| Summary: | Thesis (MEdPsych (Educational Psychology))--Stellenbosch University, 2008. === During the previous political dispensation, the educators in the Western Cape were
captured in a process of ideological influencing. This crisis became evident in the 1976
and 1985 uproars. Although the educators attempted to act in the best interest of the
learners, they were in many cases blamed by the ruling government as being liberalists.
The subsequent experience of fear and anxiety endangered the emotional well-being of
many educators. The election of the first democratic government in 1994 held promises
of a better work environment for educators. Far-reaching transformations in education
policies and the implementation of new curricula presented educators with new
challenges. Disciplinary problems, multicultural classrooms, teaching in a language
other than the home language, and the inclusive handling of various external as well as
internal barriers to learning, became stressors that educators in the Western Cape were
subjected to.
The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of stressors on the emotional wellbeing
of educators in high schools in the Western Cape. I aimed to determine how
educators in high schools perceived their own emotional well-being. Furthermore, I
explored possible reasons for this and how their emotional well-being had influenced
other dimensions of their wellness. I finally focused on educators’ recommendations to
improve their emotional well-being. A qualitative research design, which was guided by
an interpretive paradigm, was employed. During data analysis I operated in a critical
paradigm. The data was collected by means of a literature review, interviews, reflective
diaries, observations, documentation and artefacts.
The research findings indicated that educators generally are experiencing low levels of
emotional well-being. In extreme cases it is associated with emotional illnesses such as
depression and burnout. It seems as if the low levels of emotional well-being
experienced by educators have a negative influence on their social and physical wellbeing.
Possible reasons that can explain the low levels indicate the impact of various
role players, namely the type of school, an additional work load, the head master, the school management team, colleagues, learners, parents, the Western Cape Education
Department, and educators’ families and friends. In spite of the experienced low levels
educators were still at times committed to their occupation. Recommendations on
improving emotional well-being were associated with factors in the workplace itself.
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