The Relationship Between Burnout and Self-Efficacy among Iranian Male and Female EFL Teachers
Abstract
Teaching is a job marked by high levels of burnout. Teacher burnout has been extinsively studied in connection with other important psychological qualities, such as perceived self-efficacy. However, little research has examined this relationship among teachers in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. In this light, this mixed-method study was intended to a) investigate the relationship between the degree of perceived self-efficacy by Iranian EFL teachers and their professional burnout level, and b) see whether gender could make a significant difference in the teachers’ burnout level. To these ends, 80 male and female Iranian EFL teachers from several high schools in Isfahan, selected through convenience sampling, participated in the study and responded to the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educator’s Survey (MBI-ES) and a modified version of Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES). To triangulate the data, a semi-structured interview was also conducted with 15 teachers. Correlational and t-test data analysis showed that there was a strong significant correlation between the participants’ perceived self-efficacy and their burnout level in a negative direction. The gender variable also had a modifying effect on the teachers’ burnout. Female teachers, in fact, had a lower burnout level. The follow-up interview further confirmed the relationship and revealed the three main themes of mental fatigue, contact avoidance, and stress in explaining teacher burnout. The implications for school administrators and teacher educators are discussed.
Downloads
References
Akbari, R., Ghafar Samar, R., Kiani, Gh., & Eghtesadi, A. (2011). Factorial validity and psychometric properties of Maslach burnout inventory-the Persian. Knowledge and Health, 6(3), 1-8.
Alarcon, G., Eschleman, K. J., & Bowing, N. A. (2009). Relationship between personality variables and burnout: A meta-analysis. Work & Stress, 23, 244-263. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/02678370903282600
Aloe, A. M., Amo, L. C., & Shanahan, M. E. (2014). Classroom management self-efficacy and burnout: A multivariate meta-analysis. Educational Psychology Review, 26(1), 101-126. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2019.v5.i410.1007/s10648-013-9244-0
Anderson, B. G., & Iwanicki, E. F. (1984). Teacher motivation and its relationship to burnout. Educational Administration Quarterly, 20, 109-132. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0013161X84020002007
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachandran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human behavior (vol. 4, pp. 71-81). Academic Press.
Bandura, A. (1995). Self-efficacy in changing societies. Cambridge University Press.
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. Freeman.
Betoret, F. D. (2009). Self-efficacy, school resources, job stressors, and burnout among Spanish primary and secondary school teachers: A structural equation approach. Educational Psychology, 29(1), 45-68. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410802459234
Biron, M., & Link, S. (2014). Stress, appraisal, and work routine in wartime: Do men and women differ? Anxiety, Stress, & Coping, 27, 229-240. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10615806.2013.836506
Blase, J. J. (1984). School principals and teacher stress: A qualitative analysis. National Forum of Educational Administration and Supervision, 1(2), 35-43.
Brouwers, A., & Tomic, W. (2000). A longitudinal study of teacher burnout and perceived self-efficacy in classroom management. Teaching and Teacher Education, 16, 239-253. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(99)00057-8
Brown, C. G. (2012). A systematic review of the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout in teachers. Educational & Child Psychology, 29, 47-63.
Burke, R. J., & Richardsen, A. M. (1996). Stress, burnout, and health. In C. L. Cooper (Eds.), Handbook of stress, medicine, and health (pp. 101-117). CRC Press.
Byrne, B. M. (1993). The Maslach Burnout Inventory: Testing for factorial validity and invariance across elementary, intermediate, and secondary teachers. Journal of Occupational and Organizational Psychology, 66, 197-212. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.2044-8325.1993.tb00532.x
Chan, D. W. (2008). Teacher self-efficacy and successful intelligence among Chinese secondary school teachers in Hong Kong. Educational Psychology, 28(7), 735-746. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01443410802259246
Chan, M. (2009). An appraisal perspective of teacher burnout: Examining the emotional work of teachers. Educational Psychology Review, 21, 193-218. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-009-9106-y
Chang, M. L., & Engelhard, G. (2016). Examining the teachers' sense of efficacy scale at the item level with Rasch measurement model. Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 34(2), 177-191. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0734282915593835
Chwalisz, K., Altmaier, E. M., & Russell, D. W. (1992). Causal attributions, self-efficacy cognitions, and coping with stress. Journal of Social and Clinical Psychology, 11, 377-400. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1521/jscp.1992.11.4.377
Clarkson, G. P., & Hodgkinson, G. P. (2007). What can occupational stress diaries achieve that questionnaires can't? Personnel Review, 36(5), 684-700. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1108/00483480710773990
Collie, R. J., Shapka, J. D., & Perry, N. E. (2012). School climate and social-emotional learning: Predicting teacher stress, job satisfaction, and teaching efficacy. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(4), 1189-1204. 1204. 10.17323/jle.2019.v5.i4 10.1037/a0029356. DOI: https://doi.org/10.17323/jle.2019.v5.i410.1037/a0029356
Coulter, M. A., & Abney, P. C. (2009). A study of burnout in international and country of origin teachers. International Review of Education, 55, 105-121.
Creswell, J. W. (2009). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approaches. Sage.
Cui, Q., Chao, Q., Han, J., Zhang, X., Ren, Y., & Shi, J. (2018). Job stress, burnout and the relationship among the science and mathematics teachers in basic education schools. Eurasia Journal of Mathematics, Science and Technology Education, 14(7), 3235-44. DOI: https://doi.org/10.29333/ejmste/85957
Day, C., & Gu, Q. (2010). The new lives of teachers. Routledge.
Dicke, T., Parker, P. D., Marsh, H. W., Kunter, M., Schmeck, A., & Leutner, D. (2014). Self-efficacy in classroom management, classroom disturbances, and emotional exhaustion: A moderated mediation analysis of teacher candidates. Journal of Educational Psychology, 106(2), 569-583. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0035504
Dorman, J. P. (2003). Relationship between school and classroom environment and teacher burnout: A LISREL analysis. Social Psychology of Education, 6, 107-127. 1. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/A:1023296126723
Eslami, Z. R., & Fatahi, A. (2008). Teachers' sense of self-efficacy, English proficiency, and instructional strategies: A study of nonnative EFL teachers in Iran. TESL-EJ, 11(4), 1-19.
Evers, W. J. G., Brouwers, A., & Tomic, W. (2002). Burnout and self-Efficacy: A study on teachers' beliefs when implementing an innovative educational system in the Netherlands. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 72, 227-45. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1348/000709902158865
Farber, B. A. (2000). Treatment strategies for different types of teacher burnout. Journal of Clinical Psychology, 56(5), 675-689.
Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burnout. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159-165. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1540-4560.1974.tb00706.x
Friedman, I. A., & Farber, B. A. (1992). Professional self-concept as a predictor of teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Research, 86, 28-35. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/00220671.1992.9941824
Gay, L. R., Mills, G. E., & Airasian, P. (2009). Educational research: Competencies for analysis and applications (9th ed.). Pearson Education.
Greenglass, E. R., & Burke, R. J. (1988). Career orientations and psychological burnout in teachers. Psychological Reports, 63, 107-116. DOI: https://doi.org/10.2466/pr0.1988.63.1.107
Hanushek, E. A. (2007). The single salary schedule and other issues of teacher pay. Peabody Journal of Education, 82(4), 574-586. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/01619560701602975
Hong, J. Y. (2012). Why do some beginning teachers leave the school, and others stay? Understanding teacher resilience through psychological lenses. Teachers and Teaching: Theory and Practice, 18(4), 417-440. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/13540602.2012.696044
Jedynak, M. (2011). Teaching experience and its role in foreign language teachers' anxiety. Acta Neophilologica, 13, 59-72.
Jennett, H. K., Harris, S. L., & Mesibov, G. B. (2003). Commitment to philosophy, teacher efficacy, and burnout among teachers of children with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 33, 583-593. https://doi.org/10.1023/B:JADD.0000005996.19417.57.
Kahn, J. H., Schneider, K. T., Jenkins-Henkelman, T. M., & Moyle, L. L. (2006). Emotional social support and job burnout among high-school teachers: Is it all due to dispositional affectivity? Journal of Organizational Behavior, 27, 793-807. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/job.397
Kay-Eccles, R. (2012). Meta-analysis of the relationship between coworker social support and burnout using a two level hierarchical linear model. Western Journal of Nursing Research, 34, 1062-1063. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1177/0193945912453684
Klassen, R. M., & Chiu, M. M. (2010). Effects on teachers' self-efficacy and job satisfaction: Teacher gender, years of experience, and job stress. Journal of Educational Psychology, 102, 41-756. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0019237
Klassen, R. M., Tze, V. M. C., Betts, S. M., & Gordon, K. A. (2011). Teacher efficacy research 1998-2009: Signs of progress or unfulfilled promise? Educational Psychology Review, 23(1), 21-43. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9141-8
Klusmann, U., Kunter, M., Trautwein, U., Lüdtke, O., & Baumert, J. (2008). Engagement and emotional exhaustion in teachers: Does the school context make a difference? Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57, 127-151. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00358.x
Kokkinos, C. M. (2007). Job stressors, personality, and burnout in primary school teachers. British Journal of Educational Psychology, 77(1), 229-243. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1348/000709905X90344
Küçüksüleymanoğlu, R. (2011). Burnout syndrome levels of teachers in special education schools in Turkey. International Journal of Special Education, 26(1), 53-63.
Larson-Hall, J. (2010). A guide to doing statistics in second language research using SPSS. Routledge.
Lau, P. S., Yuen, M. T., & Chan, R. M. (2005). Do demographic characteristics make a difference among Hong Kong secondary school teachers? Social Indicators Research, 71, 491-516.
Lim, N., Kim, E. K., Kim, H., Yang, E., & Lee, S. (2010). Individual and work-related factors influencing burnout of mental health professionals: A meta-analysis. Journal of Employment Counseling, 47, 86-96. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1002/j.2161-1920.2010.tb00093.x
Mackey, A., & Gass, S. (2005). Second language research: Methodology and design. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Publishers.
Mardani, N., Baghelani, E., & Azizi, R. (2015). Exploring the relationship between self-efficacy and burnout: The Case of Iranian EFL teachers. Cumhuriyet Üniversitesi Fen Edebiyat Fakültesi Fen Bilimleri Dergisi, 36(3), 3538-3548.
Maslach, C. (1982). Burnout: The cost of caring. Prentice Hall.
Maslach, C. (2015). Psychology of burnout. International Encyclopedia of the Social and Behavioral Sciences, 2, 929-932.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1985). The role of sex and family variables in burnout. Sex Roles, 12, 837-851.
Maslach, C., & Jackson, S. E. (1986). Maslach burnout inventory manual (2nd ed.). Consulting Psychologist Press.
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E, & Leiter, M. P. (1996). MBI: The Maslach Burnout Inventory Manual (3rd ed.). Consulting Psychologists Press.
Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Schwab, R. L. (1986). Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey (MBI-ES). In C. Maslach, S. E. Jackson, & M. P. Leiter. (Eds.), MBI Manual (3rd ed., pp. 191-218). Consulting Psychologist Press.
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52, 397-422. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
McCarthy, C., Lambert, R., O'Donnell, M., & Melendres, L. (2009). The relation of elementary teachers' experience, stress, and coping resources to burnout symptoms. The Elementary School Journal, 109, 1-19. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1086/592308
Mede, E. (2009). An analysis of relations among personal variables, perceived self-efficacy and social support on burnout among Turkish EFL teachers. Inonu University Journal of the Faculty of Education, 10(2), 39-52.
Motallebzadeh, K., Ashraf, H., & Tabatabaee-Yazdi, M. (2014). On the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' burnout and self-efficacy. Procedia-Social and Behavioral Sciences, 98, 1255-1262. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.sbspro.2014.03.541
Ortero Lopez, J. M., Castro Bolaño, C. C., Santiago Mariño, M. J, & Villardefrancos Pol, E. (2010). Exploring stress, burnout, and job satisfaction in secondary school teachers. International Journal of Psychology and Psychological Therapy, 10(1), 107-123.
Ozkara, B. (2019). An investigation into the relationship between Turkish EFL teachers' self-efficacy and burnout level. Journal of Family Counseling and Education, 4(1), 12-24. d. DOI: https://doi.org/10.32568/jfce.504499
Perrewé, P. L., Hochwarter, W. A., Rossi, A. M., Wallace, A., Maignan, I., Castro, S. L., et al. (2002). Are work stress relationships universal? A nine-region examination of role stressors, general self-efficacy, and burnout. Journal of International Management, 8, 163-187. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S1075-4253(02)00052-2
Poulin, J., & Walter, C. (1993). Social workers' burnout: A longitudinal study. Social Work Research & Abstracts, 29(4), 5-11. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1093/swra/29.4.5
Purvanova, R. K., & Muros, J. P. (2010). Gender differences in burnout: A meta-analysis. Journal of Vocational Behavior, 77, 168-185.
Reeve, J., & Su, Y-L. (2014). Teacher motivation. In M. Gagné (Ed.), The Oxford handbook of work engagement, motivation, and self-determination theory (pp. 349-362). Oxford University Press.
Robson, C. (1993). Real world research: A resource for social scientists and practitioner-researchers. Blackwell.
Roohani, A., & Dayeri, Kh. (2019). On the relationship between Iranian EFL teachers' burnout and motivation: A mixed methods study. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research (IJLTR) 7,1,77-99.
Sari, H. (2004). An analysis of burnout and job satisfaction among Turkish special school head teachers and teachers, and the factors affecting their burnout and job satisfaction. Educational Studies, 30(3), 291-306. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/0305569042000224233
Schwarzer, R., & Hallum, S. (2008). Perceived teacher self-efficacy as a predictor of job stress and burnout: Mediation analyses. Applied Psychology, 57, 152-171. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00359x
Schwarzer, R., Schmitz, G. S., & Tang, C. (2000). Teacher burnout in Hong Kong and Germany: A cross-cultural validation of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Anxiety, Stress, and Coping, 13 (3), 309-326. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1080/10615800008415730
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2007). Dimensions of teacher self-efficacy and relations with strain factors, perceived collective teacher efficacy, and teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Psychology, 99, 611-625. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.99.3.611
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26, 1059-1069. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.11.001
Smith, M., & Bourke, S. (1992). Teacher stress: Examining a model based on context, work load, and satisfaction. Teaching and Teacher Education 8(1), 31-46. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/0742-051X(92)90038-5
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17, 783-805. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
Tschannen-Moran, M., Woolfolk Hoy, A., & Hoy, W. K. (1998). Teacher efficacy: Its meaning and measure. Review of Educational Research, 68, 202-248.
Unsworth, K. L., & Mason, C. M. (2012). Help yourself: The mechanisms through which a self- leadership intervention influences strain. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 17, 235-245. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1037/a0026857
Van Tonder, C. L., & Williams, C. (2009). Exploring the origins of burnout among secondary educators. SA Journal of Industrial Psychology, 35(1), 204-218.
Woolfolk, A. (2004). Educational Psychology (9th ed.). Allyn and Bacon.
Yang, H., & Farn, C. K. (2005). An investigation of the factors MIS student burnout in technical- vocational college. Computer Human Behavior, 21, 917-932. DOI: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.chb.2004.03.001
Copyright (c) 2020 National Research University Higher School of Economics
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors who publish with this journal agree to the Copyright Notice.
