A comparison of teacher stress and school climate across schools with different matric success rates

Our aim was to investigate differences in teacher stress and perceptions of school climate among teachers from schools with differing matriculation success rates in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Two schools with matric pass rates of 100% and two schools with matric pass rates of less than 25...

Full description

Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Karen Milner, Harriet Khoza
Format: Article
Language:English
Published: Education Association of South Africa 2008-05-01
Series:South African Journal of Education
Subjects:
Online Access:http://www.scielo.org.za/scielo.php?script=sci_arttext&pid=S0256-01002008000200002
Description
Summary:Our aim was to investigate differences in teacher stress and perceptions of school climate among teachers from schools with differing matriculation success rates in the Limpopo province of South Africa. Two schools with matric pass rates of 100% and two schools with matric pass rates of less than 25% were selected from a list of schools provided by the province's Educational District Circuit. The schools were matched in terms of area, size, resources, and equipment. Thirty-three teachers from the high performing schools and forty-two teachers from the poor performing schools participated in the study. Student's t tests were used to assess the differences between the schools on the variables under investigation, and the results showed the teachers' experience of stress across the different schools was not significantly different, but significant differences did emerge with regard to school climate. The implications of these findings for the study population are discussed.
ISSN:0256-0100
2076-3433