Second Prestudy. Work Engagement, Work Addiction, Resilience, and Burnout of School Leaders: Selected Findings From Europe and Australia

• In Event: World School Leadership Study: Practices and Resilience

Abstract

There is an extensive body of research on job stress and burnout among teachers (Schwarzer & Hallum, 2008; Hakanen, Bakker & Schaufeli, 2006), but a lack of studies on the professional health of school leaders (Borg & Riding, 1993; Huber, 2013) aside from few studies on job satisfaction and strain (Brock & Grady, 2002; Allison, 1997; Whitaker, 1996; Dadaczynski, 2012).

This study focuses on complex analyses of important predictors of workaholism and burnout among school leaders such as job satisfaction, work engagement, enthusiasm, self-efficacy, stress resistance, resilience, core self-evaluations, ambiguity tolerance and personality.

The study was conducted in eleven countries (ten in Europe and Australia). Our sub-sample for these selected findings is from five of these countries (N=1217 school leaders). The data allows a comparison of the countries and between educational leaders of different kinds (aspiring, new established, experienced). Work engaged individuals show high resilience while working (Schaufeli & Bakker 2010). Self-efficacy as a predictor of work engagement (Xanthopoulou et al., 2007) influences the endurance while coping with stress (Jerusalem, 2005). Several findings show the relationship of self-efficacy and ambiguity tolerance with the internal locus of control, which promotes engagement coping strategies (Judge et al., 1999; Hargrove, 1991; Furnham, 1995; Tanck & Robbins, 1979). Ambiguity tolerance is useful in describing coping reactions in times of organizational change associated with uncertainty and stress (Wilkinson, 2006; Furnham, 1995; Judge et al, 1999). Besides enhancing functions, self-efficacy may also lead to overconfidence in one’s abilities (Stone, 1994) leading to an inappropriate persistence (Whyte, Saks, and Hook, 1997), which in turn may lead to workaholism. Van Beek, Taris and Schaufeli (2011) report the relationship of workaholism and work engagement.

Meta-analytic reviews and diary studies show the importance of high core self-evaluations for the perception of less stressors and strain and the use of problem-solving coping strategies, which leads to higher job performance and satisfaction (Kammeyer-Mueller, Judge & Scott, 2009).

For neuroticism a lot of research shows the relationship with stress perception (Gunthert, Cohen & Armeli, 1999) and the use of maladaptive coping strategies (Bolger, 1990; Atkinson & Violato, 1994; McCrae & Costa, 1986; Connor-Smith & Flachsbart, 2007; Kaiseler, Polman & Nicholls, 2012). Both extraversion and openness are associated with a humorous dealing with stress (McCrae & Costa, 1986) and (also for consciousness) with a problem-focused coping style (Shewchuk et al., 1999; Bartley & Roesch, 2011; Watson & Hubbard, 1996; O’Brien & DeLongis, 1996; Vollrath, 2001).

For the analyses conducted, using structural equation modelling, we also use the scales for self-efficacy, enthusiasm,ambiguity tolerance, job satisfaction (Judge & Klinger, 2008), core self-evaluations (Judge, et al., 2003), resilience (Smith et al., 2008), work engagement (Schaufeli & Bakker, 2003), work addiction (Schaufeli & Taris, 2004), burnout (Maslach & Jackson, 1981) and the Big5 (Rammstedt & John, 2004).

Authors

• Stephan Gerhard Huber, University of Teacher Education Zug

• Marius Schwander, University of Teacher Education Zug

• Guri Skedsmo, University of Oslo

• Rolf Olsen