Abstract
M.Ed.
Many township schools are not effective in providing quality education.
Managing educator misconduct in township schools is a research project
which investigates the nature of educator misconduct in township schools
and its impact on school management. It also investigates how educator
misconduct is managed in these schools and provides guidelines to
alleviate the problem of educator misconduct in township schools.
Therefore, the research question was: "What are the nature and
consequences of educator misconduct in township schools and how should
educator misconduct be managed?" The aims were to identify, describe
and discuss the nature and consequences of educator misconduct~ to
understand the role of stakeholders in the management of educator
misconduct~ and to discuss guidelines for managing educator misconduct.
A qualitative research strategy was used in this research project. A
literature study was conducted before and during this research project in
order to provide a theoretical background to this research project. Data
were collected through individual in-depth and focus group interviews
with the principals and educators of three township secondary schools.
Interview data were audio-taped and transcribed verbatim and analysed
using the constant comparative method.
Four themes emerged from data analysis. The first theme is common types
of educator misconduct. This includes absenteeism and tardiness, where
educators absent themselves from school without giving valid reasons and
also go late to classes~ insubordination or a lack of respect for the
principal's authority and using corporal punishment regardless of the fact
that it has been legally banned. The second theme is the awareness of
regulations regulating educator misconduct. In this theme it was revealed
that educators and principals are aware of the Education Department
policies on educator misconduct and the SACE code of ethics for
educators, but disregard them nonetheless. The third theme viz. the effect
of educator misconduct on schools, revealed that learners are adversely
affected by educator misconduct since educators do not spend most of the
time teaching them in classes. This theme also revealed that other
educators are negatively affected by the prevalence of educator
misconduct in their schools and that the whole school image is also
tainted. The fourth theme discussed how educator misconduct is managed
in township schools. This includes the procedures used by principals in
dealing with cases of educator misconduct; the role played by the
Department of Education in helping the principals deal with educator
misconduct; the role of the school governing bodies and the role of the
parents.
Based on the literature and interview data, the research concludes by
making a number of recommendations as to how principals can reduce the
problem of educator misconduct in schools.