Administrative Climate, Early Career Teacher Burnout, and Attrition

• In Event: Organizational Climate: Insight on Career Attrition, Job Satisfaction, and Burnout

Abstract

Teacher burnout and turnover are known to be especially high for early career teachers (ECTs). However, the link between burnout and turnover has yet to be explored in education research. This study investigates the role of the administrative climate on ECT burnout and subsequent career decisions using data from Michigan Indiana Early Career Teacher Survey participants (n=184). Linear regressions show that higher measures of administrative climate are strongly associated with lower levels of burnout. Subsequent logit models reveal that higher burnout, in turn, predicted ECT turnover while administrative climate surprisingly did not. These findings may lend to a better understanding of school leadership’s established role as a top determinant of teacher mobility.

Authors

• Frank Perrone, The University of New Mexico

• Daniel Player, University of Virginia

• Peter A. Youngs, University of Virginia