Teachers' profiles of work engagement and burnout over the course of a school year

Abstract

AbstractThis research relies on a combination of variable‐ and person‐centered approaches to improve our understanding of the dimensionality of work engagement and burnout. Among 1004 teachers who completed a questionnaire twice over an eight‐month period, our results first revealed that work engagement and burnout ratings simultaneously reflected two global overarching constructs co‐existing with six specific dimensions (vigor, dedication, and absorption as well as emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and professional efficacy). We then examined the profiles taken by these global and specific dimensions, documented their stability and interrelations over time, and tested their associations with theoretically relevant predictors. Three work engagement (Vigorously Engaged, Disengaged, Engaged) and three burnout (Burned‐Out, Adapted, Normative) profiles were identified. Most Disengaged teachers at Time 1 corresponded to the Burned‐Out profile at Time 2, and most Burned‐Out teachers at Time 1 corresponded to the Disengaged profile at Time 2. Workload perceptions increased teachers' likelihood of membership into the Disengaged profile relative to the Engaged one. In contrast, most job resources perceptions (control, rewards, and values) predicted an increased likelihood of membership into the Engaged profile relative to the Disengaged one.