Emotional intelligence and well-being in teachers

[摘要] ENGLISH ABSTRACT: Teachers in the post-apartheid South Africa experience multiple, complex andconstantly changing requirements within the teaching context, which contributes to highlevels of stress. They are often faced with different challenges than those in moredeveloped countries. For example, a lack of sufficient resources is a commonoccurrence in schools in South Africa. Furthermore, teachers regularly engage inmultiple roles (e.g. that of the educator, social worker, nurse, etc.) Hence, someresearchers identify teaching as a particularly stressful occupation, and suggest thatteachers experience disproportionately high levels of stress, when compared to otheroccupations. Some reasons provided for the occurrence of this include long workinghours, high workloads, lack of discipline and respect from learners, and the new SouthAfrican curriculum, enforcing learner-centred or cooperative teaching methods.Consequences of teachers experiencing high levels of stress have ultimately resulted inthe South African government admitting that they are facing a shortage in skilledteachers. Therefore, promoting the well-being of teachers is crucial. There is a need toinvest in teacher well-being, in order to reduce the occurrence and consequences ofstress in the workplace.The central role that emotions play in the stress process is increasingly recognised. It issaid that an individual will experience stress and strain, if they perceive the situation asnegative or stressful. For this reason, emotional intelligence (EI) has led to a new focuson the role of emotions in the workplace. More specifically, EI involves expressing,recognising, understanding and managing emotions. Research has proven that EIserves a buffering role against stress, and those individuals with higher EI experiencebetter overall health.

[发布机构] Stellenbosch University