article · Asian Research Journal of Arts & Social Sciences
Bereavement negatively affects the job performance of teachers in public primary schools within Starehe Constituency, Nairobi County. Although educators play a key role in national development, localised evidence guiding bereavement interventions has been scarce. Based on Social Support Theory, a descriptive study assessed coping strategies among 40 teachers who experienced bereavement within the past five years across seven local schools. Information gathered through questionnaires and interviews indicated that personal family networks, work colleagues, and faith-based arrangements were the most accessible and effective forms of coping support. To better support affected staff, the findings suggest school management committees strengthen workplace assistance networks, review bereavement leave durations, and introduce clear, formal wellness programmes.
When teachers suffer personal loss without adequate institutional care, their wellbeing and instructional performance decline. Understanding which support structures actually assist educators helps education leaders design practical workplace interventions. Establishing better leave policies and wellness programmes ensures schools maintain productive teaching environments while supporting the mental health of public sector staff.
The abstract does not indicate an application pathway for commercialisation, as the study focuses on public school workplace policies and internal support programmes.
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Although teachers are critical agents in the academic growth and development of manpower, bereavement is adversely affecting the job performance of public primary school teachers in Starehe Constituency. Despite a wide array of literature in this area, there is limited existing localised evidence about strategies for supporting bereaved teachers in public primary schools in Starehe Constituency, limiting support for the development of intervention efforts. This research sought to fill this gap by establishing strategies for supporting bereaved teachers in their job performance in public primary schools in Starehe Constituency, Nairobi County. The study was anchored in Social Support Theory. The study employed a descriptive research design. The target population included all 258 teachers in the seven public primary schools within Starehe Constituency. Using purposive sampling, the study selected 40 primary school teachers who had been bereaved within the last five years. While quantitative data were collected using a questionnaire, qualitative data were gathered using an interview guide. Quantitative data were analysed using quantitative techniques to yield descriptive statistics, while thematic analysis was used for the qualitative data. The results were presented in frequency tables and narratives. It was found that support strategies, especially those within families, among work colleagues and within faith-based support structures, were the most readily available and effective coping strategies for bereaved teachers. The study recommends that school management committees enhance their workplace support networks, that the duration of bereavement leave be reviewed, and that schools provide teachers with a well-defined wellness programme.
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DOI: 10.9734/arjass/2026/v24i9938
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