Running head: TEACHER BURNOUT: LITERATURE REVEIW 1

The Causes and Consequences of Teacher Burnout: Literature Review

Breanna Carels

Brandon University
TEACHER BURNOUT: LITERATURE REVIEW 2

The Causes and Consequences of Teacher Burnout: Literature Review

A study done in the United States reported that nearly 20% of teachers leave the

profession within the first five years of their career (Lee, 2019, p. 241). Why is it that such a

large percentage of teachers in their early career choose to leave the profession? Another study

done revealed that teaching ranks high as one of the most stressful occupations leading to

physical and psychological health concerns (Stiglbauer & Zuber, 2018, p. 707). Teachers deal

with many stressors in their day-to-day jobs. Student misbehavior, lack of resources, lack of

professional support, and poor relationships are all stressors that teachers may encounter

(Stiglbauer & Zuber, 2018, p. 708). Job dissatisfaction and decreased enthusiasm are negative

consequences of dealing with different types of stress throughout ones career (Lee, 2019, p. 236).

If teachers are exposed to these stressors consistently over long periods, they may reach a state of

burnout (Zhu et al., 2018, p. 788). Burnout occurs when an individual is enduring stress

overload and they are no longer able to handle it (Zhu et al., 2018, p. 789). Below there will be a

deeper analysis of what the stressors are that may lead to teacher burnout, what the repercussions

of these stressors will be, and potential solutions to help avoid burnout.

Generally, teachers start their careers with a very positive mindset, belief in their ability

to support students in getting a quality education, and they are willing to work hard to

accomplish this (Lavian, 2012, p. 243). Unfortunately, new teachers are quickly presented with

challenges and stressors that make the job difficult to handle and they are faced with burnout or

the desire to quit teaching (Lavian, 2012, p. 243). One area that teachers report as being stressful

is student misbehaviour (Aldrup, Klusmann, Lüdtke, Göllner, & Trautwein, 2018, p. 126).

Teachers often set out to build strong relationships with their students, so if a student is being

disruptive or disrespectful, this could lead to emotional exhaustion and frustration (Aldrup et al.,
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2018, p. 127). Teachers can also be overwhelmed and bogged down in school, divisional, and

provincial assessments (R. Richards, Hemphill, & Templin, 2018, p. 769). All the required

assessments for teachers to administer may cause teachers to feel pressure to perform and make

sure all students are meeting an achievement standard (Kafele, 2019, p. 4). Assessment

expectations are just one of many job requirements that can lead to work overload for teachers.

Lack of time and resources to handle all of the responsibilities in a job description would be

considered work overload (R. Richards et al., 2018, p. 769). Increasing workloads for teachers is

definitely a challenge that many teachers face that is not being addressed (Lee & Wolf, 2019, p.

49). Another area of concern is the lack of professional development for teachers (Lee & Wolf,

2019, p. 49). Teaching is profession that is constantly evolving and there are always different

student needs that have to be considered each year. If teachers are limited in experience in

different areas of their profession, this may cause overwhelm for them and it may hinder their

motivation (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 460). Some teachers also lack resources to provide quality

learning experiences for their students or they lack general classroom support as well (Stiglbauer

& Zuber, 2018, p. 708). If teachers do not feel supported in the school climate by their principal

and colleagues it will cause a higher level of stress (Lavian, 2012, p. 243). Not only do teachers

need to feel the support of their colleagues, they also need to feel supported by the outside

community, and this is often times not the case (Aldrup et al., 2018, p. 127). Many of the

stressors noted above were listed in more than one study presented on teacher burnout. These

are the main concerns that lead to teacher burnout which were agreed upon by several

researchers. The stressors listed above are leading teachers to believe that they are not

accomplishing what they set out to do in their careers. This becomes very problematic for

teachers and it leads to some very concerning consequences, ultimately teacher burnout.
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Several problems occur when teachers are consistently dealing with different stressors in

their careers. These different types of problems may make it clear why it was reported in a study

done in Germany that 32.5% of a sample group of teachers experienced burnout (Hinds, Jones,

Gau, Forrester, & Biglan, 2015, p. 284). Several negative consequences result from teachers

experiencing burnout. Two studies have found that there are three main areas that define

burnout; these include reduced personal accomplishment, depersonalization, and emotional

exhaustion (Hinds et al., 2015, p. 284; Barnes, Cipriano, McCallops, Cuccuini-Harmon, &

Rivers, 2018, p. 286). Reduced personal accomplishment is seen in several different ways.

When teachers are experiencing burnout, they tend to put less effort into their instruction (Lee &

Wolf, 2019, p. 50). They are not finding meaning in their work, therefore, all enthusiasm and

motivation they once had is lost (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 459). Students can sense a lack of

enthusiasm from their teachers and this directly translates over to their own motivation. Students

that have teachers who are stressed and experiencing burnout will have lower levels of

motivation (Lee & Wolf, 2019, p. 50). Reduced personal accomplishment leads teachers to have

feelings of depersonalization. Depersonalization occurs when teachers feel a lack of connection

with students and colleagues (Barnes et al., 2018, p. 286; Hinds et al., 2015, p. 284). Teachers

experiencing depersonalization may become very negative, cynical, or inflexible (Barnes et al.,

2018, p. 286). They may begin to isolate themselves and stop collaborating and socializing with

their colleagues (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 459). This burnout can also lead teachers to be less

committed to the profession in general ( Cancio et al., 2018, p. 459). The biggest issue that

stems from all the listed consequences is that teachers then are more likely to leave the

profession altogether (Lee & Wolf, 2019, p. 50; Cancio et al., 2018, p. 458; Hinds et al., 2015, p.

285). Finally, burnout is defined by emotional exhaustion. Emotional exhaustion occurs when
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teachers are physically and mentally exhausted and they no longer feel that they can deal with

certain situations (Hinds et al., 2015, p. 284; Barnes et al., 2018, p. 286). The overall personal

and emotional health of teachers experiencing role stress is affected (R. Richards et al., 2018, p.

780; Hinds et al., 2015, p. 285). Increased stress and anxiety are a result of emotional exhaustion

(Hinds et al., 2015, p. 285). Hypertension, insomnia, and gastrointestinal disorders are other

health problems that some teachers experiencing burnout deal with (Hinds et al., 2015, p. 285).

Listed above are many of the consequences listed in the various studies that have been done on

teacher burnout. Teacher burnout is a major issue that needs to be addressed.

These studies have all highlighted some of the major stressors teachers deal with along

with the consequences of consistent exposure to them. Recognizing that teachers’ wellbeing is

greatly affected, and that burnout is very common, prevention is something that needs to be

worked on (Hinds et al., 2015, p. 293). Teachers need to regain that sense of purpose and

remember why they joined the profession in the first place (Kafele, 2019, p. 7). In order for

teachers to feel a sense of accomplishment they need to have a support system. If within their

schools they feel a sense of community from positive relationships with colleagues, this will

promote a positive experience (R. Richards et al., 2018, p. 774). Teachers that perceive their

administrators are attentive and engaged will also feel a sense of community (R. Richards et al.,

2018, p. 774). Making sure that educators are provided with adequate resources and are offered

professional development opportunities will help them feel supported (R. Richards et al., 2018,

p. 775). Another important area to focus on is the relationship between teachers and their

students. If teachers can develop conflict-free relationships with their students, they will feel

more connected to them and will be less likely to reach a state of emotional exhaustion (Aldrup

et al., 2018, p. 127). One study stressed the importance of building up teachers’ self-concept and
TEACHER BURNOUT: LITERATURE REVIEW 6

self-efficacy. If teachers feel that they are creating successful learning environments for their

students, they will have a higher self-concept and efficacy, which will prevent burnout (Zhu et

al., 2018, p. 797). Outside of school, teachers need to spend some time focusing on self-care.

Some healthy coping techniques to deal with stress include exercising, meditating, and healthy

eating (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 461). Listening to music was found to help teachers handle stress

(Cancio et al., 2018, p. 474). Socializing and finding a support network in friends and family can

also reduce the effects of stressors (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 474). Finally, how individuals learn to

perceive work stress can determine how it will affect them long term. Stressful situations will be

present in the workplace, but whether teachers perceive them as negative or positive will make a

difference in overall well-being (Stiglbauer & Zuber, 2018, p. 709). These are all general

solutions that would take many adjustments in the system in order to start seeing positive results.

Stressors will not be eliminated in the profession based on these solutions, but they may be

alleviated to prevent burnout.

Teaching is a highly stressful profession and teachers are dealing with stressors

consistently throughout their career (Zhu et al., 2018, p. 788). There is a wide range of stressors

that teachers are required to handle. Consistent exposure to stressors over a long period move

teachers from a state of stress to a state of burnout (Cancio et al., 2018, p. 459). The

consequences of burnout are detrimental to the overall well-being of a teacher. The profession

itself is greatly affected by teachers choosing to quit teaching or preforming without the

enthusiasm and motivation they used to have. It is necessary to find ways in which burnout can

be prevented. Based on all of the information gathered from these studies, the education system

will be in trouble if teachers continue to burnout at this high rate.

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