Um greinina
Góður inngangskafli um burnout, hvernig það er skilgreint, hvað veldur því og helstu einkenni. Heilmikið af því er hér að neðan. Greinin reynir að finna hvaða hópar háskólakennara eru í mestri hættu að upplifa burnout. Tekið er fram að sumir halda að burnout komi og fari.
Mér fannst áhugavert að rannsakendur mæli helmingi minna burnout hjá háskólakennurum en fólki á almennum vinnumarkaði, að hætta á burnout (emotional exhaustion) sé hærri hjá yngri kennurum en eldri, kvenkennarar eru líklegri en karlkennarar að fá ’emotional exhaustion’, karlanir líklegri að enda í ‘depersonalization’ en annars er ekki mikill munur á kynjunum.
Rannsóknin fór fram í bandarískum háskóla á vesturströndinni sem leggur mikið upp úr kennslu, en minna upp úr rannsóknum. Kennarar kenna 4-5 kúrsa á ári (!!).
Abstract
This study examines burnout and related issues among 265 university faculty members. The study estimates the percentage of incidence of highest levels of burnout is at half the rate of the general workforce. Female faculty members have significantly higher mean scores on emotional exhaustion than males, while male faculty have higher scores on depersonalization. Significant differences were not found across race/ethnicity groups but age is inversely correlated to emotional exhaustion. Burnout shows significant correlations with numbers of students taught, time invested in various activities, and numerical student evaluations. Suggestions are given to administrators for using a preventive strategy to anticipate burnout, rather than relying on reactive techniques, once it has occurred.
Hvað er burnout
‘‘…a state of physical,emotional and mental exhaustion caused by longterm involvement in situations that are emotionally demanding’’ (Harrison, 1999, p. 25)
With regard to process, Harrison (1999) states: ‘‘People experience burnout as a gradual erosion of their spirit and zest as a result of the daily struggles and chronic stresses that are typical of everyday life and work—too many pressures, conflicts, demands, and too few emotional rewards, acknowledgements, and successes. There is no quick cure for emotional and physical burnouty[People] burn out when their work has no meaning and stress continually outweighs support and rewards’’ (p. 25).
Hvað veldur burnout
- workload and its intensity, time demands, and complexity;
- lack of control over establishing and following day-to-day priorities;
- insufficient reward and the accompanying feelings of continually having to do more for less;
- the feeling of community, in which relationships become impersonal and teamwork is undermined;
- the absence of fairness, in which trust, openness, and respect are not present; and
- conflicting values, in which choices that are made by management often conflict with their mission and core values, and we don’t always practice what we preach.
(Burke & Greenglass, 1989; Harrington, Bean, Pintello, & Mathews, 2001; MacDougall,2000; Tyler, 1999; Zbar, 1999)
Burnout með tilliti til háskólakennara
Hvað veldur:
- ‘‘pressures, conflicts, demands, and too few emotional rewards, accomplishments, and successes’’ (Harrison, 1999, p. 26). He discusses unrealistic goals and expectations set for people without their input, and frustrations in achieving professional growth.
- ‘‘University teachers are likely candidates for burnout because of their relationships with large numbers of students, staff, and administrators’’ (Blix, Cruise, Mitchell, & Blix, 1994, p. 159).
- Blix et al. (1994) found that burnout correlated positively with stress, health problems, and productivity, but negatively with job satisfaction.
- Singh, Mishra, and Kim (1998) found a negative relationship between research burnout and both intrinsic motivation to do research and job satisfaction (ath tenured vs. untenured)
- Gmelch, Lovrich, and Wilke (1984), who attributed most of the stress reported by university teachers to teaching-related issues.
- Neidle (1984) concluded that burnout often occurs at various intervals throughout one’s academic carees
- Sorcinelli and Gregory(1987) suggest that junior faculty could be subject to higher levels of stress, with the pressures and expectations related to tenure decisions
- Richard and Krieshok (1989) found that female teachers had higher strain scores than males.
- Seiler and Pearson (1984) suggested that burnout is an antecedent of consideration of a job change.
Einkenni (Maslach et al., 1996):
- Emotional Exhaustion as ‘‘the tired and fatigued feeling that develops as emotional energies are drained. When these feelings become chronic, educators find that theycan no longer give of themselves to students as theyonce could’’ (p. 28). (
Meira vandamál fyrir karlkynið? Meira vandamál fyrir yngri kennara og kvenkyns kennara.) - Depersonalization, the second part of burnout, reflects the indifference and negative attitudes that instructors may display towards their students. (Meira vandamál fyrir karlkynið?)
- Personal Accomplishment: refers to the tendency to evaluate oneself negatively. Workers mayfeel unhappy about themselves and dissatisfied with their accomplishments on the job’’ (
Meira vandamál fyrir kvenkynið?)