Teaching through life's challenges – development and implementation of a stress- management intervention to enhance the psychological well-being of primary school teachers in Mamelodi

Abstract

Teachers play an important role in children’s development. They have various roles and responsibilities in the school system that can contribute to the experience of stress and negative emotional reactions. The psychosocial implications of the COVID-19 pandemic and other factors such as workload, lack of resources and infrastructure, job insecurity and personal relationship issues increased teachers’ stress levels and affect their psychological well-being. The purpose of the research was to develop an intervention that can empower teachers with coping skills to manage stress and improve their psychological well-being. Based on a needs assessment with teachers involving group discussions and a short survey in 6 primary schools in Mamelodi, the Masters' students in Counselling psychology developed a six-session intervention underpinned by the PERMA model of psychological well-being. The six sessions were implemented between June 2022 and October 2022. The sessions focused on the following: 1) stress management, 2) bullying and victimisation, 3) burnout and time management, 4) emotional well-being (personal issues), 5) building relationships 6) competencies and finding meaning. Fifty-two teachers from Tshwane South district, specifically Mamelodi, a low to middle-class community, volunteered to participate in the intervention. Twenty-one teachers formed the core participants, having attended four or more sessions. Data about teachers' experiences during and after the intervention was collected through teachers' and facilitators' feedback forms, as well as a group discussion to explore the outcome of the intervention. The results revealed that teachers indeed experienced stress and some did not have effective coping strategies. They felt the intervention equipped them with coping skills such as assertiveness, using strengths such as humour or creativity to manage stress, time management, self-care and good interpersonal skills. Teachers have begun practically applying these skills in their teaching and personal lives. The data also provided invaluable information on the importance of the involvement of other stakeholders, such as the school management teams, the educational department and parents, in helping address issues affecting teachers' stress, such as learner ill-discipline.