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South Africa’s epidemic of school-based gang violence significantly impacts educators, affecting their psychosocial well-being and professional performance. This qualitative study examines these effects within Johannesburg public schools, guided by Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems Theory, which emphasizes the influence of interconnected social and cultural environments. Data were collected through semi-structured interviews with purposively sampled educators and analysed thematically using Creswell’s framework. Ethical standards, including confidentiality, informed consent, and privacy, were rigorously upheld. Findings reveal that educators experience emotional distress, professional burnout, and compromised well-being as a result of persistent exposure to school-based gang violence.

The study was carried out to investigate the impact of learners’ disruptive behaviour on teacher well-being. To achieve this aim, a phenomenological research design was used. The convenience sampling technique was adopted, as participants who were the most accessible to the researcher were contacted. The participants in this study were teachers from four different secondary schools in Bloemfontein. A total of ten teachers were selected to take part in this study. The data collection instrument for this study was a semi-structured interview schedule. The thematic analysis method was used, as this method makes it easier for the researchers to read and organise the data, as well as to make sense of the data by coding and grouping the themes. The findings from the study show that learners’ disruptive behaviours have a negative impact on teachers’ well-being. It is therefore concluded that learners’ disruptive behaviours have a severe negative impact on teachers’ overall well-being.