An Exploration of #TeacherQuitTok: A Qualitative Exploratory Case Study of Teacher Burnout Narratives on TikTok

• In Event: Current Issues in Teachers' Lives and Teacher Education

Abstract

Teacher burnout is one of the many causes of teacher attrition. This study contributes to a gap in understanding about teacher burnout on two levels. The first is lack of qualitative research regarding teacher burnout since 2020. The second gap is the ways in which teachers discuss burnout on social media, particularly on the platform TikTok. This study is an exploratory qualitative case study examining the content of TikTok videos in 2022 and in 2023 using the hashtag #TeacherQuitTok. The findings highlight the factors that teachers suggest are causing them to leave education and identify ways teachers, school leaders, and scholars can use TikTok in the future.

Authors

• Kate Robinson, Drexel University

• Mary Jean Tecce DeCarlo, Drexel University