The Experiences of Senior Teachers at Yekatit 12 Preparatory School: Longevity, Job Satisfaction, Challenges and Coping strategies
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Date
2016
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
In Ethi opi a, plenty of researches have been conducted on issues such as job sati sfacti on of
teachers; retention and turnover of teachers. The research employed qualitative, descripti ve
phenomenolog ica l approach to examine reason senior teachers stay in th e profess ion fo r thirty
years and more, challenges they have faced and coping mechani sms they empl oyed. Cri teri on
based purposive sampling method was used to select Twelve senior teachers at Yekatit 12
Preparato ry School who have been in the teaching profess ion for thirty and more yea rs as
researc h pa rticipant. Semi structured interview and focu s group di scuss ion we re used to co ll ect
data. The stud y found out that for most teachers, teaching in th eir earl y yea r career was full of
happi ness and exciting; however, their current perception about implies th at most parti cipants are
di ssat isfied with their career. The love for teachin g profess ion and work ing with stud ents, and fo r
some havi ng limited access to join oth er profess ions were identified as a reason to keep teachers
in teachi ng. In adequate salary, deteriorating respect for the profess ion and poli tica l interference
'vve re identifi ed as the major challenges in teaching profess ion. Families and co ll eagues as a
resource used fo r coping with chall enges whil e acti viti es like reading books , spendin g ti me on
intern et and walking used to cope with chall enges. Furtherm ore, improvin g fin ancial be nefi t,
recrui tment system, refraining politics from school , working on students behav ior and societi es
atti tud e were suggested as means of improving teachers sati sfacti on and minimi zin g chall enges.
Thi s research will serves as a point of reference for studies to be conducted in related areas. In
add iti on, the stud y findin g implies the need for poli cy advocacy of social workers in relati on to
teachers ' quest for better salary, detrainment of politics from school and in meeting oth er
chall enges. Beyond that, it also calls for social work intervent ion in providing scientific means of
copin g with the stresses and chall enges inherent in th e teachin g profess ion.
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Keywords
Longevity, Job Satisfaction, Challenges and Coping strategies