The social connectedness of teachers in primary schools in challenged contexts

Abstract

This secondary data analysis study aimed to describe the social connectedness of primary school teachers in challenged state, peri-urban primary schools in the Eastern Cape, South Africa. The study drew on extant baseline data (completed social connectedness questionnaires) from the Isithebe study on social connectedness as pathway to teacher resilience, conducted in six purposively sampled primary schools with thirty-six conveniently sampled teachers.

The study aimed to ascertain the social connectedness of teachers as well as the internal consistency reliability of the REPSSI Social Connectedness Questionnaire in a South African context. All quantitative data were analysed using Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Descriptive statistics, Cronbach’s alpha reliability analyses and Kuder-Richardson 20 (KR-20) analyses were performed with the data. Results showed that, with exceptions, most teachers in the sample reported high social connectedness in the areas of quality-of-life satisfaction, need for relatedness, belonging, and trust. A small number of teachers reported experiences of loneliness and isolation. Results also showed that selected scales on the Regional Psychosocial Support Initiative (REPSSI) Social Connectedness Questionnaire (REPSSI, 2016) had high internal consistency, supporting internal consistency reliability of the scales for the current sample.

The study serves as a baseline from which further South African research can be conducted regarding the social connectedness of teachers and the factors affecting their social connectedness, as well as the use of the REPSSI Social Connectedness Questionnaire in challenged education contexts in the Global South.