School principals' family stress and their human relations at school

Date
2015-03
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Stellenbosch : Stellenbosch University
Abstract
ENGLISH ABSTRACT: The concept of family-work spill over has led to an increased interest in organizations developing family friendly strategies and policies to accommodate their employees. There has been a marked increase in the need for reducing the influence of family matters on work performance. One element to consider is that the staff in managerial positions has to motivate other staff to achieve the goals of the institution. The purpose of this study is to identify the relationship between the family stress experienced by school principals in South Africa and their professional interpersonal relationships in the school domain. The literature review reveals several fundamental concepts such as educational leadership, human relations, stress and family stress. Furthermore, different dimensions of family stress are listed in the different instruments available for measurement. An empirical investigation followed the literature review. It started off with a pilot study, which was followed by a comprehensive empirical study among the school principals of the Metro Central Educational District of the Western Cape Department of Education in 2014. The empirical study revealed that the “acute/chronic” class of stressors does influence the human relationships of some school principals in the school domain. This value of this study lies in the new information it offers on the relationship between family experiences and the work performance of school principals, since no formally published study could be found that addresses the influence of family matters on human relations of school principals. However, there are numerous studies available on the spill over of work experiences to the relationships at home.
AFRIKAANSE OPSOMMING: Die konsep van gesin-werk oorvloei het gelei tot hernude belangstelling in organisasies se pogings om gesinsvriendelike strategieë en beleide in plek te kry om hulle werknemers te akkommodeer. Daar is ’n merkbare toename in die behoefte aan die vermindering van die invloed van gesinssake op werksuitsette. Een bykomende saak om te oorweeg is dat die personeel in bestuursposisies ander personeel moet motiveer om die doelwitte van die instelling te bereik. Die doel van hierdie studie is om die verwantskap tussen die gesinsstres wat skoolhoofde in Suid-Afrika ervaar en hulle professionele interpersoonlike verhoudings by die skool te ondersoek. Die literatuur spreek verskeie grondliggende konsepte soos opvoedkundige leierskap, menseverhoudinge, stres en gesinsstres aan. Daar word verder verskillende soorte gesinsstres geïdentifiseer en daar verskillende instrumente beskikbaar om dit te meet. ’n Empiriese ondersoek het die literatuuroorsig gevolg. Dit het begin met ’n loodsstudie, wat gevolg is deur ’n omvattende empiriese studie onder die skoolhoofde van die Metro Sentrale Onderwysdistrik van die Wes-Kaapse Departement van Onderwys in 2014. Die empiriese studie het getoon dat die “akute/chroniese” klas van stressore die menseverhoudinge van sommige van die skoolhoofde by hulle werksplekke beïnvloed het. Die waarde van hierdie studie lê daarin dat dit nuwe inligting verskaf oor die verwantskap tussen gesinsevaringe en die werksuitsette van skoolhoofde aangesien daar nog nie voorheen formele studies gepubliseer is wat die invloed van gesinssake op die werksuitsette van skoolhoofde aanspreek nie. Daar is egter verskeie studies beskikbaar oor die oorvloei van werkservaringe na die verhoudinge tuis.
Description
Thesis (MEd)-Stellenbosch University, 2015.
Keywords
School principals -- Psychological aspects, School principals -- Family relationships, School principals -- Human relaions, UCTD
Citation