Understanding teacher burnout and attrition
Numerous studies and researches have covered the topic of teacher burnout and attrition. Here’s a closer examination on the topic.
In the article The Causes of Teacher Burnout and Attrition [1] , the author examines several key factors that contribute to burnout, including relationships with principals, colleagues, students, and parents; working conditions such as lack of resources, isolation, low pay, accountability pressures, and heavy workloads; teacher self-efficacy and motivation; and years of teaching experience.
The research highlights that positive relationships and supportive principals who engage with teachers, show trust, and provide assistance can reduce burnout levels. In contrast, unsupportive or combative principals and colleagues increase burnout risk. Student behaviour issues and lack of parental support also contribute to burnout.
Contextual factors like school resources, facilities, isolation, salary, accountability policies, and excessive workloads are identified as significant sources of stress leading to burnout. The sense of community within a school also impacts burnout levels.
The studies find that new teachers often start with high motivation but can quickly experience burnout due to intense workloads and unmet expectations. Veteran teachers may develop higher burnout over time from accumulated stress, though they are less likely to leave the profession.
Overall, the research emphasises the need for educational leaders to foster positive relationships, provide supportive working conditions, and address issues that contribute to teacher burnout to retain effective educators.
In another research publication Teacher Burnout [2], the author discusses strategies for preventing and coping with teacher burnout, which is considered a significant issue impacting educational quality and effectiveness. It highlights the following key points:
- Teacher training programs should introduce the concept of burnout early on, present effective research-backed coping strategies, equip student teachers with classroom management techniques, and encourage open discussion of anxiety/emotional issues.
- There is a correlation between teacher self-efficacy and burnout, but the causal direction is unclear — low self-efficacy may lead to burnout or vice versa.
- Individual coping strategies recommended include maintaining positive relationships, seeking counselling, healthy lifestyle, time management, realistic goals, work-life balance, and open communication with colleagues.
- Preventive measures suggested for administrators include creating a supportive environment, offering assistance, organising burnout workshops, implementing fair reward systems, valuing teachers’ work, and involving them in decision-making.
- While burnout cannot be completely eliminated due to teaching’s inherent stresses, equipping teachers with resources to address symptoms is considered the most effective approach.
References:
[1] Nygaard, K. (2019). DigitalCommons@CSP The Causes of Teacher Burnout and Attrition. [online] Available at: https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/235303699.pdf.
[2] Mahmoodi-Shahrebabaki, Masoud. (2019). Teacher Burnout. 1–8. 10.1002/9781118784235.eelt0964.
