Proceedings of the 19th International Academic Conference, Florence

CHANGES AND DETERMINANTS OF TEACHER’S BURNOUT SYNDROME

ANITA HOLECZ

Abstract:

Our research focuses on teachers’ burnout to show that the passage of 15 years has been any change in burnout syndrome and analyze what kind of workplace-, personality- and behavioral characteristics explaining the factors of burnout. Our sample, a total of 783 practising teachers (primary and secondary school teachers). A survey tests were conducted at the beginning of the 2000s, in 2011 and 2014. Such as: MBI Test (Maslach, Jackson, 1986) version was made for teachers (Byrne, 1991), a Psychological Immune System (Oláh, 2005), a Preference of Coping Strategy (Oláh, 2005), a Temperament and Character Factors (TCI, Hungarian adaptation by Rózsa et al., 2004), a Big Five Questionare (BFQ, Hungarian adaptation by Rózsa et al., 2000). The job characteristics (eg. in court for years, workload, status), and satisfaction and happiness at work was measured by our questionare. Our results show that: teachers differ in some personality factors compared to other higher education graduates. Among the factors temperament harm avoidance and reward dependence is higher, while the persistence is lower. The dimensions of characters indicates the low level of self-worth and self-acceptance among teachers. The BFQ test results also showed meaningful differences. Significant differences were observed in two dimensions, energy and openness to experience. In both cases, there was lower means. Coping with stress also has found a significant difference compared to other graduates in higher education. On the positive difference that teachers often prefer person-oriented coping strategies. However, unfortunately, it appears the self punishment and the resignation in stressful situations. The three factors of burnout syndrome (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, personal accomplishment) are relatively constans in different groups being tested three times since 2003 despite changes in the conditions of education. However, the proportion at risk of burnout is increasing. Until in 2003, 17.83% of the teachers were endangered, in the group tested in 2014 this rate is already 36%. The results of the regression analysis, the prevention of burnout workplace factors of happiness at work play one of the most important role. The personality factors are the need to strengthen, the self-directedness, intellectual openness, friendliness and self-regulatory system in prevention.

Keywords: teachers, burnout, personality, coping preferencies, Psychological Immune System, happiness at work

DOI: 10.20472/IAC.2015.019.058

PDF: Download