Personal and contextual factors related to teachers’ experience with stress and burnout

ABSTRACT

Teaching has been characterised as a stressful profession that is prone to burnout. Less is known about the specific ways in which teachers experience and navigate stressors associated with their work. This study aimed to qualitatively understand how teachers who perceive high and low levels of burnout characterise their lived experiences in school environments. Data were collected through interviews with 28 inservice teachers (11 male, 17 female) from the US Midwest who reported high- or low-burnout on a psychometric survey. Data were analysed by two experienced qualitative researchers. Results indicated that (a) low-burnout teachers perceived nurturing teaching environments, (b) high-burnout teachers perceived combative and constraining teaching environments, and (c) all teachers had to manage workplace stress. Building from these findings, we present a model for understanding how the school environment influences teacher burnout. This model highlights the importance of developing optimal working conditions that nurture teacher development.

Abbreviation: MBI-ES = Maslach Burnout Iventory-Educators Survey; IEP = Individualized Education Plan

KEYWORDS:

• Identity
• social processes/development
• sociology
• stress management
• qualitative research
• in-depth interviewing

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Corrigendum

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

Correction Statement

This article was originally published with errors. This version has been corrected. Please see Corrigendum (http://dx.doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2018.1490482).

Notes

1. Pseudonyms have been assigned to all teachers, schools, and school districts referenced in the study.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

K. Andrew R. Richards

K. Andrew R. Richards ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa, AL, USA.

Michael A. Hemphill

Michael A. Hemphill ([email protected]) is an assistant professor in the Department of Kinesiology at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro in Greensboro, NC USA.

Thomas J. Templin

Thomas J. Templin ([email protected]) is the associate dean for faculty and undergraduate affairs and professor in the School of Kinesiology at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.