Negative Aspects of Teacher Burnout Problem on Educational Organization

Abstract

Teachers are prone to burnout problems due to the nature of their jobs. Teacher burnout is a very serious educational problem in the field of education, and the problem is gradually getting worse. The problem of teacher burnout negatively affects not only the individual teachers but also the overall educational organization. Teacher burnout has a negative correlation with teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and job satisfaction. These negatively affect classes, school climate, and school culture. In addition, the problem of teacher burnout may lead to the disintegration of the school organization by increasing teachers’ departure from teaching. Thus, the teacher burnout problem acts as a hindrance to the effective functioning of the school organization. Ultimately, it has negative consequences for the achievement of educational goals. Therefore, in order to lead an effective school organization, it is necessary to systematically diagnose the problem of teacher burnout, management, and measures are needed to improve it.

1. Introduction

In modern society, people who experience chronic occupational stress while experiencing new lifestyles, rapid changes in human relationships, and various daily events in a complex organizational society are physically and psychologically in trouble with so-called burnout, a phenomenon of mental exhaustion [1, 2, 3, 4]. This kind of burnout problem is a big topic in the educational field and educational organizations [5, 6, 7].

As teachers are representative assistant professionals, the problem of burnout is more prominent among teachers, some even evaluate the teacher organization as the organization that will be the most exhausted. Such teacher burnout is a very serious educational problem. As concerned, as the problem of teacher burnout is becoming increasingly serious in the recent education field, as a result, the number of teachers leaving the teaching profession is rapidly increasing. These pathological phenomena suggest that the burnout problem experienced by teachers has reached a fairly high level, and if it is not adequately resolved, it can negatively affect not only individual teachers but also the entire educational organization.

In previous studies, teacher burnout had a negative impact on job enthusiasm or school educational performance or acted as a factor preventing teachers from engaging in organizational citizenship behavior such as altruistic behavior. It also had an effect on individual teachers, such as leaving the teaching profession, job satisfaction, and reduced efficacy. In addition, it has a negative impact on students’ adaptation and academic self-efficacy, as well as reducing teachers’ emotional immersion in educational activities, which can negatively affect teachers’ emotional and subjective well-being [8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13]. Burnout teachers find it difficult to devote themselves to school work, become negligent in service, and find it difficult to empathize with student guidance and character guidance. They act mechanically in their relationships with students, parents, and administrators, lose creativity and initiative in their work, and lose interest in caring for students and guiding subjects [14]. It shows that teacher burnout causes various dysfunctions not only to individual teachers but also to school organizations and students, making it difficult to expect successful education from burnout teachers [12].

As such, teacher burnout has a negative correlation with teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and job satisfaction, which negatively affects classes, school climate, and school culture. In addition, the problem of teacher burnout may lead to disintegration of school organizations by increasing teachers’ departure from the teaching profession. Thus, the problem of teacher burnout acts as a hindrance to the effective functioning of school organizations, ultimately causing negative results in achieving educational goals. Therefore, in order to lead an effective school organization, it is necessary to systematically diagnose and manage the problem of teacher burnout, and prepare measures to improve it. Therefore, in this chapter, we will identify the problem of teacher burnout, ascertain how it affects educational organizations in schools based on empirical research results, and propose measures to solve the problem of teacher burnout.

2. The problem of teacher burnout in the education field

Burnout can be defined as a phenomenon of physical and mental exhaustion caused by negative consequences in physiological and behavioral aspects due to excessive job stress [1, 2]. The main symptoms of this burnout include depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, and a diminished sense of personal fulfillment [15]. Burnout is common in helping professions such as health care, education, and social work that maintain and help people in close relationships over a long period of time [1, 16].

As teachers are the representative helping professions, the problem of burnout appears more prominently among teachers [17], and someone evaluated the teacher group as the group most likely to be burnt out [18]. In addition, teacher burnout was viewed as the most serious educational problem [17]. The reasons are that teachers, as the subject of education, have a huge impact on the overall education, determine the quality of education, and are the most important condition that determines the success or failure of education. After all, when a teacher burns out, it can have a negative impact on education as a whole.

According to previous studies, it is reported that approximately 1/3 of teachers experience job stress [5], and the stress caused by external or human factors that persists chronically in the educational field causes psychological burnout in teachers [5, 17]. In addition, it requires teachers to continuously perform various roles such as subject guidance, life guidance, character guidance, safety guidance, and other administrative tasks in the recent education field [19]. Accordingly, the stress and psychological burden experienced by teachers are increasing. As a case in point, there is a survey result conducted in Korea, which has a world-class passion for education and excellent human resources as teachers. In a survey of 1674 teachers, 96.5% responded that they did emotional labor, and 78.1% of them suffered from severe burnout due to stress such as depression, anger, and loss of self-esteem. In the end, this problem of teacher burnout has a negative impact on educational activities (91.6%), and the case of seriously considering retirement was also very high at 72.2% [20].

As such, the problem of teacher burnout is becoming increasingly serious in the educational field and educational organizations, and the phenomenon of teacher resignation is rapidly increasing as a result. As teachers are exposed to long-term stress, their physical, emotional, and mental energy is depleted and they face the problem of burnout. Such burnout has a negative impact on teachers’ overall work, including teaching activities, and on educational organizations such as fellow teachers and students [2]. Accordingly, it is necessary to clearly identify and manage the problem of teacher burnout in the educational field.

3. Negative aspects of teacher burnout problem on educational organization

In this section, we will examine the negative aspects of teacher burnout in the educational field that affect educational organizations. The negative effects of teacher burnout will be examined in terms of the individual and organizational aspects of teachers.

3.1 Teacher burnout, teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and satisfaction with the teaching profession

Teacher burnout is the physical and mental depletion of teachers themselves, which leads to various pathological phenomena. In particular, the proportion of psychological pathology caused by intellectual work or emotional labor performed by teachers in educational organizations is high. Also, psychological pathology can cause physical pathology and has a great adverse effect on teachers’ lives. Accordingly, the negative impact of teacher burnout on the personal, psychological, and emotional aspects of teachers is examined in terms of teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and satisfaction with the teaching profession as follows.

First, it was found that teacher burnout and teacher efficacy had a negative correlation, and teacher burnout had a negative effect on teacher efficacy [21, 22, 23, 24]. Teacher efficacy is an application of Bandura’s self-efficacy theory to teachers and refers to teachers’ own beliefs and perceptions of how much positive influence a teacher can have on learners’ learning [25, 26]. Teacher efficacy is like the belief in oneself that a teacher can contribute to raising the level of achievement of learners by guiding learners to set high goals and continuously strive to achieve them [23]. As such, teacher efficacy is a strong indicator of teaching effectiveness [27] and is recognized as the variable that has the most consistent and lasting effect on learner achievement among various teachers’ inner beliefs or attitudes that affect their teaching behavior [28]. In addition, it is reported that teacher efficacy affects various areas including teacher’s passion, persistence, responsibility, and teaching behavior [29]. Therefore, the fact that teacher burnout has a negative effect on teacher efficacy suggests that it can negatively affect teachers’ passion, persistence, responsibility, teaching behavior and teaching effects, and even learners’ achievements.

Second, it was found that teacher burnout and teacher enthusiasm also had a negative correlation, and teacher burnout had a negative effect on teacher enthusiasm [22, 30]. Teacher enthusiasm is defined as a positive and satisfying state of mind associated with teachers and consists of three motivating constructs: vigor, dedication, and absorption [31]. Vigor is mental cheerfulness and resilience while working, a high level of energy and willingness to put forth effort in one’s work, and perseverance in the face of difficulties. Dedication means the importance, enthusiasm, inspiration, pride, and challenge of the work. Absorption refers to a state of complete concentration on one’s work, a state of immersion, and a state in which it is difficult to think separately from work [30, 31]. The higher the teacher burnout, the lower the vigor, dedication, and absorption, and the lower the teacher enthusiasm, leading to dehumanization and a decrease in personal achievement, negatively affecting organizational commitment [7, 30].

Third, it was found that teacher burnout and satisfaction with teaching profession also had a negative correlation, and teacher burnout had a negative effect on satisfaction with teaching profession [2, 22]. Satisfaction with the teaching profession is the degree to which one demonstrates one’s expertise and satisfies one’s personal needs in the process of performing one’s role as a teacher. Also, it refers to a psychological state that includes emotions that are determined by the level at which the individual teacher’s needs are judged to be actually met through teaching experience [32, 33]. In addition, it is defined as an attitude or mindset in which a teacher actively and voluntarily participates in teaching through psychological, social, and economic satisfaction as a member of an organization and contributes to the achievement of the organization’s goals [34]. Satisfaction with the teaching profession can lead to organizational performance through the effect of increasing productivity, can maintain good interpersonal relationships within the organization, and can reduce turnover and absenteeism rates. Therefore, due to the negative effect of teacher burnout on satisfaction with teaching profession, those with high burnout were more likely to be absent or tardy in the organization than those with low burnout, and their performance was significantly lower, resulting in a higher retirement rate [17].

As such, teacher burnout has an adverse effect on teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and satisfaction with teaching profession, which negatively affects not only individual teachers but also educational organizations such as teaching effectiveness, learner achievement, organizational commitment, organizational performance decrease, and organizational dropout.

3.2 Teacher burnout problem, class, school climate, and school culture

As mentioned earlier, the problem of teacher burnout affects the entire life of teachers, and burnout teachers have difficulty fulfilling their role as teachers in educational organizations, which has negative consequences in various areas of educational organizations. Therefore, the negative impact of teacher burnout on the organizational aspect will be examined in terms of classes, school climate, and school culture.

First, the problem of teacher burnout has a negative correlation with the class, and it was found that the problem of teacher burnout has a negative effect on the class [21, 35, 36]. Teacher burnout reduces the ability to perform tasks and work with learners, resulting in a decrease in the quality of teaching activities. In addition, burnout teachers lose interest and enthusiasm in subject instruction, put less effort into teaching, avoid contact with students, do not accept advice from others, and are more likely to lose patience [35]. Also, the peculiarity is that the problem of teacher burnout can have a negative impact on teaching by partially mediating teacher efficacy [21]. Teacher burnout can have a direct negative impact on class, but it can also have an indirect negative impact on class by lowering teacher efficacy. In addition, since the negative impact of teacher burnout on teaching is greater than the negative impact of teacher burnout on teacher efficacy, it is necessary to pay attention to the fact that the negative aspect of teacher burnout on educational organizations may be greater.

Second, it was found that the problem of teacher burnout has a negative correlation with the school climate and school culture, and that the problem of teacher burnout has a negative impact on the school climate and school culture [22, 37, 38, 39]. School climate is the personality of a school organization that has a different feeling or uniqueness for each school [40] and means the norms and expectations shared by school members [41]. School climate is an internal characteristic that distinguishes one school from another and influences the behavior of school members. Therefore, it can be said to be the enduring quality of the school environment as perceived by members of school behavior [34]. Meanwhile, culture is a general term for the values, norms, beliefs, etc. that community members generally share. It affects the behaviors of members and the social system and plays a role in organically connecting and adjusting them [42, 43]. In general, culture can be said to be a greater concept that encompasses climate. The school organization also has its own unique culture, and the school culture is very influential and important in the school field, as compared to the lens through which members of the school organization view themselves and the world [44]. Teacher burnout is highly contagious and, along with various physical behaviors, permeates and negatively affects the school climate and school culture, just as one individual’s frustration can affect others and burn out the entire school organization [38]. In addition, negative school climate and school culture are shown to deepen teacher burnout, so it is necessary to pay attention to their interactive influence relationship.

As such, it can be confirmed that the problem of teacher burnout has a negative relationship with the teaching field, which is the core area of ​​educational organization, and the climate and culture that affects the overall educational organization and has a negative impact on educational organization.

4. Measures to solve the problem of teacher burnout

The problem of teacher burnout is a factor that adversely affects the lives of individual teachers and the overall educational organization, and it is necessary to solve it in order to increase the effectiveness of teachers and educational organizations. Therefore, it is necessary to diagnose the problem of teacher burnout and prepare policies to manage and improve it. Since teacher burnout reduces teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and satisfaction with the teaching profession, and it has a negative impact on classes and school climate and culture, special attention should be paid to solving the problem of teacher burnout in the promotion of education policies that strengthen the improvement of class-centered school culture. In terms of education policy, the measures are presented as follows.

Through the vitalization of voluntary professional learning communities in schools, the professionalism of teachers and the cooperative teacher community are strengthened, and by utilizing this, a culture of communication and collaboration within the teacher community about the problem of teacher burnout is created. In addition, in providing teacher-tailored support through the operation of a supervision support group at the level of local offices of education, it is necessary to consider matters related to teacher burnout. For example, when forming a consulting support group, it will be effective if psychology and counseling experts are placed together. This is because it is necessary to properly manage and heal the psychological problems of teachers as it was confirmed in this study that the problem of teacher burnout of emotional exhaustion and dehumanization exists in the school field and that teacher burnout has a negative effect on the educational organization. In addition, among the educational policies that can be implemented at the level of local offices of education, there are activations such as expanding support for class and evaluation and devising plans to reduce administrative work for teachers. Through this, it is possible to reduce the workload of teachers, thereby contributing to solving the burnout problem that may occur due to excessive work. In addition, it is necessary to establish policies related to the health of school organizations and to expand and apply them so that all members of school organizations can participate. Developing customized training for each stage of the teaching career, it helps to solve problems commonly faced by teachers at each stage of the teaching career. Also, it is necessary to solve the burnout problem resulting from the relationship between educational communities through life education that respects and considers each other and improves sensitivity to human rights [5, 17]. Furthermore, it is proposed to organize a related department or organization that systematically diagnoses and manages the problem of teacher burnout, prepares improvement measures, and actively implements that.

5. Conclusions

This study examined the negative aspects of teacher burnout on educational organizations in the education field. Teacher burnout reduces teacher efficacy, teacher enthusiasm, and satisfaction with the teaching profession, and negatively affects classes, school climate, and school culture. Also, there is a high possibility that the negative aspects appearing throughout the educational organization will intensify according to the chain phenomenon in which each variable negatively affected by teacher burnout has another negative impact on the educational organization. In addition, as the problem of teacher burnout is gradually becoming more serious in the school field, the problem of deteriorating the effectiveness of educational organizations due to the problem of teacher burnout will gradually appear at a serious level.

Accordingly, efforts are required in terms of educational organizations to diagnose the problem of teacher burnout, manage it systematically, and improve it. Provide prevention and treatment support for teacher burnout, creation of a culture of communication and cooperation within educational organizations, enhancement of welfare benefits for teachers and educational organizations, and support for professional development. Through this, it is possible to solve the problem of teacher burnout and increase the effectiveness of the educational organization so that it can ultimately achieve the educational goal.

Conflict of interest

This chapter was written based on a review of the study “Analysis of the Effect of Teacher Burnout Problem on Class Through Teacher Efficacy” conducted by the author in 2021.

Thanks

My beloved family, thank you always.