Suggested strategies for school management team (smt) members in supporting the well-being of novice teachers in multicultural school settings of the Free State Province

Abstract

Due to the various roles, extra ordinary high workloads, the stressful nature of the teaching profession, coupled with a lack of support from schools, fourty percent of novice teachers leave the teaching profession within their first five years of their practise as teachers. These issues seem to inhibit the well-being of teachers and adversely affect aspects confined to their psychological, physical, social and emotional functioning. Furthermore, it appears that school management teams (SMT’s) of multicultural schools in the Letjweleputswa educational district of the Free State province of South Africa seem to provide novice teachers with inadequate support and no to very limited coping mechanisms upon their appointments. It is further observed that novice educators leave the school because of ill-treatment from senior teachers, undue pressure they experience (mostly from SMT members) and a lack of induction and mentoring from their employers. This phenomenon initiated this study to persue it’s main aim, which was to explore strategies for SMT’s (School Management Teams) in supporting the well-being of novice teachers in multicultural school settings of the Lejweleputswa educational district. A qualitative research methodology, via personal semi-structured interviews was employed to gather an in-depth understanding of novice teachers’ feelings, views and experiences of how various issues and factors affect their well-being and how certain strategies could be employed by SMT to support the well-being of novice teachers. Research findings revealed that -ill discipline of learners; the lack of parental involvement; incomplete homework and school tasks; the language of instruction practiced at schools; the management of learning barriers; overcrowded classrooms; non-conducive teaching environments and the treatment of novice teachers by SMT, are some of the factors that adversely affect the well-being of novice teachers in multicultural school settings of the Letjweleputswa educational district. Some of the strategies that could be employed by the SMT to improve novice teachers’ well-being include induction, mentoring, professional learning communiities, peer support, parent involvement, one on one attention and building resilience. The implication of the findings indicate that SMT’s need to exert more effort in providing novice teachers not only with one type of support but to support them psychologically, emotionally, physically, socially and occupationally. This will enhance their well-being and contribute to novice teachers staying in the teaching profession, and thus reducing teacher burnout and attrition rates.