Burnout and Self-Perceived Instructional Competence: An Exploratory Study of a Group of Italian Female Elementary School Teachers.

Tiziana Ramaci,Monica Pellerone,Venerando Rapisarda,Maria Chiara Antonietta Trischitta,Ermanno Vitale

doi:10.3390/ijerph17041356

Abstract

Since the first half of the 1980s, burnout in teachers has been the object of particular attention by many international authors. Teachers are subject, more than other professions, to numerous and heavy pressures, covering the peculiarity of the profession. The objectives of the present research are to measure the predictive role of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment on the quality of teaching in a group of elementary school teachers. We carried out a cross-sectional study involving 324 Sicilian female teachers, who worked in three school orders: Kindergarten, primary school, and the first year of middle school. Participants completed a socio-demographic questionnaire, the assessment teaching scale for primary school teachers (ECAD-EP), and the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). In reference to the level of burnout, the correlation analysis underlined the presence of a positive correlation between: Emotional exhaustion and depersonalization; and a negative correlation between exhaustion and depersonalization. Furthermore, a predictive role of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment on the quality of teaching in a group of primary school teachers was found.

Highlights

In Italy, an efficient school is linked to teachers’ effectiveness
The literature underlines that teachers at risk of burnout can, to a lesser extent than other teachers, put into practice in the classroom those behaviors and skills linked to “new” metacognitive variables, which allow the establishment of a functional organizational climate, and can represent a predictive character of professional performance and increased motivation of their students [1,2,3]
Tukey’s post hoc test shows that that older teachers have a higher cohabitation ability than younger teachers; and teachers with more experience seem to show a higher level of cohabitation, mediation, and self-efficacy than those with less experience

Summary

Introduction

In Italy, an efficient school is linked to teachers’ effectiveness. This theme is constantly present in national and international debates and continues to stimulate discussion.In the present study, we carried out an explanatory conceptual design of effective teaching behaviors and styles, which is linked to “new” variables [1,2], corresponding to the self-perceived skills of a group of teachers, who were affected by scholastic system collapse and by psychological illness (burnout).The literature underlines that teachers at risk of burnout can, to a lesser extent than other teachers, put into practice in the classroom those behaviors and skills linked to “new” metacognitive variables, which allow the establishment of a functional organizational climate, and can represent a predictive character of professional performance and increased motivation of their students [1,2,3].In contrast, teachers who possess the metacognitive attitude—considered as the ability to reflect on one’s cognitive activity in reference to a task—are able to manage their emotions when dealing with students, are assured when facing critical situations, and use different strategies in different classrooms [4].Int. In Italy, an efficient school is linked to teachers’ effectiveness This theme is constantly present in national and international debates and continues to stimulate discussion. We carried out an explanatory conceptual design of effective teaching behaviors and styles, which is linked to “new” variables [1,2], corresponding to the self-perceived skills of a group of teachers, who were affected by scholastic system collapse and by psychological illness (burnout). The literature underlines that teachers at risk of burnout can, to a lesser extent than other teachers, put into practice in the classroom those behaviors and skills linked to “new” metacognitive variables, which allow the establishment of a functional organizational climate, and can represent a predictive character of professional performance and increased motivation of their students [1,2,3]. Public Health 2020, 17, 1356; doi:10.3390/ijerph17041356 www.mdpi.com/journal/ijerph

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