Job burnout and self-efficacy survey among elementary school teachers in Greece

Background

Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and reduced professional efficacy within the workplace are the three dimensions of the job burnout syndrome. In this study, we examined the levels of job burnout in a sample of 100 teachers of elementary education. Also, we sought to identify the relationship between job burnout and general self-efficacy, teachers' self-efficacy and group self-efficacy. Moreover, we looked into the relationship between job burnout and the three types of self-efficacy with teachers' perceptions of particular work-related values. Job burnout dimensions and self-efficacy are also studied in relation to teachers' demographic characteristics.

Materials and methods

Job burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Educators Survey) [1]. Self-efficacy was measured with the Shwarzer and Jerusalem's [2] questionnaire. The work values questionnaire was makeshift and answers were given on a 6-point scale.

Results

Female teachers presented higher levels of job burnout, whereas teachers over 50 years old presented higher levels of self-efficacy than those between 31-40 years old. The three types of self-efficacy were negatively correlated with the three job burnout dimensions.

Conclusions

In particular, this research stresses the importance of the relationship between group self-efficacy and job burnout. What is more, job burnout seems to have an impact on people's perceptions about their occupation. Moreover, it would be interesting to study the relationship between self-efficacy and job burnout in other professional groups as well.