Resumen

DLAZA, Zikhona  y  CHINYAMURINDI, Willie. Rural teachers' challenges: The role of the satisfaction of needs in professional development. S. Afr. j. educ. [online]. 2025, vol.45, n.4, pp.1-10. ISSN 2076-3433.  https://doi.org/10.15700/saje.v45n4a2723.

Rural teachers face distinct challenges that affect their professional and personal lives, often limiting the success of professional development initiatives such as workshops, in-service training, and mentoring. For these initiatives to be effective in rural contexts, it is essential to consider environmental conditions and teachers' specific needs. In this study we investigated how the satisfaction of needs - survival, social contribution, and self-determination - shapes rural teachers' professional development. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires from 330 teachers from the Raymond Mhlaba municipality in the Eastern Cape province of South Africa. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling. The findings reveal that satisfying survival needs has a significant positive effect on teachers' professional development, whereas social contribution and self-determination showed no significant influence. These results underscore the importance of addressing survival-related needs to enable rural teachers' growth and improve teaching effectiveness. The lack of significant impact from social contribution and self-determination suggests contextual barriers that may warrant further exploration. We conclude with recommendations for policymakers and educational stakeholders to strengthen support structures that prioritise teachers' needs for survival while recognising the role of broader environmental conditions as an avenue for future research.

Palabras clave : challenges; needs satisfaction; professional development; rural schools; rural teachers.

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