Predicting intraindividual changes in teacher burnout: The role of perceived school environment and motivational factors

Abstract

Based on self-determination theory, this study proposes and tests a motivational model of intraindividual changes in teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment). Participants were 806 French-Canadian teachers in public elementary and high schools. Results show that changes in teachers' perceptions of classroom overload and students' disruptive behavior are negatively related to changes in autonomous motivation, which in turn negatively predict changes in emotional exhaustion. Results also indicate that changes in teachers' perceptions of students' disruptive behaviors and school principal's leadership behaviors are related to changes in self-efficacy, which in turn negatively predict changes in three burnout components.

Teachers’ Emotional Labour and Burnout: Does Perceived Organizational Support Matter?

“…In the same vein, Kinman et al (2011) as well as Mukundan and Ahour (2011) also cited several studies that attest to the fact that the teaching profession is particularly more stressful than the average stress levels of individuals working in other human service-related occupations. This is really worrisome as recent researchers have increasingly considered burnout as a significant workplace strain found to be associated with poor job performance and poor psychological and physical health of employees (Brouwers et al, 2011;Fernet, Guay, Senécal, & Austin 2012). In elucidating teacher's job burnout, it is probable that the activities students are engaged in during their lessons, the way they interact (which may result to altercation), the time the teacher spends in preparing lessons and marking papers, and the way the classroom is organized can be strenuous to the teacher.…”

“…This is because a teacher sometime has to be compassionate and open-minded and at other times very stringent in order to avoid risk and detrimental physical contact. In addition, a teacher has to manage students who may be boisterous, noisy, troublesome (Brouwers et al, 2011), engage in disruptive and disrespectful behaviour, and inattentiveness (Fernet et al, 2012). In the long run, it is the students who bear the brunt of the teacher's burnt-out as it may impact negatively on the academic performance of the students.…”

“…Several studies have been conducted to understand the antecedents of teachers' job burnout (e.g., Brouwers et al, 2011;Fernet et al, 2012;Kinman et al, 2011). While these studies have greatly enhanced our understanding on how often teachers feel burnt-out, little is however known concerning the intensity of the burnout experienced by teachers in their teaching profession.…”

“…Therefore, the first aim of the present study is to investigate the intensity of burnout experienced by teachers in the course of discharging their duties. Thus, this study tries to advance the literature on burnout by calling for a paradigm shift from how often teachers experience burnout to the intensity of burnout experienced by teachers, given that previous studies (e.g., Brouwers et al, 2011;Fernet et al, 2012;Kinman et al, 2011) have already established that indeed, teachers often experience burnout in their teaching profession.…”

“…Consistent with this stance, Schaufeli and Enzmann (1998, p. 124) argue that "the notion of emotional labour is potentially important for our understanding of burnout since it captures an essential aspect of the professional-recipient relationship". Thus, teaching is characterized by intense emotional activity (Fernet et al, 2012); that calls for the successful management of personal emotions and the knack to bring about the desired emotional state in others (Kinman et al, 2011). On this basis, teaching job can be said to be emotionally-laden in many ways.…”