Exploring the factors contributing to the organisational commitment of early career teachers in under-resourced secondary schools.
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Date
2020
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Abstract
Large numbers of early career teachers begin their careers at under-resourced schools. These schools endure all the challenges that beset all schools and are expected to overcome these whilst attempting to develop without material resources. This study sought to explore the factors contributing to the organisational commitment of early career teachers (ECT’s) at under- resourced secondary schools. Incorporating the three component model of organisational commitment, the study focuses on the commitment levels of ECT’s at under- resourced schools and factors contributing to their affective and normative commitment. The specific purpose is to explore how these factors could be directed towards the development of these under-resourced schools. Six participants from two under-resourced secondary schools situated in KwaZulu-Natal were selected to participate in a mixed- methods study incorporating a concurrent triangulation strategy in which quantitative and qualitative data were triangulated to place the phenomenon of organisational commitment under a double strength microscope. Data was generated using a biographical questionnaire based on established instruments as well as conducting semi- structured interviews with participants. The study pointed towards moderate commitment levels of participant ECT’s at these under-resourced schools amidst difficult working conditions and under crippling job demands whilst also shedding light on the evolving and dynamic nature of organisational commitment made possible by the decision to immerse the study in a mixed- methods strategy. Utilising the Job Demands-Resources Model, the principles of job crafting and self-undermining are explored and their influence on generation and reduction of resources are investigated. Strategies presented by transformational leadership that can be maximised by school management teams are suggested to take advantage of the resources provided by the human element at under-resourced schools to develop schools already struggling under the burden of being without material resources.
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Masters Degree. University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban.