something about the problem . If he is unable to make a decision he is able to discuss the problem with the SMT to see if something can be done to address the problem. *Management at our school is not always sympathetic , only in the case of you as an individual who is in favour of the principal or SMT might your “problem “ be taken seriously. Talking to a colleague who might be in favour may be able to assist you. *Sometimes talking to the principal can make a difference. *It does not help in any way to follow protocol or procedure because you will not get anywhere. You rather talk to someone who understands. *It often helps to talk to a colleague he/she can offer you advice, they may be in the same situation. I prefer to discuss it with the principal . A solution can be reached and the problem will be resolved. I sometimes feel that the principal only listens to certain teachers at school so its almost like a waste of time to go to him so instead i rather talk to one of my colleagues. *The principal is the head of the institution and is therefore the best person to attend to your problem. Be honest and open about issues affecting your work situation and you will have less stress to cope with.

13. Miscellaneous 5. 8.

*The SMT member is also my HOD and I feel free to discuss any situation which arises in my work situation with him. *Have guardianship thing in place that can work. Teachers not implementing it properly and children exploiting it. During the third term, during moderation too much disturbance and

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9. 12. 14. 18. 24. 25. 27. 28. 30.

children left unattended. Certain children who often transgress. Do not know what means to use to discipline them. Day by day they will be back because discipline like detention or suspension to them is a joke. *As far as possible I try to make the best of the situation by doing the best for my learners , but normally I discuss things at home with my husband who also works in the academic field. The natural tendency is also for colleagues to talk shop. *Mostly when I experience “problems” I talk to one of the deputy principals. The reason/my reason for going to them is that I feel they are the most proactive members on the staff and they are in a position to deal with the “problems”. * Avoid confrontation *If unhappy one feel to talk to someone, although person can do nothing about situation its just a way to let frustration go. Unfortunately nothing can be done about it. *Passive-non chalant . I have the ability to complete work by going through a day in my own way. No rush/ I don’t care/ I only do what I must do. *Most of the time it feels like you are fighting a loosing battle. *I try to highlight the problems I experience. *Problems can be only solved with the necessary assistance from professional people. Consultation is a core element of constructive solutions to remedy teacher unhappiness. *Sometimes your problem is simply heard and not looked into. Depending on who you are, or what post level you are, your problems are considered and needs are tried to accommodated.

17. Major factor influencing morale of teachers

14.Demotivated learners 2. 5. 6. 9. 10. 11.

*Learners have no respect, no goals in life and parents are not willing to help the educators. *Teachers get demoralised because learners show very little interest in their schoolwork, they don’t do their homework and do not study for tests Teachers do their work with dedication than the learners show little interest *Learners who are undisciplined, rude, not interested in their work will cause any teacher’s morale to drop. * Learners do not exhibit enthusiasm to do things on their own (or at home) They mostly do not have access to computers or the internet in order to make learning more fun and relevant The parents of most of our learners do not have much education, so they do not get enough support from them. Gangsterism, drugs, teenage pregnancy, etc. Also takes its toll on learners. * Most learners in this school are not interested in learning and cause disruptions in the class. This is not only disruptive to the teacher but also to the learners who have come to

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17. 18. 19. 22. 23. 25. 27. 31.

school specifically to learn. Many learners are also very disrespectful towards the teachers sharing defiance when teachers try to reprimand them * Learners are not motivated , their backgrounds i.e. gangsterism, drugs, low parent involvement- brush if at their work at school-it is demotivating to educators. *The students have no ambition what so ever. *Low motivation in learners- partly due to socio-economic situation. Other : low salary; workload. *The educator can do his/her best to prepare work, give the necessary guidelines, revised work, etc. but if learners does not make an effort, everything will be in vain. Learners don’t take pride in their work. Assessment pieces don’t come in , they don’t study for examinations. * Lack of seriousness even amongst grade 12 learners. Constant battle to collect homework, projects , etc. Majority can’t afford to study at university , college, etc. so they don’t realise the significance of a good education *Learners don’t take their work seriously and there is no work ethic in them. There could be several reasons for their low motivation. Learning problems not identified at an earlier stage (e.g. in primary schools) therefore learners can’t progress in high schools. Social economic conditions at home also play a vital role in some learners behaviour. *Learners are not working when they are at school, they stay absent. Have no responsibility towards their school work. They have no ambition. *They are the ones you interact with and have expectation of. They are also the ones you as a teacher are measured with and their lack of interest gives a negative reflection of you. *Learners do not obtain good results in exams, due to very little self motivation and self discipline. Parents are not interested to motivate learners to study. More effective management must occur to improve job situation and also uplift morale of teachers.

15. Poor management style of principal

3. 4. 7. 12.

*The principal should be able to tell you when posts are available and not keep it a secret. He must be more friendly and encouraging towards educators * The principal decide what is going to happen at school , sometimes the SMT is also part of decision making . I prefer a principal who listen to his staff and see to the needs of his staff. * The lack of support and understanding from the management style of the principal makes teachers feel that they are not part of the school (no role-player at all) * I feel that there are many/various factors that influence the morale of teachers. From the choices above ,I feel that the low motivation in learners is the most discouraging for/ to teachers . The management style of the principal can also play a role.

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13. 14. 16. 29. 30.

*The principal tends to run the school his way and no other way. Many people(educators) are disadvantaged by his way of running the school which would be considered unacceptable for an individual in his position and to voice your concerns would lead to disfavour, ultimately it all contributes to a low morale * Principal employs divide and rule policy. Learners have a sense of entitlement i.e. attend class and you’ll pass. Educators are expected to be social workers, parents yet get abused by parents , guardians, etc. *The principal is not committed to his duties anymore and is neglecting many of his management duties e.g. Discipline of learners, late coming of teachers. The principal is neglecting his duties and is friends with post level 1 educators . He does not know where his loyalties lie. He favours one educator over another. * The management style is very weak and not well organised. The principal is one that wants to do everything on his own and does not listen well to suggestions from the staff. The learners at our school is of little or no encouragement to the educators. They are not motivated to achieve their best potential due to their circumstances at home I believe. The fact that teachers always being put down by the government and are not appreciated especially financially is very discouraging * Because structures and consistency is NOT in tact at our school, it flows back to the learner since they are aware and therefore it affects their motivation.

16. Miscellaneous 1. 8. 15. 20. 24. 32.

*Teachers needs not considered (ignored) . Only get (receive ) demands from management. *Children in the technical don’t belong because they are only introduced to the subject in Gr. 10. The Gr.8 and 9’s the criteria changes every year and the standard drops every year. *Learners are not motivated enough by teachers and parents to be more interested in their school work. *It is very obvious at our school. *All of the above plays a role at our school. *Due to inadequate reports from the media and illiterate criticisms of people who have no interests of the learner at heart. Demarcation, logistic problems, group division, cultural interest.

21. Reasons for leaving the profession

17. Feel unappreciated 1. 7. 17.

*I feel that I am not listened to. Not happy the way things are handled/ done but I enjoy teaching (helping learners. *I would prefer to be part of a team where my opinions count and where I am seen as a valuable part of the tea *Frustrated not appreciated *Because you feel you are not getting anywhere with students. You are taken for granted.

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19. 22. 30.

Everything makes you negative. *Sometimes one wonders what you are working towards. There are no growth opportunities. Educators are not appreciated. Their salary is evident of this. An educator cannot afford to buy a house on his/her own salary. Pressure on educators are too much. They take work home everyday and eventually neglect their own family. Learners are disrespectful. Working conditions are unacceptable. Schools are becoming targets of gangsterism, drug dealers, etc. These things endanger our lives. * Feel unappreciated, not valued. The salary barely covers basic needs. Educators have become learners’ punching bags- they vent at school when things get too much at home. Our hands are tied – literally and figuratively. *Because I felt I was not seen as a stakeholder. Not seen as someone with a professional degree. People lower ranked then me disrespects me. The principal does not have a sense of authority and therefore you are seen as simply a labourer

18. Inadequate monetary reward

4. 12. 13. 15. 18. 20. 21. 24. 27. 28. 31.

*There is no room for promotion. The administrative part is lately a too heavy burden. Low salaries; High workload. *The job is very stressful and most of the time it is not very rewarding w.r.t the attitudes of the learners. *Maybe I have not thought of leaving the profession , but the school I am at. If I should ever leave this profession it will obviously be because I received a job offer which bettered my current salary by far. *Yes, cause I would like to do something else in some other direction. Teaching is not the way it was anymore. *Low salary; learners demotivated; Too much admin work. *Dissatisfaction in my job. *No, I have not because I actually do like teaching but I won’t mind if they can increase our salary. * For better monetary reward. For recognition for hard work done. *No satisfaction and lack of progression *Purely financial *I have thought that teaching is not worth all the time and energy you have to put in to it. Too much marking and unnecessary admin works, robs you of time that could be spent doing your own thing or enjoying time with family and friends. Think that our salary is not enough, got all the extra work and classes we have to do after school, weekends or holidays

19. Miscellaneous 2. *I love teaching and to be able to help even one out of ten learners achieve something I am

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3. 5. 6. 8. 9. 10. 11. 23. 29. 32.

happy. *Due to the lack of availability of positions in the Eastern Cape, there is only a few working opportunities for educators for permanent employment (employ by the government) I can’t teach the subject in which I’ve specialised or I’ve not been given the decision to decide to teach my major subject. *After 34 years in teaching I still enjoy the teaching. I have a passion for the subject I am teaching despite all the negative factors. I don’t think I will ever leave the profession. * I already done it in 1996. In 2001 I returned to the profession. The bigger classes and the new education system did not encourage me to stay on in the profession. *When your subject is messed up . Like fighting a losing battle. People want you to implement something they have no knowledge about. *Certain circumstances forced me to enter the teaching profession, but I still have dreams of pursuing another career. *I am new to the profession and still believe I can make a difference so I will continue in the profession for the next few years. *I feel I can still contribute to the well-being of the learners if the dept. plays its role and do what it is supposed to do. *The thoughts were there , but was not too serious about it. Have a passion for teaching. Unsatisfactory conditions and circumstances, especially in the Eastern Cape, education can trigger thoughts of leaving the profession. * Yes and no. I love teaching and cannot imagine doing anything else. I feel that I have much to offer and the thanks one receives, even how small from learners encourages me to continue. There are time when I feel I want to leave but what do I do. People in the private sector believe that we as teachers can’t do anything else but teacher, we are not good enough for the private sector. *Luckily I am a professional into two trades and very passionate about it. Lack of professionalism in education.

24. Main causes of morale status

20. Management 1. 4. 7. 10.

*Not involved in any decision making; When matters are brought to staff meetings, your either not listened to or your suggestions are discarded- has no value. *Conflict between teachers; group forming; principal favour some teachers; discipline of learners. *Management style; Colleagues *Learners disinterest and disrespect in the school and classroom situation; An uninvolved and disinterested principal; Disinterested teachers who see the profession as a job and not

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13. 14. 16. 17. 19. 20. 23. 29. 30 31.

as a way to make a difference *My morale I could classify as high to very high when it comes to my learners. I love working with the kids. Management style at my school tends to have a negative effect leading to a low morale *Management style (top down) .Educator exclusion in decision making. Lack of support services. Learner discipline .Lack of resources. *Principal’s management style- favouritism. He is disrespectful towards certain educators. This impact on discipline problems at the school. Another impact on my morale status is the safety of teachers and learners at this school. *No appreciation shown towards a teacher for a job well done. All teachers do not give input in decision making processes. *Role of management; Wasted time; demotivated learners; lack of parent’s involvement. *Lack of consultation; Management style- poor; Lack of resources. *Lack of appropriate guidance from management; Lack of planning- SMT; Lack of parental involvement at school functions; socio-economic issues *Lack of appreciation; Lack of good management; Discipline and order; Lack of resources; Lack of parental involvement; Lack of District /Provincial involvement in a positive manner; Lack of respect; Discipline and hard work on the part of the learners. * Inconsistency . Too many chiefs. Your opinion not important. Only there to do the duty work. Discrimination. *Learners not motivated and undisciplined. Teachers demotivated. Not effective management

21. Learner discipline 5. 8. 25 9. 22.

*Lack of interest of learners; Lack of appreciation of the work done by learners/parents/immediate authority; Conflicting personalities in the job situation; Lack of educational resources; Poor working conditions; The insufficient remuneration for all the work that must be done/ during the day/after hours administrative work. *Too much children still outside. Ill discipline of students. To hear children have rights *Lack of discipline ;Moral values of learners; No parental involvement; Hygiene at the school are lacking; Finances are bad; Lack of resources , what is our rights. The implementation of something that did not work in other countries. *Rowdiness of learners; apathy of parents; Workload; Too few free periods. *Learners lack of interest in school. External factors (domestic abuse, poverty, absenteeism)

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27. 32.

that makes teaching sometimes impossible. *Lack of interest from pupils; Lack of money and teaching aids (including textbooks) Big classes; unhealthy environment *Learners with extraudanary tallant needs to be looked at. The enthusiasm of certain learners. That will to strive.

22. Miscellaneous 2. 3. 6. 11. 12. 18. 28.

*Learners’ attitude;parents’ attitude;dept. of education’s attitude; government’s attitude. *The money-not employed permanently and getting a low salary. Classroom- does not have my own classroom. *The positive relationship amongst educators. *I don’t feel run over by the principal and SMT. When I need them- I talk to them-when I have a problem, I talk to them and try to resolve the problem. *Personal experiences *High workload; big classes; long hours . *The environment/ socio-economic background of the community.

27. Recognition from principal

23. Leads to a feeling of inspiration

3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.

*Educators will feel more motivated if recognition is shown. The principal must show more interest in the teachers and do a better job. *You feel good about yourself because the principal acknowledge your good work. It will boost your morale. You will feel like doing more. * As a teacher I do my job for the satisfaction I get from it and also my dedication to my calling not for recognition from the principal but because there are so many negative factors that contribute to a low morale.I think recognition from the principal will make difference-contribute to higher morale. *Educators will see that their efforts had been noted and appreciated. *If teachers feel equally valued and respected their morale will be lifted. *It is heartening to know that people notice when you try your best to make things work at school. Not only big and obvious things, but also something like keeping rules and regulations, low absenteeism. *The principal is the leader of the school, so if any teacher has done something which contributes to the good of the school they should receive recognition from the principal as this will boost their morale and give them the motivation to continue to do beneficial things for the school.

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11. 14. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 28. 29. 30. 31.

*Your morale will be higher if your contribution is appreciated by someone higher :principal or SMT. *Feel appreciated; Feel rewarded; Can build team spirit at school * You as a person will try to do more and to do your best. *Everyone has a need to be affirm. Affirmation brings the best out of you. *Educators will feel appreciated and will be more motivated to do his/her job to the best of their ability. *Teachers will feel motivated and eager to perform more * I feel if you as a teacher do something extra for your school other than what is expected and you at lest get a “thank you” that will really making you feel good and in the end motivate you to do even more. *Everyone needs validation , a reason to continue especially when it seems as if you aren’t making progress. *Reward to any worker shows. Appraisal of a job well done. *Public acknowledgement and motivation as well as showing appreciation is always encouraging for human morale. *It means that he/she is taking note. Considers you important and shows appreciation and recognition. * If a principal encourages or motivates you and gives recognition where it is deserved, this will uplift teachers to a certain extent.

24. Miscellaneous 8. 13. 24. 32.

*When you speak about a situation to at least get an answer or solve a solution to be trusted. *The principal would for certain activities thank educators for jobs well done e.g. arranging a fundraiser. But, in the past seven years that I have been here my and my colleagues results have been 100% in our subject, not once have I been acknowledged in any way for my hard work from the principal. *Remember Pavlov’s theory!!! In the private sector you are being rewarded for hard/excellent work done. Why not in educ. field. *People tends to lean towards attention. People nowadays do not do anything out of goodwill unto others. From a point of view people want recognition for their effort. Don’t you ?

30. Public expectation 25. Educators must fulfil various roles

4.

*They expect you to be a teacher, parent, counsillor, nurse, etc. They work while you as the teacher see to the needs of their children.

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15. 19. 24. 28.

*The public think that educators knows everything and can do anything. We are educators and we are here to teach their children. *Educators have to fulfil different roles. We have to be an administrator, Psychologist, parents to learners and must still be an expert in their learning area, etc. An educator’s job does not stop at school but continues at home with administration, like preparing lessons, marking, etc. *Teachers are custodians of all problems in society. The community expect you to deal with all. * Educators must also perform the duties of a social worker, policeman, psychologist and other professions.

26.Parental roles must be neglected

5. 11. 17. 21. 22. 26. 27. 30. 31.

*Parents expect you the edubcator to educate and discipline their children. Many children are so disrespectful towards their parents but the parents expect you as a teacher must discipline them. They do not monitor their children to see whether they study or do their homework but they want the teachers to show results/wants their children to pass. *The public expect the teachers to teach and parents- they neglect their parental skills and want to force it on educators. *The parents wants the teachers to educate the learners as well as teaching them manners *Especially parents think that you as a teacher must do everything regarding their children. They don’t support the school, teachers , nor their children. Parents expect miracles but they don’t even attend school meetings. No parental involvement in school stuff. *The responsibility to educate and shape the learner has fallen solely on our shoulders.Its easier to blame the school instead of a dysfunctional home. *Parents neglect to teach learners basic things like respect, discipline. It falls on the shoulders of the school to teach these basic values to children. *We have to make a system work that is failing us and the country. The parents expect us to teach their children and morally guide them. *Expected to achieve results without support structures including that of the parents. *Parents often think that only the educator must take responsibility for their child’s education. There must be a contribution from the parent e.g. checking homework, check if they are studying at home.

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27.Dysfunctional Dept. of Education (no support)

1. 6. 16. 29.

*I am here to teach the children about the subject and the classes are too big to see to everyone’s emotional needs/social needs/problems. *An educator is confronted by so much negative factors that he has to deal with. He also feels that he is not protected by the policies of the education dept. *They expect us to be model educators with learners that are undisciplined and rude while the Dept of Education not have adequate structures in place to discipline these learners. *The public especially government shows little or no appreciation for teachers anymore. Before a teacher was a respected member of the community but not anymore. Teachers are overworked and underpaid. Government cares more for doctors, nurses , wardens,etc. Then educators. We are constantly being reprimanded and never encouraged by government and the public.

28. Miscellaneous 13. 14. 18. 23. 32.

*I deliver work of a high quality and standard and have never been in the situation in which I felt any impossible or unnecessary expectations on me. *Bad performance by learners blamed on educators. Educators have private lives too. *They don’t have any idea under what conditions we’ll have to produce. They don’t understand the mindset of learners of today. *The public is not aware of the administrative duties of an educator that take up a lot of time. *The public wants a shared responsibility, as they and educators hands are tied. The law is written so that it binds itself.

32. Parental support 29.Disinterested parents 2. 16. 17. 19. 20. 21.

*Parents are not interested in their children’s education. *They do not even attend parent meetings for educators and parents to speak about their children *They are not interested in the students’ work. They do not attend parent meetings. They do not fetch reports. *Parents don’t show interest in school related issues. They don’t attend parent meetings, they don’t pay school fees, etc. Sometimes it feels like they just dump their responsibilities on us. I am sure that parents don’t check learners’ books at home, don’t see that they do homework or study. *Parents are not interested at all. *They just don’t care at all. Expect teachers to do everything. Not interested in their child’s

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25. 29. 30.

academic behaviour. Think its the teachers’ job to be mother and social worker as well. *Parents show very little interest in their childrens schooling . They expect teachers to discipline learners, but that should happen at home. They do not come to school when requested to do so. *Without support from the parents, educators are fighting a losing battle. Our parents at this school is non-supportive in many ways. When parents meetings are called very few parents attend Functions are held, few parents. The parents are not interested in their children’s academic achievements or any other things involving their children’s academic achievements or any other things involving their children. Financially our parents are a disgrace. School fees are not paid. *Teachers are seen as babysitters. Pupils are disrespectful because there are no rules at home. Parents are not interested in their child’s academic progress since school reports are never collected from school.

30.Uninvolved parents 4. 14. 23. 24. 27 28. 31.

*They expect from teachers to do wonders for their children, while they are not involve in the education of their children. All parties must work together (teacher, parent and child). *Parents see educators as babysitters. Parents are not involved in learners’ academic life.Parents see teachers as a cure for their children’s ills. *Parents are not involved in their children’s education, especially at our school. There may be a few parents involve in school activities and visitations. Some parents will only visit schools if the school has to fill in forms for grant purposes, etc. * Parental involvement is non existent. * No school fees are paid; Parents do not check if homework is done. Parents not involved with the school. * No active involvement, only ± 10 percent of community involved. *Most parents are only at school at the start of the year to register the child. During the year they are not involved in other contributions to make the school successful e.g. parent meetings, helping out at study camps.

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31. Some parents are involved

1. 3. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10. 12. 13.

*The ones that is suppose to come to meetings don’t come. *Some parents does show interest in their children while others does not even feel the need to show a little interest. *Many parents never come to parent meetings where they can meet the teachers to discuss problems which involves the children or hear the problems the teachers in general experience. *A small percentage of parents really show their interest in the education of their children. Others do not even turn up at parent/teachers meetings. *Some parents respond and interact very well with teachers . Others ignore calls from the school or react by justifying their child’s actions. *A high number of parents do not attend parents’ evenings. Children are also kept out of school too often and then you get the feeling that parents are making excuses for them. *I can only answer this question in relation to parents coming to see me with regards to the progress of their children. So far those children have made an improvement in their work. *If I think about the poor attendance of parent meetings, the lack of support from parents is evident. *Not all times, parents have the tendency to ignore serious matters with regard to their children. A handful of parents offer support. .

32. Miscellaneous 8. 15. 18. 22. 26. 32.

*Have the freedom to contact them. Give me the freedom to discipline. *They attend parent meetings. *Maybe they think there are no need to support . The teachers knows the whats and the hows *Parents are ABSENT! Children are raised by their grandparents, foster parents and even siblings. Quite a number of them are living on their own! Many care givers are illiterate, unable to assist with homework. Alcohol abuse and violence dominates many homes. * Non-payment of school fees; Homework control *Demarcation and location. The Department enforce learners upon the school. The schools quantile system should first be looked at.

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36. Outcomes of high morale

33.Leads to Improvement in learner attitudes

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 11. 12. 13. 18. 14. 16. 24. 17. . 21. 23. 25.

*High morale will flow over to children. Will be more optimistic. *We lead by example, so i’d like to think that if educators are positive it will influence the children. * Educators must have a high level of morale because this shows that you are interested in what you do and learners feel more motivated to complete their work and achieve higher marks. * It will motivate them to work harder and to try their best. *Positive. If they see the teachers are positive, energetic and enthusiastic about their jobs, maybe we will see a change in the attitude of the children but I doubt that because most learners couldn’t be bothered whether a teachers morale is high or low. * Somehow it will influenced the learners ‘ attitude towards the importance of their education *A high morale brings out the best of educators and learners *Teachers who display confidence in the subject that he/she teaches will install their confidence in their learners. When the learners notice that the teacher is enthusiastic then the learner will also display a willingness to learn and be more eager. This of course does not apply to every learner. *The attitude, actions, mindset, etc. Of educators rubs off on the learners. A high level of morale among educators will secure positive input in learners. *The culture of learning is activated; Standards are set; The bar in learners’ life are raised. * Learners will benefit from educators’ drive to perform. Educators will do more than the minimum *High level of educator morale means educators will be excited about their work and always be ready to teach learners. This will improve learner achievement. *Very important . It affects learners. *The teachers will be enthusiastic. They would want to do certain things at school. Partake in activities at school and that will have a positive influence on learners. *I think it’s important for the learners to see that teachers are motivated and that will also motivate them to do their best. *The learners can sense when morale is low among educators. When educators are enthusiastic it will impact on learners motivation. *You will feel good as a teacher and can perform your work effectively. The learners can sense your attitude and it can rub off onto them .We are here to do our job, but a high level of morale will help us to do it better.

133

29. 30.

*If educators morale is high learners will benefit to a great extend. Educators will be more willing to make an effort to make thing interesting and better educationally, socially and sports wise for the learners. *Learners are aware when teachers are demotivated and they take advantage of this which ultimately has a negative effect on their performance.

34.Leads to motivated teachers

7. 10. 19. 20. 24. 27. 28. 31. 32.

*The learners will be exposed to dedicated and very hard working teachers who will deliver above and beyond the call of duty. *If the staff have a high level of morale, this will increase happiness among the staff as they will be satisfied in their jobs, their needs will be taken care of , they will feel safe in the school and they will have the support of the Dept. of Education to discipline the learners. They will be better motivated teachers. *Learners see educators as role-models. Therefore we should always set an example to them. Learners will often observe certain situations and then react accordingly. If educators don’t enforce discipline , learners won’t adhere to school rules,etc. Some learners stay under very harsh conditions or come from poor families. We as educators can at least lead by example. *It helps to motivate the teachers as well as the learner to be active in class. It will also improve results. *More enthusiastic lesson presentation; Better standard of teaching. *A motivated teacher that will go the extra mile. Motivated teachers will improve their qualifications. *Extremely vital. * A high morale will ensure that educators will pass on a positive attitude to learners. *Self respect; Discipline

35. Miscellaneous 8. 9. 22.

*Preparing and equipping learners to liaise the moral standards of society , preparing a well disciplined whole person. Preparing a working society. *Learners do not get motivated enough if their teachers stay absent too often. Educators who are very aggressive towards learners also do nothing to boost the morale of learners *Learners do not care. Have the attitude that this is our job.

MAIN CATEGORY : HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH ? 38. Decisionmaking 34. Decision making not

the only influencing 2. 7.

* Decision making is a drop in the ocean. *Being involved will be an improvement in one aspect at least.

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factor 9. 10. 12. 18. 24. 29.

* There are many other factors which play a part on morale . Irrespective of what decisions have been taken, if these factors still exist, morale will remain low. * I don’t think it will because this will not change the aggression of the learners. It will not change the rules and regulations of the Dept. of education and will not bring corporal punishment back. My hands will still be somewhat tied. * I feel that a teacher can have a high morale without being involved in decision making because being involved in decision making is not the only factor that influences a person’s morale * Not only one factor will make that big impact. A low morale has many contributing factors. *This is but part of the problem. The whole OBE system needs to be revised. * Yes and no. Educators do not have to be part of every decision made at the school. The decisions that will impact on the school greatly should be discussed by all the staff members.

35.Feel valued 5. 6. 3. 11. 13. 16. 17. 19. 20.

*I think so because whatever is done (plans that were made ) whether it works out or not you can’t let your morale be affected because you were part of the answer when decisions were taken.It will increase your morale. because you will put positive energy in to find solutions for the problems. * That will help me to be part of what policies should be put in place. *Being part of decision making will help to make better decisions. * If you are part of making of decisions-you feel that the decisions taken belong to you. You are part and parcel of the decision. * Yes. Being part of decisions which I can be a part of will definitely contribute to democracy amongst all participating in decision making, it will avoid an autocratic manner of management and decision making *This will make me feel part of the school and the process and help give that ownership of the school back to the stakeholders which are parents, teachers,principal, SMT, community. * When you are part of decision making it will influence you and you would want to make it work and you will not work against any decisions made by yourself included. * Educators are stakeholders at school. Our involvement in decision making and the day to day activities are very important. Educators can contribute good ideas or methods necessary to assist in the smooth running of the school. Educators will be more motivated , if they are included in decision making . We as educators work directly with the learners and therefore will know what is best for them , for the school and for us. *You feel valued and sometimes your contributions can lead to better results.

135

21. 22. 31.

* Good if your opinion are also being considered and granted as important and to be part of the decision making *If we can participate , we can take ownership of the school. In so doing also take responsibility , especially when things go wrong. *Educators keep a school functional. Management cannot do anything without educators, so they should be involved in important decision-making.

36.Miscellaneous 1. 4. 8. 14. 23. 28. 32.

*Decisions made all will not be disputed. *Because you are part of the decision making you help deciding on what is best for the teachers and the learners. *If they would value their professional people, pay us properly instead of feeling like beggars . If we can work as one unit. *Educators are at the coal face; they understand the issues; they have solutions. *There must be constant feedback to educators concerning issues affecting the school. Transparency plays a vital role. *Some people would like to grow in their vocation. The set up at school excludes most of the teachers due to the lack of promotion . The School system has not kept track with the modern way of administration. Consultation is the root of all constructive solution. *Thats if you are an attention seeker. Implementation of that decision needs to be followed through irrespectively.

40. Community involvement

37.Improvement in learner discipline

1. 2. 4. 5. 7. 12. 14. 15.

*Parents know their children best. They can punish their children whilst we cannot. *This will prove to children that everyone want them to achieve and attitudes will then change. *If learners see that community members and their parents are involve, they will also strive to do their best. Children want to see that people take interest in them. *The community can also come to the school to motivate the learners.There are a lot of well educated , highly skilled and motivated community members that can make a difference in the school. Motivate learners/Motivate teachers. *A morale of co-operation and understanding will open the 2 worlds to each other and the end result will be more motivated learners and teachers. *To a certain extent , community involvement can motivate a person. * It is important that the community knows what’s happening in schools. They can help arrest moral decay in school; positive role models can help with morality. * If we involve the community more , I think our school would contribute to being high morale. People will know exactly what we striving at, and i think learners will also be more

136

17. 20. 23. 24. 27.

motivated knowing their parents are involved etc. *The community can influence the learners their behaviour and to show some ambition and that will make the teachers task easier. *Community can always assist or help with discipline. *Parents will be more involve and aware of educational issues. They can therefore influence their kids and motivate them. The school can become more aware and involved in community projects and upliftment in their areas. *Will partly led to improve learner behaviour; Better monetary contributions (school fees)-will result in better school academic excellence. *The community is part of the school set up. A motivated community leads to a improvement in behaviour and discipline.

38. learners and teachers will feel safe

6. 16. 19. 25. 31.

*If community is involved, school becomes a safe place. *If the community is involved the school will become a safe place, school, learners and educators will be protected. Learner discipline will improve. Vandalism will decrease. *Given our responsibility as educators, we seldom have time to personally connect with learners, talking to them about the problems that they face daily. The police and nurses can assist us by having “talk shows” at school. We as educators are burdened with fundraising. We often have gang fights , learners are being robbed, the community can help us in this regard. They can protect us. *If com. are involve, they will look after the school and the learners. *If the community shows more interest in the school, too build up the school and not break it down, the school would be a better place and the community would own it and look after it accordingly.

39. Greater support 3. 9. 13. 18. 21.

*The more people involved with in the school the better .Then there will be more support and donations and people will know what’s happening at the school. *”Charity begins at home”. If parents and other adults take responsibility to educate children and work hand in hand with the school , things will improve. Fundraising efforts are not supported enough by parents. * The community is the essence of each school. Involvement of the community will ensure better communication which will ensure better running of the school. *Teachers will feel that they are getting help – not standing alone-will lift their spirits. *If they involve themselves more we as a school can get more done to improve things at our school.

137

28. 29. 30.

*Interaction would promote the school tremendously, parents, teachers, learners and non-teaching staff. *The more parental or community involvement, the, less pressure is placed on educators. Some of the duties and responsibilities like collecting money, discipline, admin can be placed in responsible parental hands which leaves educators free to concentrate on more important issues like education in class. *If the community shows more interest in the school, too build up the school and not to break it down, the school would be a better place and the community would own it and look after it accordingly.

40. Miscellaneous 8. 10. 22. 32.

*If they educate their children at home and teach them simple principles like please, thank you, respect, works instead of begging and respect for life. *Not at this school because gangsterism is rife in this community and that mentality is already ingrained in our learners’ minds. Many of our learners will probably end up in that direction. *One cannot teach one thing when the community teaches another. Many parents do not acknowledge /understand the importance of our disciplinary system, therefore they do not support us. *If only it was a community based school. The demarcation is vast.

41. Supplying the necessary resources

41.Lack of resources 1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 9. 10.

*The education dept. should keep the educator happy and satisfied in what they do. *Yes, because you have to wait for paper and not having enough textbooks for the learners makes it difficult. *You can’t teach the learners without the necessary resources. *It is very frustrating to work without textbooks/everyday you must make photocopies/sometimes the machine is broken. *Because of the many challenges in the education arena one needs all the support you can get. *You will be able to improve your performance in class which will lead to better results. *Sometimes your work pace is affected while waiting on books to arrive from the dept., but it should not affect your teaching because you should find other ways and means to carry on. *I agree that it would affect staff morale if the necessary resources are not received because the teachers are not able to teach effectively. For example as an English teacher if there are insufficient books or setwork texts, the learners will not be able to teach effectively.

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11. 12. 13. 14. 16. 17. 19. 21. 23. 25. 27. 29. 30. 31. 32.

*It lowers my morale if dept. do not supply necessary resources-things they promise the educators-feel if they don’t do their part how can they expect me to do my part. *When books for example are not provided for learners, this makes the task at hand a little more difficult and this demotivates one. *Yes resources is a vital part of education, without the necessary resources the education process will be retarded which causes frustration on the educators part. *Educators have enough to do without having to raise funds for paper, ink etc.A successful company won’t survive without giving workers resources to produce goods. *If you do not have the necessary resources to teaching, then teaching will not be a pleasant experience and it may impact on learner achievement. *It does affect your morale because your students do not have textbooks, you always have to beg for paper, making use of scrap paper. *The school will not be able to function properly without money, textbooks,etc.We struggle to collect outstanding school fees. Most of our learners come from poor areas and are exempted from paying school fees . *Yes, you don’t really get any assistance and help from the Dept. when it comes to certain issues. If you get more support from them you will obviously feel more appreciated-Always wait long for any report backs or money’s from the Department. *Lack of resources have influence on your morale. It is most of the times costly on educators as you have to provide to the learners the necessary resources. *The school’s finances are not good, so if the dept. does not keep their end of the bargain, teachers become frustrated *The lack of resources is a real concern. The school receive very little support from the dept. We as teachers feel and see the results of this everyday. *Lack of resources and financial assistance from the department puts more pressure on the educator because we cannot concentrate on our job of educating. The load of unnecessary admin. That teachers have to prove is no indication of one being a good educator. It just frustrates one more and causes demotivation. *Alleviate educators from unnecessary stress and burdens so that we can concentrate on results and educating our learners best. *Education department does not realize what the workload of an educator is all about. They should avail more resources especially textbooks to make our tasks easier. *Lack of resources leaves the learners not reaching their full potential. The teachers needs to build on that resources , thats why the department should keep track and record of these resources.

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42. Miscellaneous 2.

8. 15. 18. 20. 22. 24. 28.

*The education dept. should keep the educator happy and satisfied in what they do. *The books they provide do not give you everything and you must use many books the subject is too wide. *The dept. of education must make sure that all schools have all the resources that they need. *Resources are an integral part of teaching and learning. Having the resources will help you with much time spending in class-teaching. *You as an educator needs the support of the Dept. of education to feel again that teaching is your calling. *Time consuming to have photocopies made every year. We are left at the mercy of the parents who do not pay school fees. *I regard them as the biggest contributor of low morale (inefficiency). *Come from a background where the resources were always lacking.

42. Assistance to resolve personal issues

43. Need for personal support

2. 4. 5. 7. 11. 12. 17. 18. 21. 22. 27. 28.

*It means a lot if management has a humanitarian side. *You can see that they take interest in you as a teacher if they want to help with personal issues. *I Think so, a little compassion will make a difference. *With personal issues resolved staff will cooperate better with each other. *It always lifts your morale when management shows compassion in trying to resolve your personal problems. *If management assists with resolving problems then it makes you feel like you are being supported in your job and this can increase your morale. *Sometimes you just feel to be in your class and do your job because people have personal issues with one another. Management can provide some assistance to resolve these issues. *It feels that you are also important and that your presence at your school count for something. *It will definitely make you feel appreciated and as if you are important and that they do care. *One is more productive and cooperative when personal matters are addressed. *The teachers do need support from management even on a personal level. Due to the number of hours spend at our workplace the two is linked. A unhappy person normally don’t perform at their best. *It helps.

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29. 30. 31. 32.

*Yes .One’s morale is boosted if management can help one with professional and personal issues. *Teaching should be my only concern so that if management can resolve issues , then we will have less stress. *Yes. If you have management’s support, your job becomes easier. *It only builds morale.

44. Miscellaneous 1. 3. 6. 8. 9. 10. 13. 14. 16. 20. 23. 24.

*When my family is healthy and happy so will I be. *No, because I am not part of management. *It put me in a better position to overcome any negative resistance in regards to any situation. *Having something in place and is not being implemented properly. Children abusing others and childrenthat is suspended still found on the premises. *Personal issues should not hinge on management’s involvement. *I answered the question yes as I feel that it is important for management to support staff however I also feel that staff should not bring their personal problems to work. *Yes it helps to settle matters in an amicable way. *Again a successful company have mechanisms in place to deal with and support workers who have personal problems and/or issues. *I do not want management to know about my personal issues, so personal issues I will keep personal otherwise everybody will know my personal issues. *Personal issues is your personal things and should not have an effect on your work. *Not necessary. *They are so inept, I don’t take them seriously (they will die fools)

45. How to deal with low morale

45.Decision making 1. 5. 7. 11. 12.

*Involve teachers in decision making . Listen to teachers cries. *Involve them in decision making; Make sure all their needs are met; Support them; Bring in motivational speakers to motivate them; Work out a structure to get parents involved to support teachers. * Involve all role-players in decision making ; Inform all role-players of all the matters that concern them; Treat all teachers fairly and equally; Provide teachers with necessary teaching material * Give praises to educators where needed; let educators be part of decision making; let community and learners and educators own their school *Incentives and involvement of educators in decision making for example can give an educator a sense of belonging and this in turn can improve an educator’s morale but mostly

141

19. 20.

I feel that morale is a personal thing that one must try to deal with yourself. *Give educators the necessary respect. Give them an opportunity to voice their opinions, make them part of the decision making process. Fair treatment of educators. Do not over-burden educators. When allocations (time table) are worked out, be fair. Often the opinions of “new educators” are ignored because management feel they lack experience. Listen to the new of young educators, they might have valuable ideas. Set up a code of ethics for educators, make sure its implemented. Pay attention to the organisational structure of the school * Involve teachers in whatever decisions they are taking.

46. Support with regard to their work.

3. 6. 10. 23. 31.

*Give more support; Provide more opportunities; More increases; less gossip; be more encouraging * Firstly assist educators in everything they find a problem in fulfilling their daily tasks. Secondly find solutions or implement programmes that can boost positive outcomes of learners concerning their attitudes, etc. Build a school environment that is balanced with academic achievements as well as sport and social achievements. * By providing them with the necessary support when disciplining learners; By giving promotions and treating the staff fairly; By fighting for decent salaries for teachers; By the principal being an example to the other educators. *Provide guidance and leadership . Deal realistically with problems, issues affecting educators. Assist educators with assistance in regard to resources- put pressure on Dept. of Education. *Management should ensure all structures are place and that they are running effectively. Management should support teachers especially in disciplining learners. Management should motivate and help teachers.

47. Listen to teachers’ grievances

15. 18. 27.

* Call them in and ask what the reason is. *Listen to grievances of teachers and try to meet them halfway. Be open to change if opportunity arises. *Listen to them; support in class and outside; workshops

48. Commitment from 8. *Should not accept what the dept wants to implement. Stand up for the staff. Value your

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management 14. 16. 17. 21. 24. 30. 32.

professional staff and take a stand against that which want to break down our school. To be part of the solution not the problem. *The “top down” management style should be replaced by a “first among equal” style . Educators should feel as if they part owners of the school in order to better the learning and teaching environment. *Management must be committed to manage the school the best they can without any favouritism. Be more respectful toward educators. Assist educators wherever possible and also show that they are concerned about discipline, the learning process, educators,etc. *You are here to teach and do your job. That is how management treats us. They should think of us as human beings and that we have a life outside school. Approach the teachers in a better way. *Try to motivate them in any which way. Thank them for their good work and extra time they put in at school. Arrange development courses and workshops for them. Maybe now and then encourage them to always do their best. *Create a positive working environment; Show interest in well being of everyone; Drive towards academic excellence; Supportiveness. *Stop favouritism. Discuss issues on a professional basis. Act professionally at all times.Adhere to rules and be consistent. *Management is also educators, so educators should be there for each other in times of need.

49. Miscellaneous. 2. 4. 9. 13. 22. 28. 29.

*Criticise the dept. instead of allowing the dept. to do the pathetic job they are doing. *They can if they have the right structures in place. *Workshops ;talk shops *Provide real opportunities for all educators. Assist with issues causing the low morale. *It is not managements responsibility alone but the Department who is far removed from reality. *Arrange workshops with professional people. *Incentives; encouragement; training teachers on workshops and training courses which is useful and emotionally satisfying.

46. Other concern affecting your morale .

50. Dept of Education/Government’s role in education

2. 5. 6.

*Government and public think teaching is child’s play, well it is not. If they had an idea what educators have to deal with we would not be at the bottom of the public service income bracket *The remuneration!!! *Learners that comes from primary schools to the high schools clearly show a lack in

143

7. 13. 22. 25. 29. 31.

language and mathematical skills, It attributes to the negative activities of learners at school. Surely something is not right or not working at all. There is a decline in the spelling abilities and mathematical skills of the learners. To study and learn properly is also aproblem. *Retirement :The Dept (Government) should have something better for teachers finishing off. After their hard labour with what we get out it doesn’t look like you were busy with building people and preparing them to contribute to the economy of the country. *At our school there is a severe shortage of educators in our learning area which causes a strain on available teachers. *The lack of the Department’s presence at the school , not only to check up on teachers. *The Education dept. can start keeping learners accountable for their actions.Learners are staying absent like it is a fashion trend. They have rights but”no” responsibilities. *Financial compensation for all educators. *Learners drinking, bunking, staying absent, using drugs, falling pregnant, rude and verbally abusive towards teachers .Government not giving enough support to teachers.Laws ensure learners are given more opportunities to misbehave and only learners rights are protected. Teacher’s rights do not seem to be considered.

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APPENDIX E: DATA REPONSES OF SCHOOL MANAGEMENT TEAMS

MAIN CATEGORY : DEFINING THE CONCEPT

Questions Question probe

Sub-category Respondents Responses as motivation

6. Needs satisfaction

1. Leads to job satisfaction

1. 3. 4. 5. 6. 8.

*We will have more happy, stress free educators which will boost their morale *Having textbooks , resource material and basic equipment for you’re your subject increases the process of learning and teaching and causes an upliftment in morale. *A pleasant , safe working environment conducive to learning to learning will boost morale amongst teachers. * Satisfaction of personal needs goes a long way towards bringing about intrinsic serenity (inner peace, calm) and a person at peace with himself and his environment will always go the extra mile. *Effective teaching and effective learning contributes to job satisfaction. *Educator has job satisfaction RE: remuneration; teaching aids; manageable classes.

2. Miscellaneous 7. 9.

* A dissatisfied or unhappy person tends not to show initiative or give of their best all the time. * Structure of the school; management style of principal; discipline of the school.

8. Interest and enthusiasm for the job

Leads to Improvement in motivation in teachers

1.

2. 4. 5. 7. 8.

*Educators with high morale will always strive to improve their qualifications go the extra mile to help learners; even when learners experience socio-economic problems. *High morale has a motivating effect on educators * Enthusiasm for your work shows high morale. When high morale is prevalent, the extra mile is also achieved. * A person who sets out to do his/her tasks to the best of his/her ability and with enthusiasm displays character traits of diligence which is not usually associated with low morale. * A person who is intrinsically motivated will always deliver to the best of their abilities. * improved results ; less disciplinary problems; greater interaction with co-workers.

4.Miscellaneous 3.

6.

*Teachers may be enthusiastic but a general lack of enthusiasm exist amongst pupils nowadays that is demoralizing even the most dedicated and passionate teachers. *For effective teaching you must show interest and be enthusiastic about your job. *Educators are not that enthusiastic about their job- possible reason that are evident – high

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9. teacher absenteeism; take long to get to their classes; early dismissals; poor excuses to get away.

MAIN CATEGORY : CAUSES OF LOW MORALE

10. Involvement in decision making

5. Leads to improvement in institution

2.

9.

10.

*Post level 1 educators will not feel recognized regarding their ability to partake in the decision making process. They will not buy into the goals and vision of the institution. *It is the people(educators) at ground level (post level 1) that keep the school’s results, name that keeps the school to proceed to a next level. *To be part of decision making processes stimulates one as an educator to promote progress at school. Educator will accomplish missions if be part.

6. Top down decision making makes school dysfunctional

6. 8.

*Management should not be seen as top down , but starts at grassroots level (post level 1) and upwards. *School cannot function with top down decision making; Consensus : transparency is vital.

7. Miscellaneous 1. 3. 4. 5. 7.

*We live in a democratic society where all educators should be included in the decision making processes. *Teachers should have a direct say in the running of the school especially in matters that affect them in the classroom . The SMT is sometimes out of touch with teachers’ needs. *Presently low morale is mainly caused by the teaching environment. Working conditions are atrocious and the education dept. does very little to improve it *Educators at post level 1 are included in decision making processes at some level be it subject level or voting in a staff meeting . Failure to buy into decisions that are for the common good of an institution could lead to an educator feeling marginalized and thus dejected “low morale” *Often this is given as a reason for non- involvement but when offered the opportunity, it is not always taken. As long as post level 1 teachers are fully informed about the reasons certain decisions were taken, they would normally be happy about it.

12. Causes for morale status

8. Management style of the principal

1.

10.

*We have a manager who cause division among members of the staff. Teachers are not treated equally. Educators are still confused how to implement the new outcomes based education. *Contextual factors play a big role! Situation at school; acting principal, educators feel structures at school not functioning well !

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9. Low motivation in educators

2.

4. 7. 8.

*Lack of enthusiasm. None or little initiative. Low levels of commitment/ Low levels of involvement. Lack of accountability in many areas. *Educators are doing the minimum of duties. They don’t want to get involved. There is also a high absenteeism rate amongst teachers *Many teachers are outside their classes, or when inside they are not teaching. They do not seem to be concerned with the academic welfare of the learners , and very seldom do any self-examination regarding their attitudes, teaching methods and teaching styles and making overall contribution to the benefit of the school as a whole. *Absenteeism; in fighting; small egos; late coming; bad results; poor dress code; lack of accountability; top structure not visible

10. Undisciplined learners

3.

5.

*Teachers feel unprotected against violence and intimidation from learners as well as surroundings. Learners are not respectful anymore. There is a don’t care attitude amongst most learners. *Educators are not seen in most of the thought processes that determine their job needs, description, coupled with an outrageous amount of administrative work . Teaching is becoming an unrewarding battle with learners not willing to take responsibility for their learning . All these factors coupled with an incompetent education department is enough to destroy any person’s morale.

11.Miscellaneous 6.

9.

*Teaching can only be effective if the educator has the basic tools eg. the science educator should have a fully equipped laboratory, every child has a textbook, safe and secure environment. *The morale status can be improved.

13. Indicators of morale status

12 Lack of involvement

2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

*Lack of enthusiasm . None or little initiative. Low levels of commitment./ Low levels of involvement. Lack of accountability in many areas. *Teachers lack of involvement in school activities especially voluntary duties . Teachers are generally uptight because they feel unsafe in school. *It is evident that teachers are unhappy with the situation at the school. The general feeling is “the less I can do, the better” *In my opinion we have some of the best qualified experienced educators in their respective fields but petty issues sometimes personal are contributing to an environment where most of the educators get by doing only what is required, missing the opportunity to make a difference. *It is low and can be seen when : the high absentee rate everyday ; there is sense of favouritism towards certain teachers; attitude of learners towards educators.

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9.

*The behavior of teachers ; the results of learners

13.Miscellaneous 1.

7.

*Frequent conflict between educators. Conflict between members of the school management team. Confidentiality clause of SMT are not adhered to. Laissez – fair attitude of educators to implement to school. *The above reasons. Also, often teachers claim that they are looking for other jobs.

15. Biggest cause of low educator morale

14. Bad learners discipline

1. 3. 4. 6.

*Since corporal punishment was abolished educators are left at the mercy of undisciplined and disrespectful learners. No assistance are forth coming from the education dept. *No discipline has a spiral effect on morale, after a while even the most dedicated teachers “give up” because pupils are just not interested in what you have put hours in preparing *Learners are abusing their rights with no regard for the rights of others. The Education Dept. is not making it any easier with all the red tape to discipline learners. *Attitude of learners towards education affects teacher morale

15. Division among staff

2.

7.

8. 9.

*Lack of unity among educators. Unwillingness to compromise for the sake of unity. Caught up in comfort zone; unwillingness to change. *A motivated teacher will look past the disciplinary problems and conflicts with colleagues and still put the education of the learners first. *Too many factions; no vibrant leadership *If people can work together in harmony then all the other problems can be solved

16.Miscellaneous 5. *By equipping a person with the proper tools contributes greatly to the manner in which the work is done. Imagine a carpenter trying to saw wood with an implement other than a saw.

19. How can morale status be improved

17. Favouritism – unequal treatment of educators

1. 2. 3. 8.

*Change attitude of learners towards educators and their school work. Every educator should participate in decision making processes. Manager should treat all educators equally. Too “friendly” some and a “hardline” attitude with others. *Agree to disagree for the sake of a common goal. Listen to and act on the concerns of educators. Work on strategies to unify the staff. Put personal issues aside. Treat everyone fair and equal. Be consistent. *SMT should : Make them feel safe at school; Provide them with teaching resources; Make the SMT more approachable; Be transparent with teachers; Treat all teachers the same and fairly; Be more visible around the school; Be in touch with staff’s needs *Principal must change management style; teachers must be held accountable; introduce an incentive scheme for teachers; include all role- players in decision making.

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9. *First see to the small things like teacher relationships and discipline of learners. 18. Working

conditions 4. 5 10.

*Less teaching periods; smaller class groups; Less administration duties; More teachers; A disciplinary officer *Improve working conditions including remuneration. *Yes- let post level 1 teachers be represented on SMT ; be part of decision making processes at school; Department should help e.g. resources/material; supportive role

19.Miscellaneous

6. 7.

*Teachers must come prepared for their lessons, be punctual, get involved in extramural activities of the school, go regularly on excursions; parents play a more effective role in the education of their children, get a better salary. *Discussion around the reasons for choosing this career . Reaching consensus on how the educational goals can be achieved. Transparency surrounding difficulties the school faces. Accommodation of and an understanding for the difficulties teachers face. Improved finances to acquire the resources required to facilitate teaching.

21. Measures in place to assist those teaching outside their subject field .

20. Guidance 5. 6. 7. 9.

*Provide them with guidance and the appropriated learning support material *“Foster” educator should help/assist and motivate the teacher in the learning area. *Each new teacher is assigned is assigned a guardian teacher, usually the head of dept. It is the person’s role to guide and mentor. *A person get a guardian that will assist him/her

21.Miscellaneous

1. 2. 3. 4.

*Nothing at all. *Post level 1 educators representation on the SMT. Heads of Dept. Monthly staff meetings *They generally find their own way around *Teachers are never expected to teach outside their field of study.

23. Causes of non-excitement of teachers

22. Low salaries and undisciplined learners

1. 3. 4. 6.

*Lowest paid profession in South Africa. Classes are overcrowded with undisciplined learners. Post Level 1 educators have a huge workload . Uneven distribution of work load. Huge administration workload. Confusion over the exact implementation of the OBE system. *Low salaries; Lack of discipline at schools; No room for promotion *Socio-economic problems, learner discipline; subject guidelines from the Education Dept. *Salary of teachers does not compare favourably with the private sector.

23. Part of staff is motivated

7. 8.

*Above question is difficult to answer. There are teachers who display enthusiasm and show a desire to learn. Others always seem unhappy , are always sitting around, make no effort to enforce discipline in the class and are always late for their classes. *The majority of teachers are; interest of learners high priority; unfortunately this view is not

149

10.

shared by all educators *Young staff enthusiastic about projects at school; Supportive-staff to each other / challenges taken into consideration, want to improve results. Staff always gives indication of cooperation/ support positive projects

24.Miscellaneous 5. 9.

*Too many changes are being forced on educators who can see that its only making the profession a laughing stock.Change just for the sake of change with no viable prospect at improvement is sheer madness. *Teachers just get more administrative duties and no recognition

MAIN CATEGORY : HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH

24. Mechanisms to assist beginning teachers

25. No Mechanisms

1. 3. 5.

*No mechanisms are in place. *None that I know of *None

26. Guardianship 4. 6. 10.

*Assign a guardian to them. Teach them the ropes regarding what is expected from them. Prepare notes , roll off work for them, etc. *Fostering system is important * Be supportive towards them.Support then with all necessary material. Have on a regular basis subject meetings


*A trained HOD. Trying to instill discipline among learners. Trying to provide teaching aids when needed. Giving recognition for good work although not always and consistently. *As mentioned earlier, one needs to be intrinsically motivated. We have had workshops with professionals in the past, but this has not yielded any improvement. *The negative attitude of educators will impact on beginner teachers ; Big classes and lax attitude prevailing amongst educators, sends out wrong message.

25. Parental support

28. Parental duty neglected by parents

1. 2. 4. 6. 8. 9. 10.

*Undisciplined learners are partly to be blamed for the low morale among educators. It will help immensely if parents could instill respect in their children towards their educators. *Parents are the primary educators; educators merely build on what are being instilled at home. *It will show that parents care and not expect the teachers to perform miracles. Parents will also be able to see first hand what teachers must endure. *All the role players in educating the child should play their roles. *Learner-teacher-parent-co-operation is crucial. *The two stakeholders must work hand in hand; No co-operation lead to frustration

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*Community that our school serves, parents show no interest in their children. Don’t commit themselves as parents e.g. don’t support parent meetings, no response when letters are send out etc.


*If parents are aware of their childrens’ bad behavior at school they will have empathy with the teachers’ plight instead of attacking teachers for their childrens’ misbehavior. *There is nothing worse than trying to educate a rude, ill-mannered learner who has no respect for himself and the institution trying to form his future. *It will aid , as teachers will be less likely to be burdened with socio-economic issues. They can focus on their primary task.

26. Attendance of

parents at parent meetings

30. Shows parental interest

2. 3. 4. 6. 8. 10.

*Parents will show solidarity and interest in the school and its educators. Parents will then have a better understanding of the challenges of the educator. *It shows that they are interested in the learning process. *It shows that parents have the interest of the child at heart. Disciplinary problems with certain learners could be nipped in the bud. *Parents must show interest in the education process of their children. *Yes if you are interested in your child’s progress I will definitely go the extra mile. *Shows that they are interested about their children’s progress. Teachers can deal with problems on individual basis with parents.

31.Miscellaneous 1. 3. 7. 9.

Most of the parents who attend meetings are parents whose children are well disciplined and respectful towards their educators. It shows that parents care and are willing to accept responsibility for the learning of their children If this assistance is with regards to intrinsic motivation, personal goal-setting, it may have the desired effect in bringing about a paradigm shift. Parent meetings can contribute because you could iron out problems, discipline as well as academic problems.

29. Assistance to resolve personal issues

32. leads to improvement in working environment

2. 8. 9. 10.

*A common goal will then be a priority. Better unity will be achieved *The greater part of your day can’t be spent in a negative environment. However, there should be a definite line between friendship and work ethic. *Yes it will just make the school a better place. *Teachers will obviously happy at workplace, more positive and concentrates on their profession.

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33. Lack of confidentiality

1. 4. 5.

*At our school nothing stays personal. *Some teachers have ulterior motives why they want to get involved in solving problems of other teachers. Issues must be resolved by the teachers concern. *Personal issues lead to bad interpersonal relationships if left unresolved. A happy work place fosters greater productivity.


*Most teachers are not qualified to deal with issues of a psychological nature. *Self explanatory *Perception! Perception of favouritism. Perception of enthusiasm. Perception of lack of leadership. Lack of self-examination, selflessness and self-respect.

30. Main causes of low morale

35. Principal’s management style and uneven distribution of work load

1. 3. 4. 6. 8.

*Managers autocratic management style. Uneven distribution of work among post level 1 educators. *Divided staff; favouritism; victimisation *Personal differences and egos are mostly to blame. Senior management must at all times be neutral to ensure the smooth running of the school. *Discipline of children; low salaries; favouritism towards certain teachers; lack of resources eg. textbooks *Big class; personality clashes; high work load; lack of implementation of teacher accountability by top structure; non-visibility of principal; lack of principal involvement in discipline; Partisan attitude of principal (aligning with one group) ; lack of upward mobility.


*Each and every member of any organization will by his/her action or inactivity have an impact on morale issues. *Planning of school; Structures at school; SMT must have vision where they want to take the school.

31. How principal deals with low morale.

37. No Mechanisms in place

1. 3. 5 8.

* There are no mechanisms in place *No system in place *Educators are partly left to their own devices and those with low morale are often seen as rebels or just plain lazy ; it’s a sad state of affairs but sometimes a personal touch or just show interest could boost a person’s morale. *No structure

38.Attempts by different role players

4. 6. 10.

*Try to motivate them by making the workload easier for them eg. prepare lesson material, class tests, etc. *All the role players viz Post level 1 teachers, SMT, principal and his deputies must work as a team in collective decision making etc. *Try to be supportive. Try to set goals in departments and work towards it ! Try to find solutions for problems.

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32. Other factors impacting on morale

39.Salaries 4. 6. 8.

*Low salaries; Unions and Government fighting over increases; The waiting period after an increase has been announced. *Salaries of educators are not linked to the private sector salaries. *Salaries; departmental incompetency


*Educators congregate (in different groups) during interval; sometimes during teaching periods. *The paralyzing effect of the Dept. of education because of its lack of : competence, clarity of burning issues, organizational skills’ assistance to principals, problem solving skills’ good administration.

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Appendix F: DATA RESPONSES OF PRINCIPALS

MAIN CATEGORY : DEFINING THE CONCEPT

QUESTIONS

QUESTION PROBE

SUB -CATEGORY

RESPONDENTS

RESPONSES AS MOTIVATION

6. Needs satisfaction

1.Leads to fulfillment by overcoming obstacles.

1.

2.

*Teaching with little or no morale is a recipe for disaster.

*High morale is evident because of the satisfaction one gets when a person’s needs are fulfilled after completing a task.

8. Interest and enthusiasm

2 Leads to service delivery

1.

2.

*Educators are role models. Low morale affects quality of delivery

*High morale is evident because of the passion that will be full fill in executing their tasks.

MAIN CATEGORY : CAUSES OF LOW MORALE

10. Involvement in decision making

3.Decision making is very important

1

2.

*Post level 1 contribution to decision making just as important as those higher post levels.

*Because post level 1 educators want to feel part of any decisions made especially on their behave

12. Reasons for high or low morale

4.High morale employees engaged in teaching and low moral -poor performance.

Consultative approach

1.

2.

*Some high, Some low- Higher engage to what they’re employed for and enjoys it- lower ones hides behind poor performance by blaming the system and finding fault

*Because at school we make use of a consultative approach

13. Indicators of high/low morale

5.Involvement and co-operation

1.

2.

*Output, involvement of those seemingly experiencing low morale

*The morale status is high because the co-operation from every educator is very good.

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15. Biggest cause of low morale

6.Miscellaneous 2. *The bigger unions namely SADTU and NUE . Each have their opinion of how something should be done.

19. How can it be improved

7.Methods for assistance

1.

2.

*Difficult- tried various methods- employer to attend to this very important issue.

*By empowering them. Having regular workshops. Making them part of decision making

21. Measures to assist teachers that teaches subjects that they do not specialise in

8.Training 2. *Making use of the training offered by the Dept. of Education.

23. Excitement toward the profession

9.Focus on profession. Let them feel part of the school.

1. 2.

*Comprehension of individual to the calling of the profession.

*Bringing them on board. Making them feel part of the school (decision making)

MAIN CATEGORY : HOW CAN LOW MORALE BE DEALT WITH

24. Measures to keep beginner teachers motivated

10.Responsibility of Dept. or mentorship .

1.

2.

*Difficult – feel at this stage responsibility of employer- primarily cause of low morale amongst teachers.

* Making use of a buddy system where support is rendered by a senior educator

26. Parental support

11.Discipline and parental issues

1.

2.

* Discipline primarily educator issue

*Discipline of a pupil starts at home . Values and morale . What is right and wrong. How to behave starts at home.

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27. Parental involvement

12. Leads to co-operation

1.

2.

*Attendance does not constitute high morale- involvement of parents in learners progress does.

*Parental involvement contributes to better co-operation between educator and learner.

29.

Assistance to resolve personal issues

13.Leads to effectiveness of educators in their duties

1.

2.

*Harmony in any team constitute healthy results.

*The less personal problems an educator has the more effective he/she will be.

30. Main causes of morale issues

14.Departmental issues

1.

2.

*Remuneration, underresourced, personal issues amongst certain individuals.

*Financial problems

31 How to deal with low morale

15. Show interest and monitor behaviour

1.

2.

*Prior workshops with experts in past, rejected by very individuals battling with self esteem.

* Show interest in their well being. Monitor their behaviour and respond to their needs.

32. Other factors impacting on morale

16.None 1.

2.

*No

*N/A

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APPENDIX G Centre for Teaching, Learning and Media

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University PO Box 77000

PORT ELIZABETH 6031

South Africa

Dr Robert E Gerber Senior Manager: Academic Staff Professional Development

Tel 041 504 3492 Fax 041 504 3627

[email protected] The Acting District Director

Department of Education

Private Bag X3903

Port Elizabeth

6056 Dear Dr. Ntsiko

Permission to Conduct Research

I am an educator at Gelvandale High School and I am busy with a Master’s degree in

Business Administration at Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University. My research involves

investigating the low morale of educators at two High Schools (Gelvandale High and

Hillside High) in the Northern Areas in an attempt to develop suggestions on how to

improve low morale which can be used by the Dept. of Education and also the High schools

involved in the study.

Permission is therefore requested to conduct research at these schools. The research will

take the form of questionnaires and will involve Educators, Principals and School

Management Teams (SMT’s). You have my assurance that the research will not be

conducted in teaching time and due to the sensitive nature of the information obtained, the

identity of the schools, educators, principals and SMT’s will be concealed. You are also

further assured that if preferred , all research findings will be made available to the Dept. of

Education and/or the schools.

mailto:[email protected]�

157

I hope my request will be considered favourably.

Sincerely

.............................................................

Ms. E. Hendricks

158

APPENDIX H Centre for Teaching, Learning and Media

Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University PO Box 77000

PORT ELIZABETH 6031

South Africa

Dr Robert E Gerber Senior Manager: Academic Staff Professional Development

Tel 041 504 3492 Fax 041 504 3627

[email protected] The Principal

Gelvandale High School

Martin Street

Gelvandale

6020 Dear Mr. Nickall

Permission to Conduct Research

I am currently enrolled for a Master’s degree at the Nelson Mandela Metropolitan

University. My research involves investigating the low morale of educators in the Northern

Areas in an attempt to provide suggestions for improvement.

I am currently in the data gathering stage of my research and hereby request your

permission to conduct research at your school. The research will take the form of

questionnaires administered to the principal, educators and School Management Team.

The permission is requested with the understanding and my assurance that :

• All educators, SMT’s and the principal will remain anonymous,

• At no stage during the publishing of the research findings will the school’s name be

mentioned.

• The research will not infringe upon teaching time but will be conducted during breaks or

after school,

• If preferred all research findings and recommendations will be made available to the

school.

mailto:[email protected]�

159

I hope that my request will be considered favourably.

Sincerely

................................................................................

Ms. E. Hendricks

Estelle Hendricks

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