Abstract

This article presents the results of a research project based on various aspects of the burnout syndrome and its incidence in teachers of preschool, middle school, and high school from Seville province (Spain). The main goal of the study is to analyze the level of burnout that teachers experience both at a general level and when considering different variables according to age, experience, type of educational center and educational stage. A quantitative methodology was implemented, and the study sample was composed of 1890 teachers, to whom the CBP-R Burnout scale questionnaire was applied. Sierra’s (1987) criteria were used to select the sample; a high-reliability index close to +/- 2% margin of error was obtained. For the data analysis and the treatment of the obtained results, variables such as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and lack of realization were taken into consideration, as well as variables according to age, experience, type of educational center and educational level. Among the main findings, we highlight that 11.6% of teachers surveyed have a high level of general burnout. In terms of emotional exhaustion, 74% of them obtained a score within the burnout average level, and especially highlighted the emotional cost of the education profession and the harshness of the post-holiday syndrome. About the depersonalization, 83% also obtained a score within the average level; everything seems to indicate that the teachers surveyed suffer from an extraordinary form of stress at their jobs. At last, in terms of the lack of realization in their profession, 86.2% of the teachers surveyed obtained an average burnout level; we can appreciate that there is a high satisfaction doing their jobs and with their professional vocation too.

Keywords: teaching; burnout; conditions of teacher employment; burnout scale of the CBP-R questionnaire; teacher situation