Impact of stress and burnout interventions on educators in high-risk secondary schools

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: This study focused on the plight of teachers in the challenging traumatic context of high-risk schools on the Cape Flats, Western Cape, South Africa. Study aims were to measure the stress and burnout of educators and analyse the effect of three different interventions using psycho-educational workshops. Forty-three educators in three secondary schools took part for 15 hours in total over 10 weeks, as well as a control group of 20 teachers. Interventions were grounded in trauma release exercises (TRE), transpersonal psychology (TP) and transactional analysis (TA) practice, and can be conceptualised as primarily physical, emotional and cognitive approaches to stress and burnout prevention.In a mixed-methods study based on the transactional stress model, quantitative data comprised statistical analysis of stress, personal, work and learner-induced burnout and well-being, at the pre- and post-intervention stages. An analysis of the text coding of the educators' stress, burnout, coping and well-being accounts followed. The study then focused on qualitative thematic analysis of the focus group interviews.Perceived stress was significantly different between the three intervention groups and control group and learner burnout was significantly reduced in the TRE (p=0.02) and TA (p=0.02) groups. There were trends for stress and burnout reduction for the TP group. Coding analysis focused on the intra-and inter-individual TRE, TP and TA tools that had an impact on educators in their efforts to cope with stress and burnout. Focus group interviews gave thematic insights into physical, emotional and cognitive responses to stress and burnout interventions on the individual, interpersonal and organisational levels and revealed new perspectives on classroom competency, with educators taking more responsibility for discipline in the classroom, their greatest stressor.This study indicated that TRE, TP and TA interventions offer educators in high-risk schools physiological, affective and cognitive approaches to dealing with threat and trauma, assisting with stress and burnout reduction, facilitating renewed insights into classroom competency.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University