The Future of Education

During the routine medical check-up, employees from 3 high schools voluntarily filled in a questionnaire that traced the emotional burnout (Maslach burnout inventory), perceived self-efficacy (self-efficacy scale), dimensions of the quality of life (ShortForm 36 questionnaire-SF36), work ability (Work ability index-WAI), together with demographics (age, seniority as an employee in the unit, gender, type of residence, level of education, and income), and 10 occupational stressors. Out of a total of 392 employees, 62.2% filled in the questionnaire. 76.63% of the respondents had low scores and 22.95% average scores of the burnout syndrome. In each of the 3 high schools, the perceived self-efficacy correlated significantly negatively with the burnout score for the entire group of respondents (p = 0.006; p = 0.009; and p <0.001). For those who presented low burnout scores, these scores correlated significantly negatively with the perceived self-efficacy in all 3 high schools (p = 0.014 in high school no. 1; p <0.001 in the other two high schools), and with WAI only in two of the three surveyed high schools. There were no significant correlations between the burnout scores and perceived self-efficacy or WAI in employees with average burnout scores in any of the 3 high schools. In all 3 high schools, the burnout score correlated significantly negatively with the following dimensions of the quality of life: physical functioning, physical role functioning, emotional role functioning, vitality, mental health, social role functioning, general health perceptions. The burnout score correlated significantly positively in all the 3 high schools with 7 occupational stressors: impossibility of changing the unpleasant aspects at the work place,  earnings, increased responsibility of the job, risk of illness and injury at work , communication with other employees, tasks and work schedule. The association of perceived self-efficacy in each high school only for groups with low burnout scores and the lack of this association in groups with average burnout scores, as well as different associations depending on the school unit among the studied variables, shows the complexity of individual and organizational factors involved, but also their importance. Early diagnosis of emotional burnout is crucial as underlined by the significant negative association of the burnout score in all the 3 high schools with both the dimensions of the quality of life and perceived self-efficacy as well as with most of the studied occupational stressors.

Keywords: burnout, work-ability, self-efficacy, occupational stressors.

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