Supporting Teachers in Times of Change: The Job Demands- Resources Model and Teacher Burnout During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Abstract

Burnout in teachers has been broadly investigated, but no studies have investigated burnout in teachers during a pandemic. The current study is based on a survey of 1278 Canadian teachers and examined whether the Job Demands-Resources model was a useful lens for examining teacher burnout in this unprecedented context. Results supported the model in general terms in that most demands were most strongly correlated with the initial exhaustion stage of burnout. However, not all resources were most strongly associated with the later stages of burnout, suggesting that the examination of specific resources in the context of a pandemic as opposed to examining resources together as a latent variable contributes to development of a more refined model. Suggestions for supporting teachers’ welfare are provided.

Latent Profile Analysis of Manitoban Teachers' Burnout during the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…First, in terms of personal resources such as efficacy (defined here as subjective perceptions of competence) for using effective strategies, managing behaviours, and engaging students (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001), our current research during the COVID-19 pandemic (Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020a) showed that all three components of teaching efficacy were significantly and negatively correlated with exhaustion and depersonalization and were significantly, positively correlated with accomplishment in Canadian teachers--as expected based on pre-pandemic research. Likewise, all three components of attitudes toward change (thoughts, feelings, and behaviours) were significantly and negatively correlated with exhaustion and cynicism, and significantly and positively correlated with accomplishment in our initial Canadian sample.…”

“…Third, the survey that we conducted in Manitoba in September 2020 showed that the role of on-site school leadership was integral to support of the vast majority of Manitoba teachers (92.5% of those surveyed) during the pandemic, as expected based on pre-pandemic research (Eyal & Roth, 2011;Podalsky et al, 2016;Richardson et al, 2008;Urick, 2016). This finding echoed our national survey, which also showed the importance of school administrators as resources to teachers (Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020a). However, for those who planned to leave the profession (7.5% of the Manitoban teachers who were surveyed), the influence of their school leadership was inconsequential.…”

“…Third, our April 2020 data collection showed that in the early stages of burnout, the most effective response was a decrease in demands accompanied by the provision of a curated list of resources. In contrast, it showed that teachers in the later stages of burnout-those experiencing increased depersonalization and decreased accomplishment-responded better to being provided with specific types of resources (Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020a). See Three Unexpected Findings in Our COVID-19 and Teacher Burnout Research Program In addition to these expected findings, our explorations of the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on teacher burnout yielded three unexpected results.…”

“…• First, it will not recognize that teachers at different points of burnout need different responses (Alarcon, 2011;Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020a). • Second, it will diminish individuals' sense that they are being heard, as well as their own agency in their responses to the pandemic and their efforts toward resilience (Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020c;Taris et al, 2017).…”

“…The study was funded by a grant to Laura Sokal from the Social Sciences and Humanities Research Council of Canada and approved by the University Human Research Ethics Board (certificate number 14993). The methods and measures have been described elsewhere in previous publications based on data at different time points during the study (Sokal, Eblie Trudel, & Babb, 2020a, 2020b, 2020d, and the qualitative interviews (Eblie Trudel, Sokal & Babb, in press) using only the April survey sample sub-sample. The current study has a quantitative design, based on three surveys including the Manitoba sample conducted in April, June, and September 2020.…”