Effect of Age on Job Satisfaction and Emotional Exhaustion of Primary School Teachers in Greece

A systematic review of primary school teachers' wellbeing: room for a holistic approach

Although the investigation of mental health and wellbeing in education has shown an exponential increase on an international scale, attention has primarily been paid to students, leaving the concept of teacher wellbeing comparatively overlooked. Extant literature offers numerous divergent descriptions, with some academics even avoiding an explicit definition of the term. Thus, there are limitations and inconsistencies in understanding teacher wellbeing as a unique construct. The aim of the current study was three-fold; (1) to assess the extent to which existing research reflects the multidimensional nature of the term teacher wellbeing, (2) to determine whether a holistic construct of teacher wellbeing could be justified, and (3) to evaluate the methodological quality of studies identified. A systematic review following the PRISMA statement was applied to peer-reviewed papers published between 2016 and 2021. Following the screening of 1,676 studies, this paper reports on findings drawn from a final sample of 61 articles conceptualizing teacher wellbeing. Studies were organized by their dominant discourses, namely negativity/ deficiency, positivity/ flourishing, and/or professionalism. Findings illustrate that teacher wellbeing was primarily conceptualized with a professionalism approach (with 18 of the identified studies taking solely this perspective). This is not completely consistent with the prior work that focused on stress and burnout (negativity/ deficiency approach) while exploring teachers' mental health and wellbeing. More importantly, there were only 6 studies that considered all three discourses together. This paper argues that important information is lost through neglecting alternative lenses, requiring further attention in order to address teacher wellbeing comprehensively. Such an endeavor is essential for shaping interventions and strategies aimed not only at enhancing teacher wellbeing but also at improving student outcomes and, ultimately, the overall quality of education. Systematic review registration: https://www.crd.york.ac.uk/prospero/display_record.php?ID=CRD42021278549PROSPERO, CRD42021278549.

Burnout dynamic among Ukrainian academic staff during the war

This study examined burnout dynamics among Ukrainian academic staff during the full-scale war. A cross-sectional study was conducted twice: the first wave in July 2022 and the second in January 2023. To assess the burnout syndrome as the final outcome, the self-reported Maslach Burnout Inventory-Human Services adapted for socioeconomic professions by Vodopyanova was used and correlated with different characteristics. The results showed a significant positive trend in emotional exhaustion among Ukrainian academic staff, with females being more sensitive to war-related factors. The results demonstrate that prolonged stressful situations associated with the ongoing war and constant changes in professional conditions lead to significant depersonalization dynamics among academic staff of both sexes. For male academic staff, factors such as age and academic position become less significant for depersonalization. However, university relocation and migration processes were significant factors affecting female academic staff's' perception of effectiveness and accomplishment in their professional activities. The alarming dynamic of burnout levels detected among Ukrainian academic staff urges the national and institutional levels to take prompt actions to enhance the academic staff's mental health in the workplace for preserving not only the quality of higher education, but also human capital in war times for postwar recovery in Ukraine.

Prevalence of Burnout among Teachers during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Meta-Analysis

Since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, many studies have found that there has been a lot of teacher overload. One of the additional burdens has been that they have had to teach online. In addition, when they returned to face-to-face classes, they had to follow all the hygiene rules so that the COVID-19 virus would not spread. It is therefore not surprising that, during this pandemic period, high levels of psychological symptoms have been reported among teachers. Among this symptomatology, burnout has been very frequent among teachers. Therefore, the aim of this study is to conduct a meta-analysis to determine the overall prevalence of burnout among teachers during the COVID-19 pandemic. For this purpose, a search was conducted for cross-sectional studies listed in PubMed from 1 December 2019 to 14 February 2022 that reported on the prevalence of burnout among teachers. A total of nine studies from eight different countries in Africa, Asia, Europe, and North and South America, were included in this study. The pooled prevalence of burnout among teachers was 52% (95% CI 33-71%), which is higher than burnout rates reported for health professionals. There was significant heterogeneity between studies (I2 = 99%, p-value < 0.001), and the prevalence of burnout was higher in women and school teachers (compared to university educators), and lower in American studies. This meta-analysis concludes that teachers worldwide experienced a high rate of burnout during the COVID-19 pandemic. This has implications not only for the teachers themselves, but also for the quality of the education they were able to provide. This education has an influence on the student population. The possible long-term effects are yet to be determined.

The relationship between the big five personality traits and job satisfaction with virtual teaching among teachers of students with learning difficulties

BACKGROUND

Job satisfaction has been described to be an important for individuals as well as for the society in general. However, several factors were introduced to be crucial for job satisfaction; one of the more influenced factors in satisfaction experiences is individual personality. The present study aim is to identify the relationship between the five major traits of personality and job satisfaction with virtual education among teachers of students with learning difficulties.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

The research is a descriptive quantitative design. The research population consists of 94 male and female teachers who are involved in primary and intermediate public schools in Saudi Arabia. Data were then exposed to the analysis, namely, descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation, and Mann-Whitney U test to obtain the answers to the research questions at the level of <0.05.

RESULTS

Based on the results, the most common personality trait among the study sample is conscientiousness, while neuroticism was the least common among the five traits. It was also found that there are differences between males and females in all dimensions of job satisfaction with virtual education (satisfaction with the nature of work - the relationship with colleagues and bosses - the relationship with parents) and the overall score in favor of females, except for the dimension of the relationship with colleagues and superiors, where males and females are equal.

CONCLUSION

The average score of the personality types and job satisfaction is moderate. Job satisfaction has a significant relationship with personality types. In addition, partial significant differences were found among the study variables. Given the importance of identifying teachers' personality in the workplace, reducing psychological and work factors effects in the educational environment among teachers can be helpful to enhance their job satisfaction. The study therefor, enumerated implications and recommendations based on the findings.

The Moderator Effect of Communicative Rational Action in the Relationship between Emotional Labor and Job Satisfaction

The aim of this study was to determine whether emotional labor behavior has an effect on job satisfaction, and if there is an effect, to reveal whether communicative rational action has a moderator effect. This research was carried out in the banking sector. The sample group consisted of administrators of foreign capital bank managers (427) at all levels in Turkey. The collected data were analyzed with the IBM SPSS 21 program. Multiple regression analysis and SPSS PROCESS v3.5 (model1) methods were used in the analysis. According to the analysis, the three sub-dimensions of communicative rational action (practical-rational action, rational communication, and rational action) have a moderator role in the effect of emotional labor and job satisfaction. The other two sub dimensions (value–rational–action and firm family) do not have a moderator role in this effect. In the analysis made according to the total score of communicative rational action, the moderator role of communicative rational action in the effect of emotional labor and job satisfaction was determined. As a result of the research and analysis, it was determined that emotional labor has a positive effect on the phenomenon of job satisfaction.

Out of Sight, Out of Mind? A Longitudinal Investigation of Smart Working and Burnout in the Context of the Job Demands–Resources Model during the COVID-19 Pandemic

The academic interest in smart working, a form of flexible work characterized by the use of technology to conduct one’s work, has dramatically increased over recent years, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic. Building on the job demands–resources (JD-R) model, in this study we investigate whether smart working affects the longitudinal association between perceived work characteristics, such as workload and social support (SS), and workers’ health and well-being, in terms of exhaustion. Overall, 185 workers completed a self-report questionnaire at two time points (four-month time-lag) during the COVID-19 outbreak. The results from moderated multiple regression analysis partially support our predictions. The longitudinal association between workload and exhaustion was positive—although marginally significant—for smart workers, but nonsignificant for in-person workers. Contrarily, the longitudinal association between SS and exhaustion was negative for in-person workers, but nonsignificant for smart workers. Overall, this study suggests that, to support employees’ health and productivity, work characteristics—both physical and psychosocial—should fit the new way of working as well as remote workers’ specific needs and expectations. Hence, to promote sustainable work, interventions should be aimed at helping smart workers to manage their workload effectively, as well as reducing professional and social isolation.

Association between Emotional Exhaustion and Tobacco Consumption in Teachers

Teachers have been reported as having high levels of emotional exhaustion (EE). It has also been observed that tobacco consumption (TC) is higher during stressful events. However, there is little evidence about the association between EE and TC among teachers. A total of n = 560 teachers took part in this study, where 71.79% (n = 402) were women. For data gathering, the EE dimension of the Maslach Inventory for teachers was used, along with a TC questionnaire and the sociodemographic data of the participants. A binary logistical regression model was used for statistical analysis. Regarding TC, over 30% of teachers declared that they smoked; 65% of the teachers presented medium-high EE and 31% of teachers presented high EE. Teachers who said they were smokers had a greater risk of presenting high EE (OR: 1.7, p < 0.05), along with younger teachers (≤44 years; OR: 2.1, p < 0.01). In addition, teachers with high EE also have a high risk of TC. The present study reports an association between TC and high EE category among teachers, regardless of gender. An important association is also observed between the under-45 age group and high EE. These results indicate that teachers should have psychological support and interventions aiding them with facing work stress and TC habits, especially for younger teachers.

Playing Roles in Work and Family: Effects of Work/Family Conflicts on Job and Life Satisfaction Among Junior High School Teachers

Junior high school teachers play an essential role in education. How to relieve the worries of teachers, that is, the pressure they face in the fields of work and family, has increasingly become an urgent problem. Based on the COR theory, this study aims to investigate the effects of two types of work/family conflicts (i.e., work-family conflict and family-work conflict) on teachers' job and life satisfaction. We adopted a handy sample method and collected a total of 560 junior high school teachers data. The results confirmed that both work-family and family-work conflicts are not significantly related to junior high school teachers' job satisfaction and life satisfaction directly. However, both work-family and family-work conflicts have significantly negatively influence on junior high school teachers' job satisfaction and life satisfaction via psychological capital and emotional exhaustion. Our findings provide new suggestions on how to alleviate the conflicts between work and family faced by teachers and further improve their satisfaction about work and family.

Self-Efficacy, Job Satisfaction and Teacher Well-Being in the K-12 Educational System

Teacher job satisfaction and well-being have a significant impact on educational outcomes, considering that teaching is the main objective of the educational process. The aim of this study is to examine the relationship between teacher job satisfaction and four main categories of determinants: self-efficacy, relational aspects (colleague collaboration, student behavior, school management), work-related aspects (administrative workload, teaching tasks), and working conditions, in order to identify various implications for teachers’ well-being. The study employs a survey delivered to 658 K-12 (pre-university) teachers, from the North-West region of Romania. We used factorial analysis and a structural equation model to test eight proposed hypotheses. The results showed that self-efficacy, promotion, positive student behavior, and working conditions have significant effects on job satisfaction. These factors influence job satisfaction and well-being in the teaching profession because they ensure a positive work environment in which teachers and students thrive, thus leading to higher levels of involvement from teachers, students, and parents alike. An efficient work environment decreases attrition, burnout, emotional exhaustion, and teacher turnover, while increasing job satisfaction, well-being, and teacher retention.

Teacher Satisfaction in Relationships With Students and Parents and Burnout

In the educational field, the role of the support component of the teacher-student relationship is well known, while the role of the teacher-student relationship on teacher burnout is a more current field of investigation. Several studies on the sources of burnout have recently focused on job satisfaction and teacher-student satisfaction. However, the role of teacher-parent satisfaction is still little explored in this field. Moreover, in the Italian school context, students' seniority and educational level require further investigation, as the average age of teachers is particularly high compared to their European colleagues. The present study aims to examine in a sample of 882 Italian teachers the presence of burnout and differences in teacher-student and teacher-parent satisfaction between primary (students aged 6-10years) and lower secondary (students aged 11-13years) teachers. A further objective is to test whether teacher-student and teacher-parent satisfaction and seniority can be significant predictors of burnout. Teachers completed the Job Satisfaction Scale (MESI) and the MBI-Educators Survey and the data were then processed using MANOVA and multiple linear regression analysis. The results revealed that 8.2% of the teachers suffered from burnout and lower secondary teachers showed the highest levels of emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and reduced personal accomplishment. Predictors of emotional exhaustion were job dissatisfaction and seniority, and predictors of depersonalisation were job dissatisfaction and teacher-student dissatisfaction. Finally, predictors of personal accomplishment were also teacher-parent satisfaction and teacher-student satisfaction. The implications of these findings for practice and research are discussed in this article.

Cross-Cultural Adaptation, Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the Italian Version of the Job Satisfaction Scale

The JSS is based on the theoretical position that job satisfaction represented an affective or attitudinal reaction to a job, and today is one of the most popular instruments used in I-O psychology. This paper discusses the contribution to the validation of an Italian adaptation of the Job Satisfaction Survey. Five hundred and twenty-seven participants (258 men, 269 women) were enrolled to participate in this study, aged between 19 and 65 (M_age = 36.0, SD = 11.7). The sample mostly worked in public administration, in health care, and in the educational sector. A self-report questionnaire is used to investigate the psychometric properties of this scale, also measuring other variables. A back-translation procedure is used. The results pinpointed the goodness of the scale and the normality distribution. Confirmative factor analyses and multigroup confirmative factor analyses were performed to verify the factorial structure of the scale. The results confirmed the same factorial structure of the original version, suggesting a nine higher-order factor structure. The results from the multigroup confirmatory factor analysis showed that this factor solution was invariant across gender (men vs. women) and found evidence for metric invariance, uniqueness invariance, and scalar and structural invariance. The findings confirmed the applicability in the Italian context.