Sources of Stress: Perceptions of South African TESOL Teachers

Abstract

This paper presents the findings of a qualitative study investigating which factors inside and outside the classroom result in feelings of stress for TESOL teachers working at private language schools in South Africa. Using in-depth semi-structured interviews, the findings reveal three main areas that cause stress for TESOL teachers: the job of teaching, relationships at work and organisational and TESOL-related issues. These three areas of stress can be further divided into various sub-themes. Stress resulting from the job of teaching includes the sub-themes of work overload, inadequate training and gaps in subject knowledge, time pressure and student behaviour. Stress resulting from relationships at work includes the sub-themes of negative relationships with colleagues, administrators and management. Stress resulting from organisational and TESOL-related issues includes the sub-themes of working conditions, lack of teaching resources, shared spaces and lack of professional development and career advancement. There has not yet been an investigation into the causes of stress among South African TESOL teachers. This paper is thus an attempt at laying the foundation for further research. The results provide valuable information for TESOL teacher trainers, TESOL coordinators and the management of private language schools.

Sources of Work Stress of English Language Teachers in Secondary Government Schools in Saudi Arabia

“…This result is in agreement with resluts of Bowen (2016), Aydin & Kaya (2016), Bonney et al (2018) and Shirazizadeh et al (2019).…”

“…Public institutions are moving towards expansion, the use of technology and means of communication and media (Aydin & Kaya, 2016). These developments and changes have resulted in many negatives, such as the high unemployment rate due to the use of smart formats and the complexity of the ways and means of completing work (Bowen, 2016). Work pressures have increased and their sources have diversified, and new and previously unknown work pressures have emerged, which has led to many workers falling under the weight of what is newly known as work stress, which affects workers in various aspects, and this in turn is reflected on their job performance within the institutions in which they work (Iyore, 2018).…”

“…Also, the results showed that inadequacy of resources, continual monitoring, monotony and weariness of the job, competitiveness and ambition, irresponsible/problematic actions of pupils, high demands and expectations, and not being able to spare time for oneself have all been identified as stressors for teachers. Bowen (2016) looked at how stress is induced by variables within and outside the classroom for TESOL teachers working in private language schools in South Africa. The findings showed three major sources of stress for TESOL teachers: the teaching profession, workplace relationships, and organizational and TESOL-related difficulties.…”

Occupational Stress and Coping Strategies among Non-tenure Lecturers in a Malaysian Public University

“…Empirical evidence suggests that job satisfaction is an essential determinant of occupational success and retention (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015). Even so, many studies have concluded that ensuring job satisfaction is a challenging task due to the presence of pervasive stress in a wide variety of teaching contexts (Bowen, 2016).…”

“…Moreover, an academic staff appointed on contract term may be given a period within which the employee may be terminated, without appeal, at the discretion of the employing authority (Malaysian Qualifications Agency, 2014). Indeed, NTL recruitment tends to affect an individual in many aspects, such as lack of professional status, ambiguities and confusion, work overload, unfair treatment, low salaries, and job insecurity (Bowen, 2016). This circumstance is severe among educators, but attention to them is still far from satisfying (Situmorang, 2019).…”