Abstract
School burnout symptoms are prevalent among upper secondary education students, but thus far, very little is known about the background of these symptoms. The present study examined the extent to which school burnout symptoms (i.e., exhaustion and cynicism) among upper secondary education students have their roots in primary and lower secondary school and whether early antecedents of school burnout symptoms could be identified. The sample consisted of 1544 Finnish students followed up four times (Time1–Time 4) from the end of primary school (T1; mean age 12.74 and range 11.71–14.20) to the first year of upper secondary education (T4; mean age 16.66 and range 15.55–18.39). The results of latent growth curve modeling showed that school burnout symptoms in upper secondary education were predicted by the level of school burnout symptoms at the end of primary school and by an increase in these symptoms across the transition from primary school through lower secondary school. In addition, psychological well-being, academic skills, and gender were found to contribute to the prediction of school burnout symptoms. Overall, the present study suggest that potential warning signs of school burnout should not be ignored and attention should be directed to earlier education phases.
Highlights
Upper secondary education can constitute a stressful period as it contains new challenges related to autonomous study and increased pressure to plan future educational and career paths
The dimensions are distinct but closely linked (Salmela-Aro et al 2009a), and these symptoms can be examined either as separate constructs or together as a single construct. The former approach is supported by the studies that have shown that school burnout symptoms do not always go hand-in-hand: symptoms can be higher in one dimension than in another (Salmela-Aro et al 2016; Tuominen-Soini and Salmela-Aro 2014)
In line with the hypothesis (H3), the present study showed that the higher levels of internalizing symptoms students showed in Grade 6, the higher the levels of exhaustion and cynicism they reported in Grade 6 and the higher the levels of these school burnout symptoms they showed in upper secondary education
Summary
Upper secondary education can constitute a stressful period as it contains new challenges related to autonomous study and increased pressure to plan future educational and career paths. It is customary to experience schoolwork-related stress occasionally, but prolonged strain can lead to school burnout syndrome (Salmela-Aro et al 2009a). According to Salmela-Aro et al (2009a) exhaustion refers to school-related strain and chronic fatigue, cynicism describes loss of interest in schoolwork and an indifferent attitude to studying, and inadequacy refers to a reduced sense of accomplishment and students’ perception of being inadequate at school. The dimensions are distinct but closely linked (Salmela-Aro et al 2009a), and these symptoms can be examined either as separate constructs or together as a single construct (i.e., overall school burnout). Exhaustion is the stress component of burnout, whereas a cynical attitude is considered individuals’ way of distancing themselves from the overtaxing situation (Maslach et al 2001)
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