Burnout Syndrome Prevalence Among Latin American Teachers During the Pandemic.

GUZMÁN, P.; MARSOLLIER, R.; EXPÓSITO, C.; VARELA, J.; MIRANDA, R.; LÓPEZ, C.

Conferencia; BERA (The British Educational Research Association) Conference 2024 and WERA Focal Meeting.; 2024

The global outbreak of COVID-19 caused unprecedented disruptions in various sectors,including education. Teachers were at the helm of the educational system from one day to thenext and without prior notice or planning. They had to take their pedagogical work home andmake resources available (Ramos-Huenteo et al., 2020). The teachers oversaw keeping theeducational system functioning worldwide, guaranteeing pedagogical continuity, andsafeguarding education as a fundamental human right, even in times of crisis (Ruiz, 2020).Initially, the research focused on understanding the speciYc educational experiencesestablished to ensure the teaching and learning processes would go on, along with presentand future challenges posed by the pandemic. Before educational institutions shut down dueto health risks, one of the great predicaments was to go from in-person to virtual educationformats and, consequently, the new challenge for teachers to properly manage technologiesto facilitate their teaching efforts (Lescano et al., 2021). This challenge was re[ected in theresearch from various countries as a common denominator that needed to be addressedconsidering the urgency of the situation and depending on each environment's differingcontexts, potentials, and limitations (Ruiz-Aquino, 2020).This study investigates the impact of these disruptions on the prevalence of burnoutsyndrome among teachers in Latin America. Burnout, conceptualized by Freudenberger(1974) and further reYned by Maslach and Jackson (1981), is characterized by emotionalexhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment. This psychologicalstate is particularly prevalent in professions with high interpersonal demands, such asteaching (Maslach & Leiter, 2016). Prior studies have highlighted the susceptibility of teachersto burnout due to factors like workload, lack of resources, and emotional labor (Szabó &Jagodics, 2019). This study adds to this body of research by examining how the uniquecontext of the pandemic in[uenced burnout among teachers in Argentina, Chile, Ecuador, andPeru.The study investigates the roles of enthusiasm toward the job, psychological exhaustion,indolence, and guilt in the development of burnout, drawing upon the theoretical frameworkestablished by Maslach and Jackson.A cross-sectional, descriptive-correlational study was conducted with 2,012 teachers fromArgentina, Chile, Ecuador, and Peru. The Spanish Burnout Inventory (SBI) by Gil-Monte (2011)was used to assess the levels of burnout. This instrument measures enthusiasm toward thejob, psychological exhaustion, indolence, and guilt – dimensions grounded in the burnoutliterature (Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Gil-Monte, 2005). Ordinal logistic regression analyseswere employed to determine the predictive power of guilt in the development of burnoutsyndrome.The study identiYed signiYcant regional variations in burnout dimensions.Teachers in Ecuador and Peru demonstrated the highest enthusiasm for their work, seeing itas a source of personal fulYllment despite the challenges imposed by the pandemic. Incontrast, Chilean teachers reported the highest levels of psychological exhaustion, followedby Argentines. Indolence was especially prominent in Argentina. SigniYcantly, in Peru,teachers experienced high guilt for their work attitudes and behaviors during the pandemic, afactor associated with a greater likelihood of burnout in all the contexts analyzed. This set ofresults highlights the complexity of burnout among teachers during the pandemic, aligningwith existing theories that highlight the role of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization inits development (Maslach et al., 2016). The study further emphasizes the importance of guiltas an indication that emotional responses to work stress are crucial determinants of burnoutsyndrome, suggesting a comprehensive approach to its prevention and management.The role of guilt as a predictive factor of burnout was agrmed across all contexts, aligningwith previous research that identiYed emotional factors as critical in developing burnout (Leiter & Maslach, 2016).The prevalence of burnout varied between countries, with Chile showing the highestpercentage of teachers in the critical range of the syndrome, approximately 13% of its sample.Within this group, a fraction experienced critical levels of burnout without signiYcant guilt(ProYle 1). At the same time, a minority showed critical levels of both burnout and guilt(ProYle 2), suggesting the need for psychological assistance.These results are instrumental for policymakers and educational institutions to designinterventions to mitigate burnout. Focusing on reducing psychological stressors andenhancing job satisfaction could be critical strategies in preventing burnout among teachers,especially in crises. This study offers a comprehensive understanding of burnout syndromeamong teachers in Latin America during the COVID-19 pandemic. It highlights the critical roleof psychological factors, particularly guilt, in developing burnout. These insights contribute tothe global discourse on teacher wellbeing and occupational health, offering valuableperspectives for developing effective interventions in the educational sector.