Teachers Voices: A Qualitative Study on Burnout in the Portuguese Educational System

Ana Isabel Mota,Célia Oliveira,João Lopes

doi:10.3390/educsci11080392

Ana Isabel Mota, Célia Oliveira + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci11080392

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Abstract

Teaching has been identified as an environment of extreme physical, mental, and cognitive demand for teachers and is one of the careers where burnout levels are the highest. This qualitative study aims to (i) understand the importance of personal, organizational, and classroom dimensions concerning the Portuguese education system, (ii) and how these dimensions contribute to burnout in Portuguese teachers from different teaching levels. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with twenty-six primary and high school teachers. Results offer insights on the impact that different variables have on teachers’ burnout. The content analysis suggests that organization is the most relevant dimension contributing to teachers’ burnout. On the other hand, the classroom category appears to be the most challenging context for teachers to manage. The results highlight the need to consider the dynamics and interdependency between personal, organizational, and classroom dimensions in the development and prevalence of burnout.

Highlights

Sci. 2021, 11, 392. https://doi.org/Mental and physical well-being depend on how well individuals can handle the psychosocial, contextual, and physical challenges and demands of their environments [1]. stress is a necessary and sometimes useful physiologic response, continuous exposure to high levels of occupational stress may lead to burnout [2].Burnout is a psychosocial phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal fulfilment [3]
According to [2], school as a professional environment is characterized by several contexts susceptible to emotional exhaustion that vary from school to school, and within the same school
This study intended to understand the relative importance of the personal, organizational, and classroom dimensions related to the Portuguese educational system that contribute to burnout of Portuguese teachers at different levels of education

Summary

Introduction

Sci. 2021, 11, 392. https://doi.org/Mental and physical well-being depend on how well individuals can handle the psychosocial, contextual, and physical challenges and demands of their environments [1]. stress is a necessary and sometimes useful physiologic response, continuous exposure to high levels of occupational stress may lead to burnout [2].Burnout is a psychosocial phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal fulfilment [3]. Mental and physical well-being depend on how well individuals can handle the psychosocial, contextual, and physical challenges and demands of their environments [1]. Stress is a necessary and sometimes useful physiologic response, continuous exposure to high levels of occupational stress may lead to burnout [2]. Burnout is a psychosocial phenomenon characterized by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and diminished personal fulfilment [3]. According to [2], school as a professional environment is characterized by several contexts susceptible to emotional exhaustion that vary from school to school, and within the same school. The concept of “professional environment demands” refers to physical, social, or organizational attributes of a professional context that require prolonged physical and/or mental effort [7]

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