Teacher stress and burnout in Australia : examining the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors

• Published in: Social psychology of education 2022-06, Vol.25 (2-3), p.441-469
• Main Authors: Carroll, Annemaree, Forrest, Kylee, Sanders-O’Connor, Emma, Flynn, Libby, Bower, Julie M., Fynes-Clinton, Samuel, York, Ashley, Ziaei, Maryam
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Beginning Teachers; Burn out (Psychology); Burnout; Comparative Analysis; COVID-19; Education; Educational Practices; Educational psychology; Elementary School Teachers; Elementary Secondary Education; Emotional regulation; Emotional response; Environmental influences; Epidemics; Foreign Countries; Job stress; Occupational stress; Pandemics; Personality and Social Psychology; Primary secondary education; Rural Areas; School Location; Self Control; Sociology of Education; Stress management; Stress Variables; Surveys; Teacher Attitudes; Teacher Burnout; Teacher Characteristics; Teacher stress; Teacher workload; Teachers; Teaching Load; Well Being; Work Attitudes; Work Environment; Workloads
• ISSN: 1381-2890; 1573-1928
• DOI: 10.1007/s11218-022-09686-7

Concerns regarding high rates of teacher stress and burnout are present globally. Yet there is limited current data regarding the severity of stress, or the role of intrapersonal and environmental factors in relation to teacher stress and burnout within the Australian context. The present study, conducted over an 18-month period, prior to the COVID pandemic, surveyed 749 Australian teachers to explore their experience of work-related stress and burnout; differences in stress and burnout across different demographic groups within the profession; as well as the contributing role of intrapersonal and environmental factors, particularly, emotion regulation, subjective well-being, and workload. Results showed over half of the sample reported being very or extremely stressed and were considering leaving the profession, with early career teachers, primary teachers, and teachers working in rural and remote areas reporting the highest stress and burnout levels. Conditional process analyses highlighted the importance of emotion regulation, workload and subjective well-being in the development of teacher stress and some forms of burnout. Implications for educational practice are discussed. [Author abstract]