This study investigated elements of school environments that explain variance in burnout scores in a sample of university graduands two years after they commenced work as teachers. Using a longitudinal survey methodology, 79 beginning teachers completed the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI: Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996) on four occasions over a two year period, first six weeks after they commenced work as teachers and finally in the concluding term of their second year of teaching. Beginning teachers also completed the Work Environment Scale (WES: Moos, 1994) each time they were surveyed. The revised Eysenck Personality Questionnaire (EPQ-R/s: Eysenck & Eysenck, 1991) was administered when the graduands were first surveyed. In a series of hierarchical regression analyses, reports of how innovative the work environment was perceived to be added significantly to the explanation of variance in all three MBI subscales after first controlling for initial levels of burnout and the personality trait Neuroticism. Beginning teacher burnout 3Work environment predictors of beginning teacher burnout.

In keeping with repeated calls to investigate high early career turnover within the teaching profession, the present study investigated the hypothesis that a significant positive association between burnout and turnover intention would be observed in teachers at the beginning of their careers. A sample of 112 Australian teachers working in their first or second academic year was surveyed in 2004. Respondents were administered the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI: Maslach, Jackson & Leiter 1996) and asked about serious intentions to leave their job and/or profession. Meaningful and significant associations between serious intentions to leave and all three MBI subscales were found. The findings suggest a realistic and straightforward explanation for the alarmingly high early career attrition rates that are now commonly reported for the teaching profession in a number of countries.