Does instructional quality mediate the link between teachers’ emotional exhaustion and student outcomes? A large-scale study using teacher and student reports.

Abstract

A negative association between symptoms of teacher burnout (e.g., emotional exhaustion) and students' academic outcomes has been demonstrated in previous research. Although, in theoretical models, it has been suggested that this association can be explained through changes in teachers' instructional behavior, these mediating processes have not yet been empirically tested. Therefore, in the present study, we examined (a) whether teachers' emotional exhaustion is related to students' self-concept, interest, and achievement and (b) whether aspects of instructional quality, indicated by teachers' emotional support and classroom organization, serve as mediators. The study is based on secondary data from the German and English classes of ninth-grade students (N = 17,280 in German; N = 17,225 in English) and their teachers (N = 987 in German; N = 1,060 in English) from 840 secondary schools. Using multilevel analyses, we found a negative association between teachers' emotional exhaustion and students' self-concept, interest, and achievement in German. Emotional exhaustion was associated with less emotional support and classroom organization in both subjects and the lower levels of instructional quality partially mediated the association between teachers' exhaustion and student outcomes. These results suggest that supporting teachers' well-being is not only important for the teachers themselves, but also it is important for students' academic development. Educational Impact and Implications StatementThe results of the present study suggest that teachers' emotional exhaustion, which is the key symptom of burnout, is related to teachers' work performance. Secondary school students in classes taught by emotionally exhausted teachers reported lower emotional support and lower classroom organization than students in classes taught by less exhausted teachers. In turn, students who perceived lower instructional quality reported having less interest and lower self-concept, and they also obtained lower achievement test scores.

Teachers’ emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic: Levels, changes, and relations to pandemic-specific demands

“…Our finding that principals and teachers who reported more health concerns also had higher emotional exhaustion indicated that individuals' health is a central life domain and one of the most important resources ( Maybery et al, 2007 ). Previous research also showed that daily worries about individuals' health and/or symptoms of health impairment were significantly related to increased emotional exhaustion ( Klusmann et al, 2022 ; Mather et al, 2014 ). Since the time of data collection for the present study, hygiene measures and vaccinations have reduced the risk of infection.…”

“…Moreover, the majority of teachers and principals reported increases in emotional exhaustion and experienced the pandemic as harmful. This is especially alarming considering the association of teachers’ burnout with health, retention in the profession, the quality of their instruction, and student outcomes ( Arens & Morin, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2022 ).…”

“…The aim of the present study was to investigate teachers' and principals' emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic. Teachers' emotional exhaustion appears particularly relevant in the current situation because previous research suggested that it is related to students' learning and psychosocial development ( Arens & Morin, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2022 ). In addition, extensive public speculation exists regarding teachers' performance and burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic ( Phillips & Cain, 2020 ; Singer, 2020 ; Wong, 2020 ), but reliable empirical evidence about teachers' and principals’ experience is limited to date.…”

“…This is alarming because teachers already perceived their profession as stressful and reported elevated levels of burnout before the pandemic ( Herman et al, 2020 ; Iriarte Redín & Erro-Garcés, 2020 ). Furthermore, teacher burnout is related to teachers' health, their retention in the profession, the quality of their instruction, and student outcomes ( Arens & Morin, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2016 ; Klusmann, Aldrup, Roloff, Lüdtke, & Hamre, 2022 ). However, to date, there is little robust empirical evidence on teachers' and principals’ levels of and changes in burnout symptoms during the pandemic and on factors that hinder or help them to cope with the dramatic changes.…”

Job load, job stress, and job exhaustion among Chinese junior middle school teachers: Job satisfaction as a mediator and teacher’s role as a moderator

“…Teachers with higher levels of job exhaustion also tend to display lower job satisfaction and higher turnover intention (Delali et al, 2020 ; Lee et al, 2019 ; Mudau, 2016 ). Moreover, teachers’ job exhaustion is also associated with students' compromised individual and educational outcomes, such as negative self-concept, diminished learning interest, poor academic achievement, and low school satisfaction (Arens & Morin, 2016 ; Klusmann et al, 2022 ). Thus, it is critical to systematically examine the etiology of teachers’ job exhaustion.…”