Support teachers who experience passive aggressive behaviour in the Grade 9 classroom : the role of the educational psychologist

M.Ed. (Educational Psychology)The inclusive education shift, in South Africa, has caused classroom teachers to take on many more responsibilities than was expected from them in previous years. These increased expectations, stress and anxiety becomes heavy burdens and has a negative influence on teacher well-being. Factors such as the emotionally intense working environment, lack of time, space and resources, as well as student misbehaviour has a great negative impact on the classroom environment and the teacher‘s inner self. As this study is focused on the grade 9 classroom teacher, adolescence and misbehaviour within this developmental stage was investigated. From this investigation, passive aggression was identified as one of the main culprits of student misbehaviour when considering grade 9 learners. As this type of behaviour affects the teaching environment and is problematic for classroom management, it was found that this has a negative influence on teacher well-being. This study, therefore, aimed investigating the role of the educational psychologist, as a member of the School Based Support Team in supporting teacher well-being in classrooms where teachers are exposed to passive aggressive behaviour shown by grade 9 learners. The theoretical framework on which this research study was based, was Bronfenbrenner‘s bio-ecological systems theory. This theory emphasizes the influence that different systems have on each other, which is very important when working within the school community. An interpertive research paradigm was selected. The research approach employed within this study is qualitative. Participants were purposefully selected, from one school in the Gauteng education system. The methods used for data collection were written reflective notes, semi-structured individual interviews and qualitative content analysis was used in order to analyse the data collected. The research findings indicated that grade 9 classroom teachers have difficulty in effectively managing passive aggressive behaviour displayed by learners in their classrooms. Furthermore, it was also found that teachers perceive support, within the school, to be more focused on learners and that the support rendered is not always applicable for these teachers. This suggests that the educational psychologist, together with school management and classroom teachers should work together to emphasize support to be rendered to classroom teachers. Therefore, teacher well-being, which is a very important aspect of the teaching environment, could be supported and catered for