Understanding Graduate Student Burnout

• In Event: Organizations, Occupations, and Work Section Roundtables
  In Refereed Roundtable (90 minute): Table 12: Working in Higher Education

Abstract

Graduate students are core members of universities, as many embody a dual role of both student and educator, occupying a pivotal position between the university, and its student body, offering a privileged insight into the organizational structure of higher education. As burnout becomes widespread, so do the individual and institutional level negative effects (e.g.- decreasing physical and mental health, academic achievements, professional development, etc.). Existing research studies on academic burnout typically focus on the individual level impacts of burnout using an exploratory qualitative or quantitative research design. Few studies use an intersectional and/or organizational perspective within their survey instruments, to then allow for sociological analysis. This study aims to: (1) develop a new instrument to measure grad student burnout more accurately; (2) bring in a sociological perspective on how we assess burnout that can take the organizational context more into account beyond the individual level; and (3) provide valuable insight to individuals and institutions by identifying experiences associated with academic burnout in the graduate student population.

Author

• Stefanie Robles, University of Massachusetts-Amherst