Does School Context Matter? Relations with Teacher Burnout and Job Satisfaction

Source: Teaching and Teacher Education, Volume 25, Issue 3, April 2009, Pages 518-524

This study examined relations between teachers' perception of the school context, teacher burnout, and teacher job satisfaction. 563 Norwegian teachers in elementary school and middle school participated in the study. Four aspects of teachers' perception of the school context (supervisory support, time pressure, relations to parents, and autonomy) and three dimensions of teacher burnout (emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment) were measured. The data were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling using the AMOS 5 program. Teachers' job satisfaction was directly related to two of the dimensions of burnout (emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment) and indirectly related to all aspects of the school context, through emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment. The three dimensions of burnout were differently related to the school context variables. Emotional exhaustion was most strongly related to time pressure whereas depersonalization and reduced personal accomplishment were most strongly related to teachers' relations with parents. Implications for both research and educational practices are discussed.