High and Low-Burnout Schools: School Culture Aspects of Teacher Burnout

Abstract

The aim of this study was to identify school factors associated with teacher burnout. For that purpose, the organizational characteristics of those schools in which most teachers reported high levels of burnout (high-burnout schools) and schools in which most teachers reported low-burnout level (low-burnout schools) were identified and compared. A sample of 1,597 elementary school teachers were given a modified version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory, including a background information section, followed by interviews with principals, teachers, and other school incumbents. The findings in this study indicated that four major school culture variables contribute to teacher burnout: (a) the drive toward measurable goal-achievement behavior imposed on teachers by school administration, (b) lack of trust in teachers' professional adequacy, (c) circumscribing school culture, (d) and disagreeable physical environment. Age, sex, level of education, and number of years in teaching are background variables also associated with high and low levels of burnout.