Primary school educators’ motivation to teach in Manenberg, Western Cape, South Africa

Abstract

This thesis emerged from a desire to understand the motivation of educators to teach in challenging school contexts on the Cape Flats of South Africa, in particular, Manenberg. The communities in this area experience the legacy of apartheid daily; this has an impact on the quality of teaching and therefore the learning process (Mestry & Ndhlovu, 2014; Spaull, 2012). This study explores the views of educators on their educator community and the learners and their families, and how they affect the motivation of the educators to teach in Manenberg. It is noteworthy that the effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on educator motivation are included in the study since this pandemic emerged while the study was underway. This qualitative study employed an interpretative paradigm to understand the personal, lived experiences of educators teaching in three purposively selected primary schools in Manenberg on the Cape Flats. Violence and gang activities within the Manenberg area are commonplace and appear to have exacerbated the effects of colonial and apartheid education. The main concern regarding this, as articulated by the school principals, is that they struggle to find suitably qualified educators who are prepared to teach within the Manenberg context. The findings suggest that the motivation of the educators is positively linked to the relationships educators develop with their educator community and the learners and their families. Positive relationships allow educators to live out their beliefs and remain committed to the school community despite the context, their salaries, or the demands made by education authorities. Since the onset of the Covid-19 pandemic the motivation of the educators to be present in class physically has diminished for fear of contracting the virus. The study is important as it adds to the body of knowledge of teacher motivation in marginalised, post-apartheid communities in South Africa through the development of a framework of educator motivation. The study further contributes to the limited literature on how crises shape the motivation of educators to teach in challenging contexts. The study recommends that leadership teams and school governing bodies put strategies in place to attract and retain suitable educators and develop contingency plans that consider the school context and the development of educator relationships. The study argues that the policy allowing educators to automatically achieve permanent status with appointment along with the level of autonomy educators are allowed pertaining to the curriculum should be reconsidered by education authorities. Based on the findings, recommendations for further research include another choice of site and sample, as well as the philosophy of the researcher and comparative studies. A study of high school educators within Manenberg, for example, may offer new insights not identified in this study. A study under non-pandemic conditions may expand the contribution to the knowledge of educator motivation to teach in challenging school contexts. In addition, the study was not able to identify the possible differences in the motivation based on educator gender, ethnicity, age and experience as a result of the pandemic. Future studies should consider these demographics.