EXPERIENCES OF NEWLY EMPLOYED HIGH SCHOOL TEACHERS IN THE HHOHHO REGION OF ESWATINI

Abstract

Teachers are very important in the teaching and learning process as they are the ones who ensure that learners get to understand the content of the syllabus. They also play fundamental roles in the lives of learners so that they become successful in their careers. This study investigated the experiences of newly employed teachers in high schools in the Hhohho region of Eswatini. The objectives of the study were to find out views of newly employed teachers regarding classroom management, issues posed by workload, the relationship of newly employed teachers and learners, the relationship of newly employed teachers and colleagues and lastly availability of teaching resources in high schools in the Hhohho region. The study embraced a qualitative research approach method and phenomenological research design. Purposive sampling was used to select ten teachers who were in the first, second, third year of their teaching profession from Mbabane and Piggs Peak. The ten newly employed teachers in the different high schools were interviewed through a semi-structured interview guide. Content analysis was used to analyze the data in which the respondents’ sentiments were categorized into five themes. It was established that newly employed teachers regarded classroom management and workload as an issue and their relationship with both their learners and their colleagues was poor, and that teaching resources were inadequate. It was concluded that newly employed teachers endured daily stress due to these experiences.