Job burnout and engagement among teachers – Worklife areas and personality traits as predictors of relationships with work

Abstract

Introduction The main goal of the present study was to analyze the burnout syndrome due to selected personality traits (based on the Cloninger’s psychobiological personality model and positive and negative affectivity) and the degree of mismatch between teachers and their work environment (described in terms of the Model of Worklife Areas). The 2nd goal was to determine if the participants could be classified into different burnout profile groups (clusters) based on their burnout dimension (exhaustion, cynicism and efficacy) scores and whether those groups differed significantly with regard to their personality traits and levels of mismatch between them and the workplace. Material and methods Individual and contextual factors responsible for burnout were analyzed in a group of 205 Polish teachers who completed a set of questionnaires: Maslach Burnout Inventory – General Scale, Areas of Worklife Scale, Temperament and Character Inventory, and Positive and Negative Affect Schedule. Results The hierarchical regression analysis revealed that teachers’ efficacy is determined only by personality factors, while exhaustion and cynicism are determined by both individual and organizational variables. The cluster analysis revealed 3 groups (burnout, engaged, ineffective) that varied in the level of all burnout dimensions. Teachers experiencing burnout perceived a higher level of mismatch between themselves and the work environment, compared to the engaged teachers demonstrating better alignment. The engaged teachers were lower on negative affectivity and higher on self-directedness as compared to the burnout group. Conclusions The study provided insight into the role of individual factors in the development of teacher burnout and engagement. Negative affectivity could be considered as a predisposing risk factor and self-directedness as a protective factor for burnout.

Keywords

• burnout
• teachers
• engagement
• individual differences
• worklife areas