Teaching under pressure: assessing burnout among high school teachers

Abstract

Introduction: the increasing demands and responsibilities placed upon teachers are causing overwhelming stress. As a result, many teachers struggle with managing their workload effectively, which increases their susceptibility to burnout. This study aims to investigate burnout among high school teachers in Tetouan, Morocco, and explore the various contributing factors. Methods: the study, involving 258 high school teachers, highlights a significant prevalence of burnout, with levels ranging from moderate to high. Particularly notable is the prevalence of emotional exhaustion, which affected 43% of the participants, whereas depersonalization (46%) and personal accomplishment (47%) exhibited relatively lower levels of concern. In addition, a thorough analysis revealed significant correlations between burnout rates and contributing factors, including gender, number of classes taught, class size, weekly working hours, and engagement in regular physical activity. Conclusion: this study highlights the substantial prevalence of burnout among high school teachers, emphasizing the urgency of teacher well-being. It enhances the understanding of the association between burnout and different work-related and lifestyle factors, enabling the identification of appropriate interventions. The interaction between burnout and these factors implies the need to further investigate gender-specific and workload-related preventive measures.