Understanding and Preventing Teacher Burnout: A Sourcebook of International Research and Practice

Abstract

'Burnout' was first investigated in the 1970s as a crisis of overextended and disillusioned human service workers. But the nature of the syndrome has changed with the evolutions in the nature of these professions. The current experience of burnout is lived out in a more difficult social context, with human service workers struggling harder for social credibility and job security. For instance, through the greater demands on their time and energy, teachers are being pressed to do more work with fewer resources, while receiving fewer rewards and less recognition of their efforts. The objective of this 1999 volume is to provide different perspectives and a deeper understanding of the nature, conditions and consequences of burnout, notably in the teaching profession. To do this, the contributions review much research in the field, describing research agenda and action agendas designed to combat the incidence of burnout in the workplace.