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.