Examining the Influence of Strength Development on Psychological Capital: The Case of Public Secondary School Teachers in Wakiso District, Uganda

Abstract

Public secondary school teachers in Wakiso District navigate an increasingly hostile occupational work environment characterized by overcrowded classrooms, resource constraints, and intense bureaucratic demands. This taxing work environment triggers occupational burnout and severe resource depletion, threatening teachers’ psychological capital and institutional stability (Cimen & Yilmaz, 2018). Grounded in Conservation of Resources (COR) Theory (Hobfoll, 1989), individuals must invest in existing resources to prevent loss and recover from strain. This is why contemporary organizations are shifting from deficit correction to strength development encompassing skills, talent, and knowledge development (Woerkom et al., 2016), Therefore a critical empirical gap remains regarding how these institutional mechanisms nurture teachers' internal psychological reserves within public secondary schools. Addressing this gap is vital because public school evaluation systems predominantly focus on correcting deficiencies, which intensifies teacher fatigue. This study therefore was to investigate the impact of strength development on teachers' psychological capital. The findings provide schools’ management, policy makers and ministry of education officials with evidence based strategies to transform supervisory frameworks, buffer teachers against burnout, and cultivate a confidence, resilient, hopeful, and optimistic educational workforce.