A Phenomenographical Investigation of Teacher Burnout Theories and Narratives

• In Event: Interweaving Intersectional Biographical Vignettes Into Qualitative Research as Reflexivity Tools

Abstract

1. The phenomenographic investigation examined the perceptions and perspectives of eight middle-aged/mid-career women teachers’ lived experience of teacher burnout. Most reviewed studies (Duffield, 2006; Fry, 2007; McCullough et al., 2022; Oakes et al., 2021; Shernoff et al., 2015; Teemant, 2014) presented burnout as a condition to be treated and focused on those in the early career stage of their profession. This investigation sought to determine how women teachers think about and conceptualize burnout, identify what factors the teachers self-identified as contributing to their burnout experiences, and uncover how each teacher interpreted those factors to positively and/or negatively contribute to her personal/professional well-being.
2. Theoretical frameworks included Bronfenbrenner’s Ecological Systems theory, as well as Self-Determination theory. Bronfenbrenner’s (1979, 1986, 1995) ecological systems theory “focuses on the interaction between individuals and their environment…through processes of progressively more complex social interactions at different levels” (Eriksson et al., 2018, p. 420). Self-Determination Theory supported a connection between contextual factors engaged within and among the systems and teacher motivation (Ryan & Deci, 2000).
3. A virtual meeting was held with each participant to build trust/rapport and introduce the photo elicitation and reflection journal directions. Participants curated six to eight photos that represented their burnout experience and wrote one reflection journal entry describing the process or additional insights the process provided. The instrument used in this study was a four-part semi-structured interview; teacher burnout narrative, photo elicitation, journal reflection, and closure/summary.
4. Each of the eight participants’ interviews were audio recorded, transcribed, then formed into a singular narrative that was analyzed using the interpretive phenomenological approach (IPA). Phenomenography supports documentation of the “qualitatively different ways in which people experience, conceptualize, perceive, and understand various aspects of, and the phenomena in, the world around them” (Bruce et al., 2004; Marton, 1986, p.31). The results of the investigation focused on analytic interpretation of each participant’s burnout narrative/theory rather than generalization.
5. Findings indicated that middle-aged/mid-career teachers experience teacher burnout differently; from each other and from earlier in their careers. The demands of the job continued to be rigorous over time, however a lack of autonomy/control over their circumstances and a need to continuously present a “good” teacher identity took a toll on their well-being, motivation, and connection to the field of teaching.
6. My aim as the researcher was to deconstruct both my own biases and the existing theories about teacher burnout to see how teachers have made sense and meaning out of their burnout experience. To continuously deconstruct my biases, I worked through the research process first to better understand all I brought into the research with me (intersectionality which, in my case, included emotions and unfolding internal connections) and then communicated those understandings to my readers to be transparent and open. In this way, I feel the participant narratives developed a distinction of their own; elevating the power and influence their words might bring to others.
My intersectional biographical vignettes written for this study will be read as samples at the workshop.
References (upon request)

Author

• Kerri Lynn Fair, Washington University in St. Louis