Burnout is characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of personal accomplishment (Bakke, Demerouti, & Sanz-Vergel, 2014). Several instruments for its measurement exist, but the most widely used scale for measuring its dimensions, by far, is the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) in its different versions. Among the available versions of the scale, the MBI-General Survey was developed to measure three dimensions of burnout (cynicism, personal accomplishment, and emotional exhaustion) regardless of the type of work. The aim of this research is to offer evidence on the psychometric properties of the MBI-GS for its use in the Dominican Republic and other Caribbean Spanish-speaking countries, using representative sample of Dominican teachers. The factorial validity was studied through confirmatory factor analysis. Several competing models were proved in order to test the dimensionality of the scale. The confirmatory analyses shown that the original three-factor structure had a superior fit, but item eleven was removed in order to get an excellent fit χ2(87) = 211.19, p < .001, CFI = .98, RMSEA = .038 90% CI [.032-.045]. Regarding internal consistency, the CRI´s are well above the cut-off criteria of .7 (CRI's ranged from .74 to .86). Concerning criterion-related validity, the three factors were correlated in the expected direction. Professional efficacy, a dimension of burnout measured in the opposite direction, was positively correlated with the three factors of work engagement, also as expected. This version was found to be a psychometrically sound measure of the three core dimensions of burnout.
School or academic achievement is a relevant topic of study, as it is evidence of the learning achieved by the student. This study aims to explore a model explaining academic achievement while testing the mediator role of learning strategies, study habits and study attitudes. Research design was correlational. 1712 Dominican students from 12 to 20 years old (52.75% female) were sampled through cluster sampling. Data was recruited with a set of validated questionnaires, including measures of academic achievement (marks), learning strategies, study habits, and attitudes toward studies, school engagement, and academic support. Structural Equation Modeling was used to establish and test the mediational model. Main results show that learning strategies and study habits and attitudes play a mediator role between background variables as age, gender, cognitive or behavioral engagement, and students' academic achievement. Learning strategies and study habits play a central role in achieving a good academic performance, by mediating the effects of academic support and school engagement.
The influence of academic support on students’ academic and personal development has been previously demonstrated. The objective of this study was to present a validation of the Perceived Academic Support Questionnaire (PASQ). This scale has three dimensions: academic support from (1) teachers, (2) family, and (3) peers. For the reliability analysis, we estimated the Cronbach alpha and Composite Reliability Indices (CRIs). Factorial validity was assessed by confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and external validity was tested via a structural equation model in which the dimensions of academic support predicted academic motivation. The CFA fit indices showed very good fit to the data, supporting the theoretically proposed three-factor structure. The reliability indices, considering Cronbach alpha and CRI, were adequate for all dimensions and the predictive model fit was satisfactory. Teacher and parental academic support had a positive impact on academic motivation. On the contrary, a negative relationship between peer support and academic motivation was found. The evidence provided supports for the use of the PASQ as a brief academic support scale in future research.
La satisfacción laboral del colectivo docente ha sido estudiada desde diversas perspectivas, debido a los importantes efectos que esta puede tener tanto a nivel económico como a nivel organizacional. La muestra empleada en este trabajo se compone de 978 docentes dominicanos, y fue obtenida mediante un muestreo estratificado, y, por tanto, representativo de la población. En este estudio se examina un modelo de ecuaciones estructurales en el cual el contexto de trabajo y las condiciones laborales afectan el burnout y el engagement de los profesores. A su vez, se plantea que burnout y engagement afectan la satisfacción laboral docente. El modelo ajustó a los datos: χ2(223)= 1089.9, p<.001; CFI=.93; RMSEA=.066;SRMR=.107. Los resultados arrojan luz sobre los factores contextuales del plano educativo que pudieran replantearse en el desarrollo de futuras políticas educativas.
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