School management teams and the motivation of teachers to deliver quality education : a case study of secondary schools in Midrand, Gauteng Province

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to explore the strategic approaches that school management team (SMT) members employ or should employ to effectively support and motivate teachers to deliver quality instruction. The study was conducted in Midrand, a suburb of Johannesburg in Gauteng Province, South Africa. Midrand was chosen as a research site because in the township area there are performing and underperforming schools. The study adopted a qualitative approach and employed a case study design that involved four public secondary schools. It was guided by Locke’s goal-setting theory and Herzberg’s two-factor theory of motivation. The participants included one deputy principal, one Head of Department (HoD), and one teacher who has been teaching Grade 12 classes for the past two or three consecutive years, who were purposively sampled from each school. Telephonic semi-structured interviews were conducted to generate data from the participants, based on Covid-19 guidelines from the Gauteng Department of Education (GDE). The findings of the study showed that the approaches that the SMT members were employing to motivate the teachers did not meet the needs of the teachers. The teachers wanted the SMT members to demonstrate their expectations and render support and motivation that motivates and aids the teachers’ delivery of instruction. More support and cooperation from the SMT members, the parents, and the learners were needed by the teachers as motivation to do their work. The strategic approaches to support and motivate the teachers that were suggested were giving deserving teachers time off, swapping classes, and giving teachers monetary incentives.

Die doel van hierdie studie was om die strategiese benaderings te verken wat skoolbestuurspan (SBS) lede gebruik of behoort te gebruik om onderwysers effektief te ondersteun en te motiveer om kwaliteit onderrig te lewer. Die studie is uitgevoer in Midrand, 'n voorstad van Johannesburg, in die Gauteng provinsie, Suid-Afrika. Midrand is as navorsingsarea gekies omdat daar in die informele nedersettings presterende en onderpresterende skole is. Die studie het 'n kwalitatiewe benadering gevolg en in die gevallestudie is vier openbare sekondêre skole betrek. Die gevalle studie was gelei deur Locke se doelwitstellings teorie en Herzberg se twee faktor teorie van motivering. Die deelnemers het een adjunkhoof, een departementshoof (HOD) en een onderwyser ingesluit, wat die afgelope twee of drie jaar Graad 12 - klasse onderrig het. Semi-gestruktureerde, telefoniese onderhoude is gevoer om data van die deelnemers te te verkry, gebaseer op Covid 19 riglyne van die Gautengse Departement van Onderwys (GDO). Die bevindings van die studie het getoon dat die benaderings wat die SBS-lede gebruik het om die onderwysers te motiveer, nie aan die behoeftes van die onderwysers voldoen het nie. Die onderwysers wou hê dat die SBS-lede vir hulle meer rigting en ondersteuning moes gee en beter motivering om hulle te help met duideliker instruksies met die uitvoering van hulle take. Meer ondersteuning en samewerking van die SBS-lede, die ouers en die leerders was benodig deur die onderwysers as motivering om hul werk te doen. Die strategiese benaderings om die onderwysers te ondersteun en te motiveer, wat voorgestel was, was om verdienstelike onderwysers tyd af te gee, klasse om te ruil en geldelike aansporings.

Inhloso yalolu cwaningo bekuwukuhlola izindlela zamasu amalungu ethimba labaphathi besikole (SMT) azisebenzisayo noma okufanele azisebenzise ukuze asekele ngempumelelo futhi agqugquzele othisha ukuthi banikeze imfundo enobucwepheshei. Ucwaningo lwenziwe eMidrand, indawo engaphansi kweGoli eSifundazweni saseGauteng, eNingizimu Afrika. IMidrand iqokwe njengendawo yocwaningo ngoba endaweni yaselokishini kunezikole ezenza kahle nezingenzi kahle. Lolu cwaningo lwamukele indlela esezingeni eliphezulu futhi lwasebenzisa ucwaningo olubandakanya izikole ezine zamabanga aphezulu zikahulumeni. Umbhalo ulandelela inkolelo-mbono ka-Locke yokubeka imigomo kanye nethiyori yezinto ezimbili zikaHerzberg zokugqugquzela. Ababambe iqhaza bahlanganisa iphini likathishanhloko oyedwa, iNhloko yoMnyango (HoD) eyodwa kanye nothisha oyedwa obefundisa amakilasi eBanga le-12 iminyaka emibili noma emithathu ilandelana edlule, abathathwe ngamasampula ngamabomu esikoleni ngasinye. Izingxoxo zocingo zenziwa ukuze kutholakale idatha kubahlanganyeli, ngokusekelwe kumhlahlandlela we-Covid-19 ovela eMnyangweni wezeMfundo waseGauteng (GDE). Okutholwe kulolu cwaningo kukhombise ukuthi izindlela ebezisetshenziswa amalungu e-SMT ukugqugquzela othisha azihlangabezani nezidingo zothisha. Othisha babefuna amalungu e-SMT ababonise lokho akulindele futhi anikeze ukusekelwa nokugqugquzela okugqugquzelayo nokusiza othisha ekunikezeni imfundo. Ukwesekwa okwengeziwe nokubambisana okuvela kumalungu e-SMT, abazali, kanye nabafundi kwakudingeka kothisha njengesikhuthazo sokwenza umsebenzi wabo. Izindlela zamasu zokweseka kanye nokugqugquzela othisha ezaphakanyiswa kwakuwukunikeza othisha abafanelekile isikhathi sokuphumula, ukushintshana ngamakilasi, kanye nokunika othisha imali yokukhuthaza.