Abstract
The teaching profession has been seen as one to nurture and develop the potential of learners. However, teaching today is noted to be one of the most complex and demanding professions because teachers are often faced with various difficult challenges with which they are not able to deal. These challenges include learning and unlearning information and skills, keeping up with new technology, and dealing with lethargic and problematic students, parents, and the community. Because of their demanding roles, there are growing concerns about the well-being of teachers. Specifically, teachers seem to be experiencing less work engagement and increased burnout because of increasing demands and limited resources. The aim of this study was to investigate the relationship between demands and resources and burnout and engagement among teachers in public and private schools. Using the JD-R, the study aims to gain a better understanding of how the availability or lack of job resources and job demands in private and public schools moderate work engagement and burnout. Using random sampling, a quantitative, cross-sectional survey design was used and administered to a sample of South African teachers. A total of n = 393 questionnaires were collected from both private (n = 189, 48.1%) and public schools (n = 204, 51.9%) in the Gauteng province of South Africa. The Utrecht Work Engagement Scale (UWES-9 item), the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OLBI), and the Job Demands–Resources Scale (JDRS) were used. Findings suggest that there are differences between the well-being of teachers in private schools and teachers in public schools, based on the available resources. It was found that teachers in public schools seem to experience more burnout and less engagement than teachers in private schools. However, it is not clear if job demands and resources may be the cause of this. There may be other factors within the schools that may result to the differences. Limitations and recommendations are presented.
M.Com. (Industrial Psychology)