Surveying the National Classroom: An Exploration of School Climate, Burnout, and Engagement

• In Event: Saturday Roundtable Session 1:15 pm
  In Roundtable Session: Engaging Our Students and Ourselves: Teaching in New Dimensions and Contexts (Table 11)

Abstract

Recent changes to K-12 teachers’ already demanding jobs in light of the COVID-19 pandemic have increased teachers’ feelings of work-related burnout. Using self-determination theory as a guiding framework, we examined the antecedents and outcomes of teacher burnout with a national sample of U.S. teachers. Results showed that a need-supportive school climate was negatively associated with teacher burnout, and that burnout was significantly negatively related to students’ agentic and behavioral engagement. Further, teacher burnout significantly mediated the relationships between school climate and students’ behavioral engagement. This study provides evidence for the importance of creating school climates that support teachers’ basic psychological needs to mitigate experiences of work-related burnout and to support students’ engagement in school.

Authors

• Amanda Vite, University of Southern California

• Erika A. Patall, University of Southern California

• Jeanette Zambrano, California State University - San Bernardino

• Diane Lee, University of Southern California