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Lived Experiences of Teachers with Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa
Mangena, M.C.; Matlala, S.F. Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Healthcare2023, 11, 2602.
Mangena, M.C.; Matlala, S.F. Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Healthcare 2023, 11, 2602.
Mangena, M.C.; Matlala, S.F. Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Healthcare2023, 11, 2602.
Mangena, M.C.; Matlala, S.F. Teachers’ Lived Experiences of Workplace Violence and Harassment Committed by Learners from Selected High Schools in Limpopo Province, South Africa. Healthcare 2023, 11, 2602.
Abstract
Despite several studies on learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment, the problem persists in some South African schools. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is a form of workplace violence and harassment as schools are workplaces for teachers. Learner-to-teacher violence and harassment is therefore an important occupational health and safety issues for teachers. The employer is obliged to provide a safe working environment for the teachers to enable quality teaching and learning in the schools. The purpose of this interpretative phenomenological study was to explore and describe the lived experiences of high school teachers who have been targets of workplace violence and harassment perpetrated by learners at selected schools in Limpopo province of South Africa. Many teachers were willing to share their lived-experiences but due to data saturation, only eleven participated after being selected through purposive sampling from seven high schools under a particular circuit. Research ethics of voluntary participation, informed consent, ethical clearance and gatekeeper permission were observed. Data was collected through semi-structured interviews using an interview guide. Interviews were audio-taped, and field notes were also taken. Voice recordings were transcribed verbatim and analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis into themes and sub-themes. Findings were confirmed by an independent coder to achieve trustworthiness. Teachers experienced physical workplace violence and harassment, verbal workplace violence and harassment as well as nonverbal workplace violence and harassment from learners. Learner-to-teacher workplace violence and harassment affects teachers emotionally and in turn affects quality teaching and learning in the schools. Some teachers propose involvement of community policing forum, strengthening of School Governing Bodies as well as reducing overcrowding in the classroom as possible solutions to deal with learner-to-teacher bullying.
Keywords
bullying; enabling environment; health promoting school; occupational health and safety; safe school; teaching and learning; workplace violence; employee assistance program
Subject
Public Health and Healthcare, Public, Environmental and Occupational Health
Copyright:
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
