Understanding the factors affecting teachers’ burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic: A cross-sectional study

Abstract

Background During the COVID-19 pandemic, which enforced social distancing and isolation, teachers were required to handle multiple challenges related to their work, including dealing with remote teaching, in addition to personal, medical and financial challenges. The goal of the current research was to examine factors that contributed to professional burnout and commitment to work among teachers during the first and second waves of the COVID-19 pandemic. Methods A total of 344 elementary school teachers in Israel completed online self-report questionnaires, including assessments of stressors, anxiety, resilience, self-efficacy beliefs, and coping strategies. Structured Equation Modeling [SEM] was used to examine the contribution of these factors to professional burnout and commitment. Results The gaps between needed and received support had a direct effect on teachers’ burnout and commitment, and an indirect effect through anxiety and self-efficacy beliefs. Stress relating to remote teaching and support-gaps regarding remote teaching were the most significant of all the stressors and sources of support. Conclusions Collectively, these findings highlight the significance of remote teaching as the main cause of stress and professional burnout and suggest that proper preparation of teachers—before and during times of crisis, may have a significant impact on their mental and professional well-being.

Caregiving in academia: Examining educator well‐being and burnout during prolonged stressors

“…Fostering “caring communities” among educators (Baker et al, 2019) can promote resilience (Le Cornu, 2013) and enhance well‐being (Lemon, 2021; Mercer & Gregersen, 2020). In fact, recent scholarship has found that “support from schools [is] even more critical than support from family and friends” during times of prolonged stress, but the support provided needs to meet or exceed the recipients' needs to effectively reduce burnout and facilitate resilience (Shimony et al, 2022, p. 11).…”

“…Furthermore, approach-focused forms of coping during the COVID-19 pandemic, such as through increased connection and support among colleagues, have been found to enhance resilience during periods of chronic stress (MacIntyre et al, 2020). Conversely, educators who lack quality support from their colleagues often have higher perceptions of stress and higher levels of burnout than their more connected peers (Shimony et al, 2022).…”

Teacher Working Conditions and Dissatisfaction Before and During the COVID-19 Pandemic

“…Positive working conditions could have lessened the detrimental impact of pandemic-related disruptions on teachers’ job dissatisfaction (Shimony et al, 2022; Walter & Fox, 2021). An extensive literature before the pandemic attests to the importance of teachers’ positive appraisal of their working conditions in managing the demands of teaching (Merrill, 2021).…”

The impact of self-efficacy on the well-being of primary school teachers: a Greek-Cypriot study

“…Teachers were faced with a variety of challenges, such as remote-modern teaching methods, the lack of supporting school frameworks, the lack of knowledge for the proper utilization of technology and learning with the help or participation of the parents ( Kasprzak and Mudlo-Glagolska, 2022 ; Shimony et al, 2022 ). These challenges appear to have an impact on teachers’ well-being ( Bartosiewicz et al, 2022 ; Shimony et al, 2022 ). A predictive factor that seems to enhance teachers’ ability to cope with professional difficulties is their self-efficacy ( Baka, 2017 ; Sulla and Rollo, 2023 ), as is investigated in the current research.…”

“…Furthermore, the sudden appearance of the COVID-19 pandemic led to many challenges to the educational environment and new needs for teachers, such as increased fatigue due to novel working conditions and remote distance learning (Bartosiewicz et al, 2022;Shimony et al, 2022). Teachers were faced with a variety of challenges, such as remote-modern teaching methods, the lack of supporting school frameworks, the lack of knowledge for the proper utilization of technology and learning with the help or participation of the parents (Kasprzak and Mudlo-Glagolska, 2022;Shimony et al, 2022). These challenges appear to have an impact This instrument is based on one of the most influential theories that examine the overall sense of well-being and its elements, the PERMA theory (Seligman, 2011).…”