How obstacles and facilitators predict academic performance: the mediating role of study burnout and engagement

Abstract

Most people would agree with the maxim that "success breeds success". However, this is not the whole story. The current study investigates the additional impact of psychosocial factors (i.e., performance obstacles and facilitators) as well as psychological well-being (i.e., burnout and engagement) on success (i.e., academic performance). More specifically, our purpose is to show that, instead of directly affecting future performance, obstacles and facilitators exert an indirect effect via student well-being. The sample was composed of 527 university students who filled out a questionnaire, and whose previous and future academic performance (GPA) was taken from the university's records. Structural equations modeling showed that the best predictor of future performance was the student's previous performance. As expected, study engagement mediated the relationship between performance obstacles and facilitators on the one hand, and future performance on the other. Contrary to expectations, burnout did not predict future performance, although it was significantly associated with the presence of obstacles and the absence of facilitators. Our results illustrate that, although "success breeds success" (i.e., the best predictor of future performance is past performance) positive psychological states like study engagement are also important in explaining future performance, at least more than negative states like study burnout.

Defining the Student Burnout Construct: A Structural Analysis from Three Burnout Inventories

“…on the contrary, both teachers and fellow colleagues can help prevent and counteract the development of burnout through positive motivation and encouragement. salmela-aro, Kiuru, Pietikäinen, and Jokela (2008), in a study with Finnish students, observed that positive motivation received from teachers was negatively related to school-related burnout. Personal efficacy has been pointed out as a consequence of burnout, and a personality factor rather than a dimension of burnout (shirom & ezrachi, 2003).…”

Oldenburg Burnout Inventory - student version: cultural adaptation and validation into Portuguese

“…Carlotto and Câmara (2006), Dyrbye et al (2010), Martinez et al (2000 and Salanova, Schaufeli, Martinez, and Breso (2010) and emphasize that early detection of symptomatic significant levels of burnout can be an indicator of potential problems, in both school and professional contexts, enabling preventive interventions. Marôco and Tecedeiro (2009) also indicate that the occurrence of Burnout can seriously limit students psychosocial wellbeing and the academic performance.…”

“…More recently, higher education students have been identified in the literature as a vulnerable group for the development of Burnout (Balogun, Helgemoe, Pellegrini, & Hoeberlein, 1995;Marôco & Tecedeiro, 2009;Marôco, Tecedeiro, Martins, & Meireles, 2008;Martinez, Pinto, & Silva, 2000;Schaufeli, Martinez, Pinto, Salanova, & Bakker, 2002) due to socio-economic pressures, concerns about their professional future, relationships with peers and teachers, tests and papers to which they are constantly exposed, and therefore constitute a risk population to be studied. Carlotto and Câmara (2006), Dyrbye et al (2010), Martinez et al (2000) and Salanova, Schaufeli, Martinez, and Breso (2010) and emphasize that early detection of symptomatic significant levels of burnout can be an indicator of potential problems, in both school and professional contexts, enabling preventive interventions. Marôco and Tecedeiro (2009) also indicate that the occurrence of Burnout can seriously limit students psychosocial wellbeing and the academic performance.…”

The Relationship Between Emotional Intelligence and Burnout Levels Among Architecture Students

“…Schaufeli et al have developed a student version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI-SS) (Schaufeli et al 2002). Many studies have used this scale to examine student's burnout levels (Esteve, 2003;Breso et al, 2010;Gan and Shang, 2007;Hu and Schaufeli, 2009;Jia et al, 2009;Lee et al 2010;Lingard, 2007;Morgan, B., 2008;Zhang et al 2007;Salanova et al, 2009).…”