ENHANCING SOCIAL SUPPORT NETWORKS ON TEACHER WELL-BEING IN RURAL SOUTH AFRICA: A THEORETICAL PERSPECTIVE

Abstract

The South African rural teacher has to work under very harsh conditions, with a high level of stress, professional isolation, resource deficiencies, and institutional support, which adversely affect well-being and effectiveness. This paper attempts to understand how social support networks may promote teacher well-being in rural South Africa by drawing on an integration of Social Support Theory and Social Capital Theory. It studied bonding, bridging, and linking capital in terms of the provision of emotional, informational, instrumental, and appraisal support.