Teacher stress and burnout in Australia: examining the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors

Abstract

Concerns regarding high rates of teacher stress and burnout are present globally. Yet there is limited current data regarding the severity of stress, or the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors in relation to teacher stress and burnout within the Australian context. The present study, conducted over an 18-month period, prior to the COVID pandemic, surveyed 749 Australian teachers to explore their experience of work-related stress and burnout; differences in stress and burnout across different demographic groups within the profession; as well as the contributing role of intrapersonal and environmental factors, particularly, emotion regulation, subjective well-being, and workload. Results showed over half of the sample reported being very or extremely stressed and were considering leaving the profession, with early career teachers, primary teachers, and teachers working in rural and remote areas reporting the highest stress and burnout levels. Conditional process analyses highlighted the importance of emotion regulation, workload and subjective well-being in the development of teacher stress and some forms of burnout. Implications for educational practice are discussed.

Teacher burnout and turnover intention in higher education: The mediating role of job satisfaction and the moderating role of proactive personality

“…However, given the strong association between proactive personality and self-efficacy (Naz et al, 2020), we should consider the relevance of findings related to potential positive influence of offering stability in the educational field, developing a sense of security in attaining educational goals, and reducing external pressures (Barni et al, 2019) in the development of self-efficacy. Other research on teachers, at all levels, has demonstrated that relevant constructs to job satisfaction and proactive personality were instrumental in reducing stress and burnout, particularly the practice of emotional regulation (Carroll et al, 2022).…”

Personal Values as Regulators of Teacher Burnout

“…Some researchers add a social aspect to the study of burnout syndrome (Arvidsson et al, 2019). Thus, the importance of the factors of emotional regulation, workload, and subjective well-being in the development of teachers' stress and the formation of certain forms of professional burnout was proven (Carroll et al, 2022). In a study of teachers' burnout symptoms, it was found that high personal selfefficacy, physical exercise, enough time for personal rest as well as high support from administration and perception of good leadership were factors leading to low-level burnout.…”

Teachers during the COVID-19 Era: The Mediation Role Played by Mentalizing Ability on the Relationship between Depressive Symptoms, Anxious Trait, and Job Burnout

“…The sudden and unstable changes in the teaching-related formats put a strain on educational settings as well as on teachers' functioning [4] and on their job demands [5]. In this vein, several studies [6][7][8][9][10] investigated the impact of those changes on teachers, showing that they had a high risk to develop stress-related symptomatology, specifically in terms of depressive symptoms and anxiety. The challenges imposed by the management of teaching activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, and the associated stress, had an impact on job burnout.…”