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Better together: teacher attrition, burnout, and efficacy

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Better together: teacher attrition, burnout, and efficacy

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Better Together: Teacher Attrition, Burnout, and Efficacy

by
Alison McKeeman Rice

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
A dissertation submitted to the faculty
in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of
Doctor of Education

May 2021

© Copyright by Alison McKeeman Rice 2021
All Rights Reserved

The Committee for Alison McKeeman Rice Certifies the approval of this Dissertation

Alison Muraszewski
Helena Seli
Kimberly Hirabayashi, Committee Chair

Rossier School of Education
University of Southern California
2021

iv
Abstract
This study used social cognitive theory to examine teacher self and collective efficacy in relation
to teacher stress and burnout. The purpose of the study was to examine teachers’ feelings of
stress and burnout, their intent to remain in the profession, and their feelings of collective teacher
efficacy (CTE) to determine the relationships and correlations between those three constructs.
This study built upon the correlations between teacher stress, burnout, and CTE found in
previous research. The research questions were 1. What is the relationship between teacher
collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to return? 2. How do teachers manage
their stress? and 3. What supports do teachers feel would help them better manage their stress?
Identifying possible sources of teacher stress and burnout was important to address because
understanding why teachers succumb to burn-out helps schools intentionally create supportive
environments which, in turn, helps retain educators in the K-12 educational system. Significant
correlations were found between intention to return, burnout, teacher self-efficacy and collective
teacher efficacy. Positive intention to return correlated with high teacher self-efficacy in
classroom management, student engagement, and instructional practices as well as teacher
collective efficacy beliefs involving peer competence. Negative intention to return positively
correlated with teacher burnout and negatively correlated with teacher self and collective
efficacy beliefs. More teachers indicated positive intention to return with high degrees of self and
collective efficacy overall.

v
Dedication
To my husband Greg, thank you for always providing me with the support I need to reach for my
dreams.

To Max and Sophie, my wish for you both is to always aim high and never settle for anything
less than everything you aspire to be. I hope my example helps pave the way for you.

vi
Acknowledgements
When I entered into this doctoral adventure, I could never have imagined the impact a
few strong, intelligent and compassionate people would make on me as a person. To my
dissertation chair, Dr. Kimberly Hirabayashi, I could never have climbed this mountain without
your guidance, wisdom, feedback, and encouragement. To one of my first Rossier professors and
my committee member, Dr. Alison Muraszewski, your guidance in academic writing that first
term proved to be invaluable throughout my entire program. It shaped me both as a writer and a
thinker, and I wish your talents on every student who enters USC. To Dr. Seli and Dr. Malloy,
your help with the quantitative research analysis that is in this dissertation was a lifesaver, and I
could not be more grateful. To Dr. Marc Pritchard, your initial guidance through the beginning
chapters of this dissertation helped me feel like I could actually accomplish this gigantic task in
writing and thinking. I appreciate all of your help and am grateful.
To my personal support system at home, my husband and children who have been my
cheerleaders the past three years, I am not sure what I did to deserve you, but I am lucky to have
you. To my extended family and friends who have understood the sacrifices of time that this
process has meant, I appreciate you for waiting for me and encouraging me to reach for my
dreams.

vii
Table of Contents
Abstract .......................................................................................................................................... iv
Dedication ........................................................................................................................................ v
Acknowledgements ....................................................................................................................... vi
List of Tables ................................................................................................................................. ix
List of Figures .................................................................................................................................. x
Chapter One: Overview of the Study .............................................................................................. 1
Background of the Problem ................................................................................................. 1
Purpose of the Study ............................................................................................................ 2
Significance of the Study ..................................................................................................... 2
Definition of Terms ............................................................................................................. 4
Organization of the Study .................................................................................................... 5
Chapter Two: Review of the Literature ........................................................................................... 6
History of Teacher Burnout and Stress ................................................................................ 6
Causes for Burnout and Attrition ......................................................................................... 9
Strategies to Address Stress and Burnout .......................................................................... 11
Teacher Efficacy ................................................................................................................ 13
Collective Teacher Efficacy .............................................................................................. 15
Conceptual Framework ...................................................................................................... 18
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 21
Chapter Three: Methodology ......................................................................................................... 23
Research Questions ............................................................................................................ 23
Overview of the Design ..................................................................................................... 23

viii
Sample and Population ...................................................................................................... 24
The Researcher .................................................................................................................. 24
Data Sources ...................................................................................................................... 26
Data Collection .................................................................................................................. 28
Data Analysis ..................................................................................................................... 29
Ethics ............................................................................................................................... 31
Chapter Four: Findings .................................................................................................................. 33
Participants ........................................................................................................................ 34
Results Research Question 1 ............................................................................................. 34
Results Research Question 2 ............................................................................................. 48
Results Research Question 3 ............................................................................................. 58
Summary ............................................................................................................................ 66
Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations ......................................................................... 68
Findings ............................................................................................................................. 68
Implications for Practice .................................................................................................... 77
Limitations and Delimitations ........................................................................................... 85
Future Research ................................................................................................................. 86
Conclusion ......................................................................................................................... 87
References ..................................................................................................................................... 88
Appendix A: Survey ...................................................................................................................... 99

ix
List of Tables
Table 1: Intention to Return Table - Ordinal 35
Table 2: Variable Description Table - Interval 36
Table 3: Correlation Table 39

x
List of Figures
Figure A1: Burnout 99
Figure A2: Teacher Self-Efficacy Short Form 100
Figure A3: Collective Efficacy Short Form 101

1

Chapter One: Overview of the Study
Teacher stress and burnout within Kindergarten through 12th grade (K-12) public
schools is producing significant turnover. With a looming teacher shortage in the field of
education, an anticipated number of over 100,000 annually by the year 2025, retaining teachers
once they are practicing in the field is critical to the continuing success of schools (Sutcher et al.,
2016). Research by Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2011) suggests 25% of beginning teachers in the
United States leave the profession before their third year and close to 40% leave within the first
five years. Adverse working conditions are the primary drivers for this high level of attrition
(Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). Analyzing the root causes of teacher stress and burnout is critical
to understanding how schools can create supportive environments which will, in turn, help retain
highly qualified educators in our K-12 educational system.
Given the current teaching environment at the time of the study, with an educational
context affected by the Covid-19 school closures and distance learning requirements, examining
teacher burnout in the short term is more critical than ever. The current context contributes to
heightened teacher stress and burnout. Districts needing to be attuned to teacher burnout has
become even more important. As schools go back into session with different expectations and
schedules, evaluating teacher burnout and identifying factors that mitigate stress is urgent.
Background of the Problem
This study focused on public elementary school teachers who are the primary classroom
instructors for transitional kindergarten (TK) through the fifth grade in a unified school district in
northern California. The specific organization used for research in this dissertation was the Delta
Shores Unified School District (DSUSD), a pseudonym, which includes approximately 20,000
students, and 28 schools with about 40% of students living in low socioeconomic status (SES)
2

homes and 15% of students whose primary language is not English and has less than one percent
of students living in foster care (California Department of Education, 2019). The district includes
two cities that are very different with regards to cultural and racial diversity, SES, and
percentage of English Language Learners (ELL). Delta has higher rates of diversity, more
students who speak English as a second language, more students living in lower socioeconomic
homes, and fewer students who are achieving at high levels in English Language Arts (ELA) and
mathematics (CA Department of Education, 2019). Shores has a population that is more affluent,
has lower percentages of students who speak a language other than English in their homes, and
has substantially more students scoring at high levels of achievement in elementary ELA and
math (CA Department of Education, 2019).
Purpose of the Study
The purpose of the study was to examine teacher’s feelings of stress and burnout, their intent
to remain in the profession, and their feelings of collective teacher efficacy (CTE) to determine
the relationships and correlations between those three constructs. This study built upon the
correlations between teacher stress, burnout, and teacher self-efficacy, and CTE found in
previous research. The research questions were as follows:
1. What is the relationship between teacher self-efficacy, teacher collective self-efficacy,
teacher stress and intention to return?
2. How do teachers manage their stress?
3. What supports do teachers feel would help them better manage their stress?
Significance of the Study
With a well-documented teacher shortage on the horizon, retaining teachers once they are
practicing in the field is critical to the continuing success of schools. Studies attribute the
3

declining rate of teacher job satisfaction and the increasing rate of attrition caused by burnout to
student misbehavior, toxic school climate, and increasing workloads (Collie, et.al., 2012;
Kyriacou, 2001). Those identified factors combined with unsatisfied teachers spending less time
collaborating with their colleagues highlight the importance of a school environment that fosters
and supports self and collective efficacy. Research suggests self and collective teacher efficacy
decreases job stress and increases job satisfaction through the inclusion of joint experiences
where teachers have time to observe colleagues, evaluate teaching strategies as a group, and plan
together (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007). Identifying the root causes of teacher stress and burnout is
important to address because understanding why teachers succumb to burn-out can help schools
intentionally create supportive environments which will, in turn, help retain educators in the K-
12 educational system.
Overview of Theoretical Framework and Methodology
Social cognitive theory serves as the theoretical framework within this study to examine
teacher stress, burnout, and the need for expanding self and collective efficacy in grade-level
elementary teacher teams. Bandura’s lens of looking at both a person’s beliefs about their
individual abilities to master complex tasks (self-efficacy) and the collective group that
surrounds the teacher’s beliefs about their abilities to achieve common goals (collective efficacy)
provide a lens through which to evaluate teacher job satisfaction, stress, and may be used to
predict future attrition from the field of education (Caprara et al, 2003).
Social cognitive theory is appropriate to analyze teacher burnout and teacher self and
collective efficacy because it provides a framework to examine the relationship of collectively
held cognition, behavior, and environmental factors necessary to examine teacher teams. In
addition, social cognitive theory takes into consideration mastery beliefs, social persuasion,
4

vicarious learning experiences, and affective states of group members, with mastery experiences
being most closely predictive of collective teacher efficacy beliefs (Goddard, 2001). This look at
collective teacher agency and job satisfaction correlates with teacher retention and can be used as
a predictive tool to anticipate teachers’ likelihood of leaving the profession (Sass et al., 2011).
The design of the research study was a two-part mixed methods survey. The first part of
the survey consisted of quantitative questions with Likert-scale answers. The last two questions
were open-ended and allowed the researcher to collect qualitative data, which included answers
in the teachers’ own words, around their perceptions of stressors and solutions to mitigate
burnout. The quantitative portion of the survey allowed the researcher to use statistical methods
to establish validity and reliability. The second portion of the survey helped establish internal
credibility by asking for teacher perceptions related to stress in their own words without being
forced to choose between pre-determined selections.
Definition of Terms
The following definitions are foundational for understanding their application within this
study. Appropriate citations provide the contextual research supporting their utilization.
• Collective Teacher Efficacy (CTE) is defined as the collective beliefs held by teachers
that they can impact student achievement regardless of the societal circumstances
surrounding the students at a school (Sandoval et al., 2011).
• Teacher Burnout is a syndrome involving reduced feelings of personal accomplishment, a
sense of depersonalization, and most importantly a feeling of emotional exhaustion. In
this definition, teacher burnout is seen as the endpoint of unsuccessful coping with
chronic stress (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007).
5

• Teacher Self-Efficacy is a person’s beliefs about their individual abilities to master
complex tasks (Bandura, 2000).
Organization of the Study
This study contains five chapters. Chapter One outlines the problem of practice, specific
research questions, and the conceptual framework for the study, social cognitive theory. Chapter
Two contains a review of the literature pertaining to teacher burnout and self and collective
teacher efficacy. Chapter Three discusses the research methodology framing the research.
Chapter Four illuminates the research findings. Chapter Five summarizes the findings and offers
recommendations for reducing teacher stress and burnout.

6

Chapter Two: Review of the Literature
In this chapter a definition of teacher burnout and stress will be discussed. The current
rise of teacher attrition in the United States as related to burnout and stress will be examined. The
impact of burnout and stress on teachers as individuals and education as a system will be
analyzed. Causes associated with burnout and attrition will be identified, strategies that
researchers have found that mitigate burnout and stress will be discussed. Teacher efficacy, both
self and collective will be examined as they relate to teacher burnout and stress, and the
conceptual framework used in this study of social cognitive theory will be explained.
History of Teacher Burnout and Stress
Defining burnout has been the work of many seminal researchers. Freudenberger’s
(1974) historical definition of burnout is commonly cited in research studies and is defined as the
state of both physical and mental depletion that results from work conditions. Also included in
the definition is teacher ineffectiveness, wearing out, hopelessness, desperateness, and lack of
energy and power that stem from teachers’ unsatisfied needs (Freudenberger, 1974; Yilmaz et
al., 2015). Burnout syndrome is characterized by past and present research studies as exhaustion
of teacher’s emotional resources, negative attitudes towards students, and decreasing feelings of
personal accomplishment resulting from long-term occupational stress (Khan et al. 2016;
Maslach & Jackson, 1981; Savas et. al., 2014). In order to understand teacher stress and burnout,
researchers created conceptual models in seminal works.
Historically, researchers created models of teacher burnout and stress in their attempts to
study them. Maslach and Jackson (1981) created an often-cited model for understanding teacher
burnout and defined teacher stress as three-dimensional including emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment. In this seminal model, they
7

define emotional exhaustion as decreasing emotional resources which causes physical
symptoms. Depersonalization is defined as negative and cynical attitudes about oneself and
one’s students resulting from the dehumanized and impersonal view of others (Maslach &
Jackson, 1981). In a subsequent study, Maslach et al. (1996) defined reduced personal
accomplishment as the negative evaluation of one’s professional capacity as well as negative
emotions regarding the capacity of one’s students. These feelings of reduced professional
accomplishment can also be described as reduced self-efficacy (Basim, el al., 2013). As the
understanding of teacher stress and burnout evolved, the three dimensions that measure teacher
burnout help identify the scope of the problem both within the United States and internationally
(Alavinia, 2012; Platsidou & Daniilidou, 2016). With teacher stress and burnout having
consequences for both individuals and school systems, as studied historically, this area of study
has been given recent attention by researchers because teacher stress and burnout is increasing.
Teacher stress and burnout within K-12 public schools in the United States is on the rise.
According to The National Commission of Teaching and America’s Future (2007) teacher
attrition increased 50% over the past fifteen years. The rate of teacher turnover is approximately
17% across the United States, contributing to a growing teacher shortage (Khan et al., 2016;
Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). Keeping well qualified teachers in the profession is critical as 25%
of beginning teachers in the United States leave the profession before their third year and close
to 40% leave within the first five years (Khan et al., 2016; Metropolitan Life Insurance
Company, 2012; O’Brennan et al., 2017; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2010). With teacher stress and
burnout increasing, it has been posited by researchers that teacher stress and burnout have
negative consequences for the educational system as a whole.
8

Teacher burnout has been found to negatively affect K-12 public education. Burnout is a
syndrome that particularly affects human service workers which includes teachers (Skaalvik &
Skaalvik, 2007). Teacher burnout has systemic consequences, and as a result of these
consequences burnout has been gaining significance and attention by researchers and specialists
(Chenevey, 2008; Demir, 2018; Khan et al., 2016; Kyriacou, 2001; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015;
Tippens et al., 2013). Burnout contributes to increasing rates of teacher turnover because
teachers who experience lower job satisfaction have a higher likelihood of both intending to and
actually leaving the teaching profession (Dagli, 2012; Klassen, 2010; McCarthy et al., 2010).
Teachers leaving the profession is costing schools in the United States over $7.3 billion a year
(Dagli, 2012). Burnout is associated with teacher attrition, early retirement and increased teacher
absenteeism (Faskhodi & Siyyari; 2018, Khan et al., 2016; Klassen et al., 2010; Maslach, 2017;
O’Brennan et al, 2017; Shamila & Zafar, 2014). In addition to contextual, systemic
consequences, teacher burnout also has personal mental and physical health consequences that
negatively affect teachers.
In recent studies, teacher burnout has been linked to physical and mental consequences.
Specific personal consequences of burnout may include fatigue, heart disease, depression, anger,
emotional instability, and anxiety (Demir, 2015; Fisherman, 2015; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015).
Research has also linked teacher burnout to job dissatisfaction and feelings of alienation from
the work environment (Alavinia, 2012; Klassen et al., 2010; Kulavuz-Onal et al., 2017). It is
estimated that approximately 20% of teachers in the United States experience emotional
exhaustion, a key factor in burnout, at some point during their professional lives (Orcan, 2013),
making teacher burnout an important topic. Teacher burnout negatively affects the individuals
who suffer from increasing amounts of professional stress.
9

Causes for Burnout and Attrition
Teachers are more susceptible to burnout and stress than other professions. This is due to
the fact that teachers are front line workers with intense personal relationships with students,
which is central to the profession (Sorensen, 2007). The services provided by educators can be
filled with emotional strain (Demir, 2018; Maslach & Schaufeli, 2017). A study by Huberman
(1993) concluded that most teachers encounter disenfranchisement and must reassess whether to
remain in the profession. Understanding the sources of stress that lead to disenfranchisement is
critical if teacher attrition is to be mitigated (Kokkinos, 2007). Teachers are more likely to
experience stress and burnout, and the causes of professional stressors must be understood if they
are to be mitigated in order to keep teachers in the profession.
Many researchers have examined causes of teacher stress and burnout. The findings can
largely be categorized into individual and organizational factors. Individual factors include
gender, age, marital status, locus of control, self-efficacy, feelings of belonging, professional
self-image, and self-esteem (Collie et al., 2012; Dagli, 2012; Fisherman, 2015; Kadi et al., 2015;
Kukavuz-Onal, 2012; Kyriacou, 2001; Sleegers, 1999). Specifically, teacher self-efficacy serves
as an emerging focus related to teacher burnout. Lower self-efficacy in areas of student
discipline, classroom management, and capacity to teach all students produced increased levels
of teacher stress and burnout. (Caprara, et al., 2003; Collie et al., 2012; Klassen, 2010; Kyriacou,
2001; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016; O’Brennan et al., 2017; Savas et al., 2014; Skaalvik &
Skaalvik, 2007). For example, in Caprara et al.’s seminal study (2003) it was found that teachers
beliefs related to self-efficacy directly impact job satisfaction, and Klassen’s (2010) study links
teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy directly to levels of job satisfaction. In addition to individual
10

factors that contribute to teacher stress and burnout, psychological factors can also lead to
increased feelings of stress and burnout.
Individual factors, including psychological capital, which encompasses hope, optimism,
resilience, and self-efficacy were found to be negatively correlated with teacher stress. In
Demir’s (2018) study, it was found that the greater the psychological capital, the less stress,
anxiety and burnout was experienced by the teacher. Teachers with enhanced capital were less
likely to experience stress as a negative emotion and less likely to face burnout (Demir, 2018).
Similar to self-efficacy is the need to increase teachers’ emotional intelligence (EI) through the
development of social and emotional programs. Social emotional programs help teachers monitor
their stress levels which may help to reduce teacher burnout (Alavania & Ahmadzadeh, 2012). In
addition to teachers’ personal beliefs, organizational factors can also lead to increased feelings of
stress and burnout.
Specific organizational factors increase teacher stress and burnout. Skaalvik and
Skaalvik’s (2011) study linked the school environment and teacher stress and attrition. Such
environmental factors include workload (Demir, 2018; Kyriacou, 2001), salary, advancement
opportunities, access to facilities and resources, working conditions, school structure, and
organizational changes (Fisherman, 2014; Kokkinos, 2007; Kukavuz-Onal, 2012; Kyriacou,
2001; Maslach & Jackson, 1984; Perrachione et al., 2008; Sorensen, 2007). An additional factor
in the United States includes heterogeneous student bodies made up by students of differing
linguistic and ethnic backgrounds (Orcan, 2013). Other identified organizational causes of
teacher stress and burnout include student behavior, teacher-student interaction, social support,
parent and community relationships, organizational interpersonal relationships, leadership, and
school climate (Dagli, 2012; Demir, 2018; Fisherman, 2015; Friedman, 2003; Klassen et al.,
11

2010; Kukavuz-Onal, 2012; Kyriacou, 2001; Perrachione et al., 2008; Skaalvik & Skaalvik,
2009, 2011). Workload and student misbehavior are the most common organizational factors
linked to teacher burnout (Chaplain, 2008; Collie et al., 2012; Greenglass & Burke, 2003;
Klassen, 2010; Kokkinos, 2007; Kukavuz-Onal, 2012; Kyriacou, 2001; Malinen & Savolainen,
2016; Skaalvik & Skaalvik; 2007, 2011). For example, Malinen and Savolainen (2016) study
found that having a higher percentage of students with behavior problems in class was associated
with lower job satisfaction among teachers in 29 of the 34 participating countries and regions.
Collie et al. (2012) also specifically linked student behavior and teacher stress and burnout, and
Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2011) linked the school environment, with student behavior specifically
identified, and teacher stress and attrition. There are many organizational factors that contribute
to teacher stress and burnout and finding strategies to mitigate professional stressors is urgent in
order to decrease teacher attrition.
Strategies to Address Stress and Burnout
Finding solutions to teacher stress and burnout is paramount for many researchers. When
looking at strategies to address, and potentially mitigate, stress and burnout, there again appears
to be not a single factor, but a multitude of strategies that can help combat stress and ultimately
increase teacher retention (Demir, 2018; Faskhodi & Siyyari, 2018; Klassen et. al, 2009;
Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015). Through increasing self-efficacy, belonging, and collective teacher
efficacy through group participation in professional development (Emel, 2017), planning social
gatherings to facilitate the sense of belonging (Onal & Tatar, 2017), providing time for
collaboration (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010), implementing social emotional
programs for the adults in the building to enhance coping skills (Alavania & Ahmadzadeh,
2012), and providing work spaces that encourage collegial conversations and collaboration (Onal
12

& Tatar, 2017), teacher stress and burnout may be alleviated which will help in the retention of
teachers. High teacher self-efficacy, which has been linked with greater teacher retention, has a
demonstrated inverse relationship with teacher stress and teacher burnout.
Connection to colleagues mediates job stress and burnout. Feelings of peer support and
belonging have been found to be mediating influences on teacher stress and burnout (Caprara et
al, 2003; O’Brennan et al., 2017; Onal & Tatar, 2017; Stephanou et al, 2013). A sense of
belonging helps mitigate the emotional exhaustion that is foundational in teacher burnout (Inandi
& Buyukozkan, 2013; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011, 2015). Peer support and cooperation has been
found to reduce stress by providing emotional support when teachers’ face the challenges
presented in their work lives (Inandi & Buyukozkan, 2013; Lorenzo et al., 2015, Onal & Tatar,
2017). Value consonance, the degree which a teacher feels they share the same norms and values
of the school, mitigates stress and burnout. A strategy to increase value consonance is planned
collegial discussions of values and goals of education (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015). When
teachers engage in collegial discussions, it may increase feelings of value consonance and lower
feelings of stress and burnout by increasing teachers’ sense of belonging (Skaalvik & Skaalvik,
2015). Burnout is associated with high numbers of teachers leaving the field, which creates
urgency around the power of feelings of connectedness to professional peers. Connecting to
colleagues through the provision of collaboration time has also been found to mediate teacher
stress.
Time spent collaborating with teaching peers has been found to mediate professional
stress. The Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2010) noted teachers would rather have more
time to collaborate than a boost in pay. To increase belonging and collaboration, research
supports teacher group attendance at professional development (Emel, 2017), providing shared
13

workspaces where collaboration and interaction is facilitated by the environment, and providing
teachers the opportunities to interact professionally and socially (Onal & Tatar, 2017). In
addition to time spent collaborating, the school’s climate also impacts teacher stress.
A school’s culture and climate may contribute to teacher stress and burnout. School
context factors which include workload and time pressure can also be adapted as a strategy to
mitigate stress and burnout (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011, 2015). Additional school factors that
decrease stress and burnout include autonomy and administrative support (Dagli, 2012). Another
context factor includes more support for new teachers since mental exhaustion (Orcan, 2013) and
burnout has been linked to teachers with fewer years of experience (Faskhodi & Siyyari, 2018).
The logistics of the operations of a school have an impact on teacher stress and burnout.
Teacher Efficacy
Social cognitive theory and the framework of efficacy have been developed and refined
by Stanford researcher Albert Bandura since the late 1960’s. As Bandura notes, theory building
is something that takes a long time to develop. Efficacy became a focus as Bandura was
developing his mastery treatments in relation to social cognitive theory. When looking at mastery
treatments he looked at an additional function, which included analyzing how the power of
mastery treatments helped build resilience to adverse experiences (Bandura, 2005). Looking at
the neutralizing effects of positive experiences to extinguish the effects of an adverse experience
led to the development of how personal efficacy functions. Experimental strategies were used to
verify that personal efficacy beliefs function as determinants of reactions rather than secondary
reflections of actions (Bandura, 1993). Efficacy beliefs are centered on outcomes being caused
by behavior, where there is a locus of control, and is not self-esteem, which is a judgement of
self-worth (Bandura, 1999). Increased efficacy beliefs have been found to have negative effects
14

in initial task engagement, effort, resiliency, and motivation (Bandura, 1993; Skaalvik &
Skaalvik, 2007; Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011). Teachers with higher self-efficacy
demonstrate higher performance and motivation, and this can be seen manifested in higher
student achievement.
Teacher self-efficacy and student performance are significantly and positively related.
Teachers who have higher self-efficacy beliefs have more efficient classroom practices that
result in higher student achievement (Caprara et al., 2003; Caprara et al., 2006; Goddard et al.,
2006; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007; Tschannen-Moran et al., 2001; Tschannen-Moran & Barr,
2004; Tschannen-Moran & Johnson, 2011). Specific to classroom practices, those educators with
high self-efficacy are more likely to be innovative in their instructional practices (Ross & Gray,
2006), exhibit high levels of planning and organization, use more effective classroom
management practices and manage classroom problems more effectively (Caprara et al., 2003;
Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007; Tschannen et al., 2001). Teachers with high self-efficacy take more
responsibility for students with special learning needs (Allinder, 1994), and keep students on task
(Caprara et al, 2006; Chacon, 2005;). Teachers with high self-efficacy demonstrate more
innovative and effective classroom practices which result in higher student achievement (Caprara
et al., 2003; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007; Tschannen et al., 2001). Many of these factors that
contribute to increased student achievement, most significantly classroom management, relate to
teacher burnout and stress, as well (Moolenaar, 2012; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007). The stronger
the efficacy related to management, the lower the teacher burnout and stress (Skaalvik &
Skaalvik, 2007). In addition to higher student achievement, teachers with higher self-efficacy
also are more satisfied with their jobs and more likely to stay in education.
15

Teachers with high self-efficacy have higher job satisfaction (Caprara et al., 2003;
Caprara et al., 2006; Klassen et al., 2009). Teachers with strong self-efficacy beliefs are more
likely to create the conditions that sustain high levels of work satisfaction (Caprara et al., 2006,
Stephanou et al., 2013). Inversely, low levels of teacher self-efficacy can be used to predict
teacher burnout and high teacher stress (Bandura 1993; Klassen et al., 2009; Malinen &
Savolainen, 2016; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007, Stephanou et al., 2013). Teacher job satisfaction
and intention to remain in the teaching profession are related.
Teachers who have higher self-efficacy are more likely to stay in the teaching profession.
In relation to teacher commitment to stay in education, teachers with strong self-efficacy beliefs
have more collaborative relationships with colleagues and parents and demonstrate a firmer
commitment to the teaching profession (Caprara et al., 2003; Caprara et al., 2006; Klassen et al.,
2009; Imants & Van Zoelen, 1995). Teacher self-efficacy is significantly and positively related
to teachers’ commitment to stay teaching.
Collective Teacher Efficacy
Bandura highlighted collective teacher efficacy when he developed social cognitive
theory. In the development phase of social cognitive theory Bandura (1977, 2000, 2005)
analyzed the idea that humans do not live autonomous lives, and that often people are only
capable of getting the things they want through social interdependence. Bandura extended social
cognitive theory to include collective efficacy by expanding human agency to encompass
collective agency (Bandura, 2000). Bandura (2000) explained that it is peoples’ common beliefs
in their power as a group to produce the results that are desired that are a key determinant of
collective agency. When looking at social group interdependence, Bandura (1977) examined
agency as collective with roots in people’s shared beliefs in their combined capabilities to bring
16

desired changes. Collective efficacy centers on how the individuals in a group perceive their
combined capabilities (Bandura, 2005). Collective teacher efficacy (CTE) is critical for teachers’
sense of agency in reaching their combined goals, and the presence of CTE in schools is
predictive of increased teacher job satisfaction and decreased feelings of teacher stress and
burnout.
Bandura (1982) proposed that collective efficacy is rooted in self efficacy. He stated that
people who doubt themselves are unlikely to work with others in a collectively efficacious
manner (Bandura 1982). Further researchers have substantiated Bandura’s findings. They have
also found teachers’ self-efficacy to be an influential factor of collective efficacy (Caprara et al.,
1999; Goddard et al., 2000; Stephanou et al., 2013; Viel-Ruma et al., 2010). Teachers who are
more confident in their own professional competence are more willing to work with colleagues
(Emel, 2017) and are more likely to promote interpersonal networks (Caprara et al., 2006).
Inversely, if a teacher’s self-efficacy is low and they believe themselves to have inadequate
occupational knowledge, they will avoid their colleagues so as not to reveal their lack of
knowledge and classroom skill (Emel, 2017). Teachers’ sense of self -efficacy is strongly
correlated with their collective efficacy beliefs, and this can be seen in the development of social
cognitive theory.
Schools that have high levels of CTE have teachers who report high levels of job
satisfaction and lower levels of teacher stress and burnout. School environments that foster CTE
have a positive effect on job satisfaction among teachers (Caprara et al., 2003; Caprara et al.,
2006; Kunmari et al., 2018; Viel-Ruma et al., 2010). Klassen et al. (2009, 2010) concluded that
CTE had a significant relationship with job satisfaction. Kunmari et al.’s (2018) study showed a
connection between perceived collective teacher efficacy and teachers’ resiliency in the face of
17

stressors. Teachers who had higher levels of perceived CTE showed more resilient tendencies
when faced with professionally related stressors. Skaalvik and Skaalvik (2011) suggested
teachers’ positive social relationships at their school sites resulted in a stronger feeling of
belonging and inclusiveness which increased job satisfaction and decreased educator attrition.
Stephanou et al. (2013) posited that the presence of CTE had a positive impact on teacher job
satisfaction and resulted in positive work-related experienced emotions. The study determined
the existence of a significant connection between the presence of CTE, which had associated
emotions of calmness and flow, and increased teacher job satisfaction (Stephanou et al., 2013).
Caprara et al. (2003) highlighted that self and collective efficacy beliefs contributed to the
teachers’ positive attitudes towards work which included job satisfaction. CTE has a positive
correlation with increased teacher job satisfaction.
Feelings of collective teacher efficacy have been found to mediate teacher stress and
burnout. Klassen (2010) found that CTE mediated the effect of teacher stress by providing
resources to help teachers manage student behavior, which is a primary contributor to teacher
stress and burnout. Specific to teachers in North America and Canada, Klassen et al. (2010)
suggested that feelings of collective teacher efficacy were predictive of job stress and burnout.
Echoing Klassen et al. (2010), Lim and Eo (2014) highlighted that teachers’ feelings of high
levels of collective teacher efficacy served as a possible mediator of teachers’ feelings of stress
and burnout. In a study of North American teachers, job stress was inversely related to job
satisfaction and collective teacher efficacy was linked to increased job satisfaction and
professional motivation (Donohoo, 2018; Klassen et al, 2010). Collective efficacy has also been
shown to mitigate stress and burnout caused by student misbehavior by providing collective
support that increases teachers’ feelings of capability related to behavior management (Klassen,
18

2010; Klassen et. al, 2010; O’Brennan, 2017). CTE has been found to be a mediator of teacher
job stress and burnout, and it has also been linked with increased student achievement.
Collective teacher efficacy is correlated not only with the mediation of teacher stress, but
also high levels of student achievement (Klassen, 2010). Many researchers have found a positive
relationship between teachers’ feeling of collective efficacy and higher levels of student
achievement (Bandura, 1993, 1997; Goddard et al., 2000, 2004, 2015, 2017; Moolenaar et al.,
2012; Sandoval et al., 2011; Tschannen-Moran & Barr, 2004). Goddard et al. (2000, 2004, 2015)
consistently discovered that collective teacher efficacy was significantly and positively related to
student achievement even when student demographic characteristics and students’ prior
achievement was controlled. Hoy et al. (2002) highlighted that the high levels of collective
teacher efficacy in schools had a significant and positive relationship to high school students’
achievement in math, which was more predictive than students’ SES. Similarly, Tschannen-
Moran and Barr (2004) found collective teacher efficacy to be more significantly and positively
related to middle students’ writing achievement than SES. In a study from 2017, Goddard et al.
were able to indicate that, along with increased student achievement, a strong sense of collective
teacher efficacy was also associated with the attainment of policy goals that realize educational
excellence and equity. Collective teacher efficacy’s positive and significant relationship to
increased student achievement has been substantiated by many researchers.
Conceptual Framework
In analyzing teacher stress and burnout the framework of social cognitive theory was
applied. Social cognitive theory focuses on people as contributing agents (meaning peoples’
ability to intentionally influence their own functioning and life circumstances) to their lives
rather than passive products of their environment (Bandura, 2005) and looks at human behavior
19

through self-development, the ability of humans to adapt, and people’s ability to change
(Bandura, 2001). In social cognitive theory people can, through self-awareness and reflection,
regulate their behavior and build efficacy (Bandura, 2005). According to Bandura (2005), social
cognitive theory is applicable to social application because it identifies changeable factors and
looks at how those factors should be structured based on the mechanisms within which those
factors operate. Through social cognitive theory, knowledge of modeling processes provides
guidelines for people wishing personal, organizational, and social change (Bandura, 1969;
Bandura, 2005)
In addition to people being agents in their lives, social cognitive theory provides a
structure that aids in examining people’s shared beliefs as a group, rather than just individuals.
Social cognitive theory extends the framework of individual human agency to encompass
collective agency (Bandura, 2000). Social cognitive theory recognizes that people do not live
their lives without the influence of others, and many of the changes people seek are only
achievable through interdependence (Bandura, 2000). Social cognitive theory examines people’s
combined efforts to produce desired results which includes analysis of the interactivity, ability to
coordinate, and the synergy that exists amongst group members (Bandura, 2000).
When looking at collective teacher efficacy (CTE), social cognitive theory is appropriate
because it provides a framework to examine the relationship of collectively held cognition,
behavior, and environmental factors which are necessary to examine teacher teams (Goddard, et
al, 2015). In addition, social cognitive theory takes into consideration mastery beliefs, social
persuasion, vicarious learning experiences, and affective states of group members, with mastery
experiences being most closely predictive of collective teacher efficacy beliefs (Goddard, et al,
2015).
20

Social cognitive was used to analyze the root causes of teacher burnout and stress. Social
cognitive theory allows a lens specifically looking at how both individual and collective-efficacy
impact teacher stress and overall job satisfaction. Using a social cognitive theory lens to look at
teacher stress and job satisfaction has a plethora of research to support it, as a teacher’s
efficacious beliefs, both individual and collectively held, has been linked to job satisfaction
(Klassen, 2010). Albert Bandura’s lens of looking at both a person’s beliefs about their
individual abilities to master complex tasks (self-efficacy), and the collective group that
surrounds the teacher’s beliefs about their abilities to achieve common goals (collective efficacy)
provide a lens through which to evaluate teacher job satisfaction, stress, and may be used to
predict future attrition from the field of education (Caprara et al, 2003).
Social cognitive theory was appropriate to analyze collective teacher efficacy because it
provides a framework to examine the relationship of collectively held cognition, behavior, and
environmental factors necessary to examine teacher teams (Goddard, et al, 2015). In addition,
social cognitive theory takes into consideration mastery beliefs, social persuasion, vicarious
learning experiences, and affective states of group members, with mastery experiences being
most closely predictive of collective teacher efficacy beliefs (Goddard, et al, 2015). Social
cognitive theory provides both an individual (self-efficacy) and social context (collective
efficacy) frame to analyze multiple factors that affect teacher stress and job satisfaction.
According to Kezar (2001), social cognitive theory allows researchers to examine individual’s
(in this case the teacher's) habits and identities within an organization (the school environment)
in a non-linear way that encompasses individuals' varied interpretations of their job
environments. Teacher stress and burnout is best examined through social cognitive theory in
relation to teachers’ perceived agency of effective teaching, which impacts job satisfaction and
21

stress (Klassen, 2010). Every teacher has a unique reason for leaving teaching, therefore teacher
stress and burnout is best examined through social cognitive theory in relation to perceived self-
efficacy beliefs related to teachers’ perceived agency of effective teaching (Klassen, 2010). This
look at teacher agency and job satisfaction correlate with teacher retention and can be used as a
predictive tool to anticipate teachers’ likelihood to leave the profession due to stress and burnout
(Sass et al., 2011).
Conclusion
In summary, with teacher stress and burnout increasing, it has been posited by
researchers that teacher stress and burnout have negative consequences for the educational
system as a whole. Burnout contributes to increasing rates of teacher turnover and suboptimal
student outcomes because teachers who experience lower job satisfaction have a higher
likelihood of both intending to and actually leaving the teaching profession (Dagli, 2012;
Klassen, 2010; McCarthy et al., 2010). Burnout is associated with attrition, early retirement,
absenteeism, and reduced student performance (Faskhodi & Siyyari; 2018, Khan et al., 2016;
Klassen et al., 2010; Maslach, 2017; O’Brennan et al, 2017; Shamila & Zafar, 2014).
Teacher self and collective efficacy have been linked to reduced teacher burnout. In
multiple studies, increased self-efficacy reduces teacher burnout (Fisherman, 2015; Malinen &
Savolainen, 2016) as well as high collective teacher efficacy. Lim and Eo (2014) highlighted that
teachers’ feelings of high levels of collective teacher efficacy served as a possible mediator of
teachers’ feelings of stress and burnout. Social cognitive theory allows a lens specifically looking
at how both individual and collective-efficacy impact teacher stress and overall job satisfaction.
Using social cognitive theory to look at teacher stress and job satisfaction has a plethora of
22

research to support it, as a teacher’s efficacious beliefs, both individual and collectively held,
have been linked to job satisfaction and reduced levels of experienced stress (Klassen, 2010).

23

Chapter Three: Methodology
The problem of practice related to teacher burnout and retention was studied in a mixed
methods survey. The survey was designed to examine teachers’ perceptions of professional
burnout, teachers’ intent to remain in the profession, teachers’ perceived feelings of self-efficacy,
teachers’ feelings of collective teacher efficacy in their grade level teacher teams, teachers’
personal coping strategies related to burnout, and teachers’ desired supports to help mitigate
burnout. The researcher focused on these areas of study within a single school district and
analyzed the elementary school context specifically (TK-5
th
grade). In addition to burnout and
efficacy, the researcher asked teachers about their individual coping mechanisms they use to help
mitigate professional burnout and ideas regarding the main stressors related to teaching and
asked them for ideas they had that may help to mediate those identified stressors.
Research Questions
1. What is the relationship between teacher self-efficacy, teacher collective self-efficacy,
teacher stress and intention to return?
2. How do teachers manage their stress?
3. What supports do teachers feel would help them better manage their stress?
Overview of the Design
Using a mixed methods survey, a quantitative set of survey items measuring perceptions
of burnout, teacher self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy was used. In the same survey a
separate set of qualitative questions measuring intention of remaining in the teaching profession
was given to TK-5 public school teachers (Appendix A). The first part of the survey consisted of
quantitative questions with Likert-scale answers. This research design aligned with collecting
data around perceived collective teacher efficacy, teacher stress and burnout, intention to return,
24

and teacher self-efficacy with pre-existing, research-bound questions from surveys developed by
past researchers. The quantitative portion of the survey allowed the researcher to use statistical
methods to establish validity and reliability. The final questions of the survey were open-ended
questions which allowed the researcher to collect qualitative data related to coping strategies
related to managing teacher burnout, and ideas for support. These qualitative questions included
responses in the teachers’ own words regarding their coping strategies to manage stressors and
supports desired to mitigate burnout. The second portion of the survey helped establish internal
credibility by asking for teachers’ perceptions related to stress in their own words without being
forced to choose between pre-determined selections.
Sample and Population
The target population of the survey was elementary (TK-5th grade) teachers in the Delta
Shore Unified School District (a pseudonym). The research study focused on elementary school
teacher stress and burnout while also examining the relationships of self and collective efficacy
in relation to stress and burnout and intention to remain in the education field. Delta Shore USD
was selected for two reasons. First, the researcher worked in DSUSD with all 500 elementary
school teachers, so there was a relationship already established. Second, Delta Shore is a
bifurcated district with two distinct cities. By surveying teachers in both cities, a good cross-
section of types of schools and educational environments was analyzed.
The Researcher
The researcher was employed by Delta Shores Unified School district as a middle school
English teacher in the city of Delta, a high school English teacher in the city of Shores, a district
office employee as a “Lead Teacher” in the curriculum and instruction department in elementary
English Language Arts, working with all 500 elementary school teachers from both Delta and
25

Shores, and an elementary school principal in the city of Shores. At the time of the study the
researcher was an employee in the county office of education that included but was not limited to
DSUSD. This county position was external to DSUSD. The researcher’s past work experience in
DSUSD may have increased her bias when interpreting the findings because she had years of
experience working within the organization and most of the teachers are known to her. The
researcher was aware of potential bias when conducting the survey and when interpreting the
results, especially the open-ended question responses (Creswell & Creswell, 2018). The
researcher addressed possible bias by making the surveys anonymous, even to the researcher, so
that the individual respondents were not identifiable. In addition to making the surveys
anonymous, the researcher chose to only add three demographic questions, which included grade
level, city of teaching assignment and numbers of years in the profession, which limited the
amount of identifiable personal information of each teacher which made individual responses
impossible to identify. For example, the researcher chose not to include a demographic question
related to gender due to the small number of male elementary school teachers in the district in
order to ensure anonymity.
The researcher’s employment position was outside of the district in the study when the
research was conducted. An external vantage point helped neutralize ethical issues related to
vested interests because the researcher did not currently work with or for DSUSD. By being
external to the studied organization, the researcher had a reduced interest in the outcomes of the
study. Being external allowed for more objectivity when looking at multiple perspectives
through the open-ended questions and the survey items (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).
In respect to addressing the power imbalance between the researcher and those being
surveyed, the researcher considered how the study could improve the human situation of the
26

teachers being surveyed. Analyzing how teacher self and collective efficacy and burnout were
related and seeking responses regarding how teachers’ feel they can be supported, attempted to
provide the district with information that could be used to enhance the work environment for the
employees, which made this study partially a moral inquiry (Creswell & Creswell, 2018).
Robinson and Leonard (2019) identified getting to know participants as important for
culturally responsive evaluation, and the researcher’s former position inside the DSUSD district
office, working with all 500 elementary school teachers, gave her the advantage of knowing
about them in advance of the research study. By studying a district where the researcher had pre-
existing relationships, getting to know the respondents was an area where she already had years
dedicated to relationship building.
Data Sources
Due to the environment of Covid-19 uncertainty, going to the schools to collect data in
person, which was the original intention, was impossible in order to collect data for this research
study. Therefore, the researcher approached the 20 elementary school principals, with permission
from the district superintendent and assistant superintendent of elementary education and asked
for permission to either give the survey electronically through Microsoft Team virtual meetings
at a staff meeting or have the principals give the survey at their staff meetings with an
accompanying script, letter of explanation, and Qualtrics link. The survey window was
December 2nd, 2020 through January 4th, 2021.
After approval from the IRB and the DSUSD superintendent, a meeting was held with
the elementary assistant superintendent where it was decided that principals would be asked to
launch the survey with their staff at the weekly Monday staff meetings. An introductory meeting
was held in November 2020 with the twenty elementary school principals over Microsoft Team
27

virtual meetings. The meeting would have been held in person but because of Covid-19 social
distancing requirements, the meeting was held online. The survey was introduced, and the
principals were asked to indicate on a Google sign-up sheet whether they wanted to personally
launch the survey in a staff meeting or if they wanted the researcher to join the online staff
meeting to launch the survey. Eight of the twenty elementary principals signed up with seven
electing to launch the survey themselves and one electing for the researcher to join a virtual staff
meeting in the beginning of December 2020 to explain and launch the survey. A script was
provided to the principals choosing to launch the survey to ensure consistency in administration.
Of the 160 teachers the survey was given to, 77 chose to take the survey.
Survey
Utilizing a mixed methods single-sitting survey, a quantitative set of survey items
measuring perceptions of job stress and satisfaction, teacher self-efficacy, collective teacher
efficacy, and teachers’ intention to remain in the field was disseminated. In the same survey, a
second set of qualitative open-ended questions asking for ideas related to managing burnout and
supports that could mediate professional stress were asked.
Instrumentation
Questions were adopted from three surveys already developed. Survey items related to
stress and burnout were adopted from the Maslach Burnout Measure (MBI) which has a research
base of reliability and validity (Platsidou & Daniilidou, 2016). The twelve-item short form
developed by Tschannen-Moran and Hoy, the Teachers’ Sense of Self Efficacy Scale, was
adopted to measure teacher self-efficacy. Hoy’s (2000) Revised Collective Teacher Efficacy
Instrument short form was adopted to measure teacher collective efficacy. These three surveys
helped answer the three research questions and addressed the conceptual model of social
28

cognitive theory by including stress/burnout, teacher self-efficacy and teacher collective
efficacy.
Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) is a 7-point Likert-scale survey that includes 22 survey
items and determines the frequency of experiences and beliefs and has three subcomponents that
include emotional exhaustion (α = .86 for EE), depersonalization (α = .73 for DP), and personal
accomplishmentα (α = .79 for PA) (Alavinia & Ah, 2012).
Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES, α = .9) is a twelve-item survey that measures
Student Engagement (4 items, α = .81), Efficacy in Instructional Strategies (4 items, α = .86), and
Efficacy in Classroom Management (4 items, α = .86) (Tschannen-Moran, & Woolfolk Hoy,
2001).
Goddard and Hoy’s (2003) CTE Short Form measurement (α = .96) is a twelve item 6-
point Likert-scale survey that includes survey items that measure teachers’ feelings surrounding
their work in schools as a team or social group.
Data Collection
The 55 item survey data was distributed at virtual staff meetings using the Microsoft
Team platform for eight of the twenty schools in the months December 2020 through early
January 2021. Taking Covid-19 social distancing requirements into consideration for data
collection, a link to the online Qualtrics survey was given during virtual staff meetings, after the
introductory script was read and a link to the explanatory letter was disseminated. The surveys
took approximately twenty minutes to complete by the participants. The links were distributed
through the “Chat” feature of Microsoft Teams to the participants. The online survey was
administered in lieu of in-person survey distribution, which was the original plan of data
29

collection. Staff meetings were held virtually by school sites on Mondays due to hybrid
instruction which was the result of the districts Covid-19 social distancing protocols.
Disaggregation of the Likert scale questions was completed using the tools available
through Qualtrics. The two open-ended surveys items were individually coded. The first open
ended question related to coping mechanisms was coded for general themes related to personal
and professional coping mechanisms. Subcategories of each of the two types of coping
mechanisms were then created to categorize the types of personal coping mechanisms were
common to participants and the types of professional coping mechanisms were being
operationalized by teachers attempting to cope with stress and burnout. The second open ended
question, related to desired professional supports, were first coded by organizational structure the
supports were related to including peer, site-based administration, and district office, and then
subcategorized by the supports that were commonly asked for in each category. Covid-19 had a
large effect on both the answers related to teachers’ coping strategies and desired supports.
Data Analysis
Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted using Qualtrics. After collecting the
data, the missing values were eliminated. Frequencies were calculated for the ordinal questions
of intent to return with the percentage of stakeholders who strongly agreed or agreed are
presented in relation to those who strongly disagreed or disagreed calculated. When describing
the interval-level variables, means and standards deviation are presented to identify average
levels of responses. Correlations were calculated with Spearman Rho between the ordinal intent
to return variables and the interval burnout, self, and collective efficacy variables. Correlations
were calculated using Pearson’s r to determine the relationship between all subscales of burnout,
self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy interval variables.
30

Adopting survey items from the three previously mentioned measures was used to ensure
validity. The research findings were expected to replicate previous studies using the same
measures, increasing the expected validity of the findings (Robinson & Leonard, 2019).
Maslach Burnout Inventory
The unabridged MBI survey (α = .83) was administered to maximize validity and
reliability. The MBI tool has been cited as the most widely used tool to measure burnout. The
MBI had 22 survey items with a seven-point Likert scale that ranges from “Never” (0) to “Every
Day” (6). The MBI had three subscales which include nine items related to emotional exhaustion
(EE), five items related to depersonalization (DP) and eight items related to personal
accomplishment (UA). High scores in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization coupled with
a low score in personal accomplishment are characteristic of burnout (Alavinia & Ahmadzadeh,
2012).
Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES)
The TSES (α = .69) was administered as part of the single-sitting survey and included
twelve items that measured Student Engagement (4 items), Efficacy in Instructional Strategies (4
items), and Efficacy in Classroom Management (4 items). The short form developed by Moran
and Hoy (2001) has been found to be valid and reliable through both their own study and
subsequent studies (Klassen et al., 2009; Tschannen-Moran, & Woolfolk Hoy, 2001). The
unabridged short form of the TSES was administered to maximize validity and reliability.
Goddard and Hoy’s (2003) CTE Short Form
This measurement (α = .75) included in the survey was a twelve item 6-point Likert-scale
survey that included survey items that measured teachers’ feelings surrounding their work in
schools as a team or social group. The validity of the CE short form was substantiated by
31

Goddard (2016) who found that in the twelve-item short form the salient factor structure
coefficients were higher, and that a single factor explained more of the total item variation than
the original 21-item survey form.
Ethics
To address ethical issues, this study was approved through the IRB review process
through the University of Southern California which screened for ethical violations and found
none. Human subjects approval was secured before data was collected. The teachers being
surveyed were provided letters explaining informed consent before filling out the survey
instrument and were informed verbally and in writing that their participation was voluntary.
Teachers were not asked to provide their names and it was assured verbally, through a written
introductory script, and a letter, that participants would keep confidentiality, and that their survey
responses were kept confidential. In addition, limited demographic questions were asked so that
participants could not be identified individually. For example, gender was not asked due to the
low percentage of male elementary school teachers to ensure that an answer to a gender-based
demographic question could not be used to narrow the possible respondents to a person who
could be identified. School sites were not identified either for the same reasons. In addition, a
pseudonym for the district was established in this dissertation, and pseudonyms for the specific
site names were utilized. Qualtrics was used to collect and analyze the survey data which is a
platform that is password protected.
In terms of positionality and power, at the time of the study the researcher worked in a
position outside of the district being surveyed, so the external vantage point helped potentially
neutralize issues related to both positionality and power. Robinson and Leonard (2019) identify
getting to know participants as important for culturally responsive evaluation, and the
32

researcher’s former position inside the district office, working with all 500 elementary school
teachers, gave her the advantage of knowing about the teachers in advance of the research study.
In addition, Robinson and Leonard (2019) advised piloting the survey as a way to ensure
culturally responsive evaluation. The survey was piloted by more than 30 educators who worked
outside the district being surveyed in order to help ensure the survey tool was appropriate,
culturally responsive, and user-friendly.
When thinking about ethical issues to anticipate, Creswell and Creswell (2018) offer
suggestions that include gaining local permission to survey, identifying a research problem that
will benefit the participants, being transparent about the purpose of the survey, and making sure
that confidentiality is preserved. Local permission was gained from the DRUSD superintendent
after the researcher’s application to conduct a study in DRUSD was completed. The research
problem was seen by DRUSD as being applicable and beneficial to the participants, which was a
requirement of application approval. Transparency regarding the purpose of the survey was built
into the script that introduced the survey to the participants and was additionally provided in
written form in a letter which was provided to each participant before the survey link was
distributed. Confidentiality was ensured through using the Qualtrics platform and asking limited
demographic questions so that individual identities would be impossible to ascertain by anyone
including the researcher.

33

Chapter Four: Findings
Chapter Four describes the study findings that answer the three research questions, 1.
What is the relationship between teacher self-efficacy, teacher collective self-efficacy, teacher
stress, and intention to return? 2. How do teachers manage their stress? and 3. What supports do
teachers feel would help them better manage their stress? Quantitative Research Question 1
(RQ1) was analyzed using descriptive statistics to describe the frequencies of intent to return and
the variables of teacher burnout, teacher self-efficacy, and collective teacher efficacy. Inferential
statistics was used in analyzing RQ1 through calculating the correlations between intention to
return, burnout, teacher self-efficacy and teacher collective efficacy. Qualitative questions,
Research Question 2 (RQ2) and Research Question 3 (RQ3), were analyzed using multi-tiered
coding to find common themes. Research Question 2 examined themes related to personal and
professional coping strategies teachers were employing in order to manage stress and burnout.
Research Question 3 looked at site-based and district-based professional support teachers
requested as possible mitigators to the stress they are feeling.
Of note, when analyzing the data for this study, the elementary teachers in Delta Shores
had been teaching in a variety of contexts based on the changing protocols and safety guidelines
mandated by COVID-19. Mid-March through the end of May the prior school year the
elementary teachers taught in 100% distance learning, primarily through asynchronous work that
could only be a review or enhancement of prior learning; no new instruction was allowed. The
teachers taught mid-August through the beginning of November for the current school year,
when the survey was distributed, in 100% distance learning. In the current year of the survey,
100% distance learning consisted of synchronous live instruction delivered through Microsoft
Teams and asynchronous materials provided through Google Classroom. Elementary teachers in
34

DSUSD transitioned mid-November to a hybrid model of instruction that incorporated cohorts of
students being instructed through half-day in-person instruction and cohorts of students being
instructed in half-day distance learning. Teachers taught either two in-person cohorts, one in-
person and one distance learning cohort, or two distance learning cohorts depending on the
number of students at each site selecting between each of the two options. This dissertation
focused on elementary school teacher stress and burnout and intention to return, in the context of
hybrid instruction due to COVID-19, while also examining the relationships of self and
collective efficacy in relation to stress and burnout.
Participants
The target population of the survey was the approximately 500 elementary (TK-5th
grade) teachers in the Delta Shores Unified School District. Eight of the twenty elementary
schools chose to participate, and out of the 160 teachers the survey was offered to, 77 (48%)
chose to participate. This dissertation focused on elementary school teacher stress and burnout
and intention to return while also examining the relationships of self and collective efficacy in
relation to stress and burnout.
Results Research Question 1
Research Question 1 focused on the relationships between teachers’ intention to return
and their feelings of self and collective efficacy. Quantitative data were analyzed and correlated
to answer this research question. Intent to return used frequencies. The variables of burnout,
teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy were analyzed using descriptive statistics.
Inferential statistics were used to correlate intention to return, teacher burnout, teacher self-
efficacy and collective teacher efficacy. Two additional sliding scale questions related to
teachers’ overall feelings of burnout and teacher-self efficacy, taking into consideration the
35

changes due to COVID-19, were also analyzed using frequencies in relation to the results from
the adopted survey findings. Using descriptive statistics, the ordinal variables related to intention
to return were described using frequencies. The interval variables related to the subcategories of
the MBI, and the short forms of teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy were
described using means and standard deviations.
Positive intention to return had the highest frequencies indicating the affirmative
intention of teachers to remain in the profession. This indicates that most teachers surveyed
expressed they were likely to stay in the profession, with 86.8% either agreeing or strongly
agreeing they intended to return the next school year. Inversely, with the question of whether
teachers would leave for a different occupation if given the chance, the answers were more
evenly distributed. Answering in the negative (with a positive intention to stay in the profession)
61.8% of teachers indicated they would not leave the profession if given the opportunity, with
their answers of disagreeing or strongly disagreeing. Inversely, 38.1% of teachers indicated that
they would leave the profession if offered another opportunity, with answers of “Agree” or
“Strongly agree.”

Table 1
Intention to Return to Teaching Table
Intention to Return Strongly Disagree Disagree Agree Strongly Agree
Intend to Return: Yes 7.5% 5.7% 39.6% 47.2%
Intend to Return: No 29.1% 32.7% 23.6% 14.5%

36

When examining Table 2 and looking at the MBI results regarding teacher burnout
specifically, a heterogeneous finding of indicated burnout was observed. The highest means of
the three burnout subscales was personal accomplishment, with an average of 6.1. Personal
accomplishment also had one of the smallest standard deviations of .6. This finding was slightly
surprising when taking into account the changing environment due to COVID-19 because it was
anticipated that the highest mean would be emotional exhaustion due to the fluctuating work
environment influenced by social distancing protocols. Emotional exhaustion had the second
highest mean of the three MBI subscales, with a mean of 4.0 and a standard deviation of 1.3.
Depersonalization was third with a mean of 1.9 with a standard deviation of 1.3. This indicates
that depersonalization was the lowest of the three experienced emotions related to burnout.

Table 2
Descriptive Means and Standard Deviations for Survey Measures and Subscales
Variable n M SD
Emotional Exhaustion 62 4.0 1.3
Depersonalization 65 1.9 1.3
Personal Accomplishment 63 6.1 .6
Classroom Management 59 7.5 .9
Student Engagement 59 7.5 .9
Instructional Strategies 59 7.4 1.0
High Group Competence 55 5 .7
Low Group Competence 56 1.8 .8
High Task Analysis 55 4.2 1.0
Low Task Analysis 56 2.2 .9
Teacher Self-Efficacy (total) 59 7.3 .9
Collective Teacher Efficacy (total) 56 4.8 .7

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When looking at the teacher self-efficacy as a whole, the mean was 7.3 out of a nine-
point scale which indicates that the teachers surveyed, as a group, had a high sense of teacher
self-efficacy. This finding was unexpected due to the work environment being fluid and
constantly changing as a result of COVID-19. The teachers surveyed had transitioned from full
distance learning to hybrid in-person instruction within the month the survey was distributed, and
the teachers’ feelings of high efficacy in relation to classroom management, student engagement,
and instructional strategies was predicted to be lower due to the constantly changing work
environment.
When looking at teacher collective efficacy as a whole, the teachers had unanticipatedly
high levels of collective teacher efficacy beliefs, which was similar to the surveyed teachers high
self-efficacy beliefs. The mean for the Collective Teacher Efficacy Short Form was 4.8 out of a
six-point scale, which indicates a high sense of collective efficacy beliefs from the teachers
surveyed. This was also a surprising finding because the teachers had been isolated physically
from each other due to social distancing requirements that resulted from COVID-19. The
teachers were, however, able to collaborate through Microsoft Teams even when they could not
be together in the same room which may have led to the high feelings of efficacy related to their
grade level teams.
Intention to Return Correlational Analysis
Inferential statistics was used to generate correlations between the ordinal and interval
variables related to intention to return, the three subcategories of the MBI survey, the three
subcategories of the short form for teacher self-efficacy and the four subcategories of the short
for the collective teacher efficacy survey. When tabulating the correlations between interval and
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ordinal variables, Spearman Rho was used to report effect size. When tabulating the correlations
for the interval variables, Pearson r was used to report effect size.
When analyzing the survey results for statistically significant correlations between
intention to return (Table 3), teacher stress and burnout, and teachers collective-self efficacy,
several significant correlations were discovered. As expected, significant positive correlations
were found between teachers indicating they would remain in the profession (positive intention
to return), personal accomplishment and teacher self-efficacy related to classroom management.
This demonstrates that teachers intending to stay in the profession expressed feelings of
accomplishment in their profession and confidence in their abilities related to managing their
classrooms. A significant negative correlation was found between positive intention to return and
collective teacher efficacy feelings related to low group competence. This indicates that teachers
intending to remain in the profession did not feel negatively about their colleagues’ competence.
As expected, teachers indicating they would choose a different profession if given the
opportunity (negative intention to return) had significant positive correlations with feelings of
depersonalization and emotional exhaustion and significant negative correlations with feelings of
personal accomplishment, and teacher self-efficacy beliefs regarding classroom management and
student engagement.

Table 3
Correlations between Intent to Return and Teacher Self and Collective Efficacy
Variable 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
1.positive intention to return --
2. negative intention to return -.52 --
3. emotional exhaustion -.14 .41* --
4. depersonalization -.17 .35* .61* --
5. personal accomplishment .38* -.45* -.24 -.46* --
6. classroom management .34* -.29* -.24 -.40* .27* --
7. student engagement .24 -.26* -.27* -.48* .39* .74* --
8. instructional strategies .13 -.07 -.31* -.47* .33* .52* .74* --
9. positive group competence .18 -.11 -.44* -.47* .43* .31* .57* .50* --
10. negative group competence -.29* .23 .22 .23 -.09 -.14 -.20 -.22 -.55* --
11. positive task analysis -.04 .03 -.22 -.11 .01 .13 .35* .39* .46* -.34* --
12. negative task analysis .06 -.03 .4* .05 .21 -.04 -.09 -.10 -.3* .43* -.66* --

* = statistically significant p = < .05. Note: Positive Intent to Return & Negative Intent to Return = Spearman Rho

39
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Positive Intention to Return
The first analysis conducted in Qualtrics to answer research question one, “What is the
relationship between teacher collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to return?”
looked at the keyed variable “Positive Intention to Return” (PIR) which was created from the
Likert-scale question from the survey which asked, “I intend to remain in the teaching profession
as my long-term professional career.” The range of responses (n = 53) included Strongly
Disagree (1), Disagree (2), Agree (3), and Strongly Agree (4). The variable PIR was significantly
negatively correlated with the MBI subscales of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and
significantly positively correlated with personal accomplishment, meaning that teachers who
indicated they intended to stay in the profession did not have the indicators of teacher burnout.
Another significant negative correlation was found between PIR and collective teacher efficacy.
Lower group competence was associated with teachers not intending to stay in the profession.
Positive intention to return and personal accomplishment were significantly correlated
and PIR and teacher-self efficacy related to classroom management had a strongly significantly
positive correlation. Teachers intending to stay in the profession also indicated high feelings of
accomplishment in their profession and had high feelings of efficacy related to their abilities to
manage their students.
When analyzing PIR’s correlations with burnout, teacher self-efficacy beliefs and
collective teacher efficacy beliefs, the strongest correlation was with teachers’ feelings of
personal accomplishment (r = .38) which indicated that teachers indicating that they are likely to
remain in the profession are also teachers who feel a sense of personal accomplishment related to
the work they do in their profession as an educator. Other significant correlations link PIR to
teachers’ self and collective efficacy beliefs.
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Negative Intention to Return
The second analysis conducted in Qualtrics to answer the research question “What is the
relationship between teacher collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to return?”
looked at the keyed variable “Negative Intention to Return” (NIR) which was created from the
Likert-scale question from the survey which asked, “I would leave teaching tomorrow if I were
offered a job for the same salary but with less stress.” While there were 77 survey respondents,
the population for this variable was 55. The range of responses included Strongly Disagree (1),
Disagree (2), Agree (3), and Strongly Agree (4). The variable NIR was correlated with the MBI
subscales of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and personal accomplish, the self-efficacy
short form subscales of classroom management, student engagement and instructional strategies
and the collective teacher efficacy short form subscales of group competence and task analysis.
Positive correlations were found when analyzing NIR in relation to emotional exhaustion and
depersonalization. Teachers not intending to return, as expected, was negatively correlated with
personal accomplishment, classroom management, and student engagement. Teachers open to
seeking employment in a different profession did not have feelings of accomplishment or
confidence in their abilities to manage their classes or engage their students. The other variables
did not have statistically significant relationships.
Negative intention to return had significant positive correlations with both
depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, the two MBI burnout indicators, which indicated
that teachers who were more likely to leave the profession also indicated they were experiencing
burnout. When looking at NIR’s positive correlation with the MBI subscale item of emotional
exhaustion (n=52) there was a strongly positive correlation which indicated that teachers who
had negative intentions to return also indicated they were emotionally exhausted.
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When looking at NIR’s significant negative correlation with the MBI subscale item of
personal accomplishment (n=53), the responses indicated that teachers with negative intention to
remain in the profession did not feel personal accomplishment in their professional lives. When
looking at NIR’s significant negative correlation with the self-efficacy short form subscale items
of classroom management and student engagement, the responses of these combined variables
(n=55) indicated that teachers with negative intentions to remain in the field did not feel
efficacious in either their abilities to manage their classes nor in their abilities to engage their
students.
Intention to Return Analysis
As expected, these research findings supported a relationship between teachers’ intention
to remain in the field, feelings of personal accomplishment, feelings of collective teacher
efficacy, and feelings of teacher self-efficacy. The teachers who indicated they were more likely
to stay in the profession expressed higher feelings of personal accomplishment related to their
work, efficacious feelings related to classroom management and did not indicate they felt a lack
of collective efficacy related to their colleagues’ competency. Inversely, as expected, teachers
who indicated they would be more likely to take another job outside of the profession of teaching
indicated higher levels of emotional exhaustion, the increased likelihood of feelings of
depersonalization, and less confidence in classroom management and their ability to engage their
students. These positive correlations supported the relationships in the research question, “What
is the relationship between teacher collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to
return?”
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Other Areas to Note (MBI Subcategories, Teacher Self-Efficacy and Collective Teacher
Efficacy
Correlations between the MBI subcategories and teacher self-efficacy and collective
teacher efficacy were also tabulated to check for areas of statistical significance between the
subscales. When analyzing the survey results for statistically significant correlations between
teacher stress and burnout, teacher self-efficacy, and teacher collective-self efficacy, several
significant correlations were discovered (Table 3). The subcategory variables were all interval
data, so a Pearson’s r correlation was used to calculate effect size for all subcategory variables.
MBI Subcategories
Looking at the subscales of the MBI survey, each subscale (emotional exhaustion,
depersonalization, and personal accomplishment) was analyzed through finding the relationships
between the specific subcategories of teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy (Table
3). When analyzing the survey data, the findings demonstrated a significant strongly positive
correlation between emotional exhaustion and depersonalization which was expected because
these are the two burnout indicators of the MBI.
Emotional Exhaustion. In relation to collective teacher efficacy, a significant positive
correlation was found between emotional exhaustion and collective teacher efficacy low task
analysis which means teachers indicating that they were emotionally exhausted also indicated
negative feelings related to their colleagues’ task analysis capabilities. Inversely, a relatively
strong significant negative correlation was found between emotional exhaustion and collective
teacher efficacy high group competence which means teachers indicating that they were
emotionally exhausted did not indicate they had confidence in their colleagues’ competency.
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In relation to teacher self-efficacy, moderate significant negative correlations were found
between emotional exhaustion and teacher self-efficacy instructional strategies and emotional
exhaustion and teacher self-efficacy student engagement which means teachers indicating that
they were emotionally exhausted also indicated negative feelings related to their own abilities to
manage their classes and engage their students.
Depersonalization. In relation to collective teacher efficacy, a moderate positive
correlation was found between depersonalization and collective teacher efficacy low group
competence. In relation to teacher self-efficacy, many negative correlations were found between
depersonalization and the subcategories. Relatively strong significant negative correlations were
found between depersonalization and teacher self-efficacy instructional strategies, and
depersonalization and teacher self-efficacy student engagement, and depersonalization and
teacher self-efficacy classroom management. It was interesting to note that depersonalization
was negatively correlated with all subcategories of teacher self-efficacy. Additionally,
depersonalization also had a significantly moderately-strong negative correlation with personal
accomplishment. Depersonalization had the most negative correlations of the MBI subscales in
relation to teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy, making depersonalization a salient factor in
teachers’ beliefs in their personal abilities in relation to their profession.
Personal Accomplishment. The survey findings show significant positive and negative
correlations between personal accomplishment and the other subcategories. Personal
accomplishment was positively correlated with all three subcategories of teacher self-efficacy.
There were moderate correlations between personal accomplishment and teacher self-efficacy
classroom management, and more strongly moderate significance between personal
accomplishment and teacher self-efficacy instructional strategies and student engagement. This
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means teachers who felt personal accomplishment related to their profession also had high levels
of efficacious feelings around their abilities to manage their classes, engage their students, and
use effective instructional strategies. In relation to collective teacher efficacy, personal
accomplishment was significantly positively correlated with teacher collective efficacy high
group competence meaning that teachers who felt feelings of personal accomplishment also felt
positively regarding the competence of their colleagues. Additionally, personal accomplishment
was negatively correlated with depersonalization which was expected because they are both
subscales of the MBI measure of burnout. What was unexpected was that in this study
depersonalization did not have a significant relationship with emotional exhaustion, which would
have been expected as the third subscale of the MBI.
Teacher Self-Efficacy and Teacher Collective Efficacy
Looking at the subscales of the Teacher Self-Efficacy short form (Table 3), each subscale
(classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies) can be correlated to
the specific subcategories of collective teacher efficacy (high and low group competence and
high and low task analysis).
Teacher Self-Efficacy Classroom Management. When analyzing the survey data, the
findings show significant strongly positive correlations between teacher self-efficacy classroom
management, teacher self-efficacy student engagement, and teacher self-efficacy instructional
strategies. This is important because it shows that teachers who are self-efficacious in one
category are most likely efficacious in all three self-efficacy measures. In relation to collective
teacher efficacy, a moderate positive correlation was found between classroom management and
collective teacher efficacy high group competence, meaning that teachers who felt personally
efficacious with classroom management also felt confident in their colleagues’ competence.
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Teacher Self-Efficacy Student Engagement. In addition to teacher self-efficacy student
engagement being strongly positively correlated with self-efficacy classroom management and
instructional strategies, student engagement was also strongly positively correlated with
collective teacher efficacy high group competence and collective teacher efficacy high task
analysis, both of the subscales of collective teacher efficacy. Self-efficacy beliefs around student
engagement were correlated with both categories of collective teacher efficacy, demonstrating
the relationship between teacher self and collective teacher efficacy.
Teacher Self-Efficacy Instructional Strategies. In addition to teacher self-efficacy
instructional strategies being strongly positively correlated with self-efficacy classroom
management and student engagement, instructional strategies were also positively correlated
with collective teacher efficacy high group competence and collective teacher efficacy high task
analysis. Self-efficacy beliefs around instructional strategies were correlated with both categories
of collective teacher efficacy, which was demonstrated in these findings which further
exemplifies the relationship between teacher self and collective efficacy.
Collective Teacher Efficacy
Looking at the subscales of the Collective Teacher Efficacy short form, each subscale
(high and low competence and high and low task analysis) can be correlated to each other to see
the statistical significance of how the variables relate (see Table 3).
Collective Teacher Efficacy Group Competence. In addition to the burnout and self-
efficacy significant correlations reported above, collective teacher efficacy high group
competence is strongly negatively correlated with low group competence and low CTE task
analysis. CTE high group competence is positively correlated with high task analysis. Collective
teacher efficacy low group competence, in addition to the correlation with high group
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competence, is positively correlated with low task analysis and negatively correlated with high
task analysis demonstrating the strength of the relationships between the CTE subscales.
Collective Teacher Efficacy Task Analysis. In addition to the burnout, self-efficacy, and
collective teacher efficacy significant correlations reported above, collective teacher efficacy
high task analysis is strongly negatively correlated with low task analysis. These correlations, in
the CTE subscales, show the significant relationship between the variables of the CTE short
form. Teachers high in one area of collective teacher efficacy beliefs tend to be high in both, and
the same is true for the inverse relationship of low collective efficacy beliefs.
Sliding Scale Questions: Impact of COVID-19 (Burnout and Teacher Self-Efficacy)
When asked for teachers’ general feelings regarding self-efficacy and burnout, teachers
indicated they had less confidence in their abilities to teach their students in distance learning.
The question asked, “Ranking your feelings on the sliding scale below, given the current
educational environment influenced by COVID-19, do you feel more confident about your
ability to teach your students or less confident when compared to your feelings last year?” The
sliding scale ranged from negative five (less confident) to positive five (more confident) with
zero indicating they felt the same. With 55 respondents, the average response was -0.636, which
indicated teachers’ felt less efficacious in the environment affected by distance learning due to
COVID-19.
An additional question asked, “Ranking your feelings on the sliding scale, how much
more or less burnt out do you feel this school year when compared to your feelings last year?”
The sliding scale ranged from negative five (more burnt out) to positive five (less burnt out) with
zero indicating they felt the same. With 54 teachers responding, the average response was -2.43,
which indicated teachers were feeling more burnout in the school year affected by COVID-19.
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Results Research Question 2
When analyzing the findings for coping strategies related to stress and burnout many
themes were evident. The open-ended survey question eight asked, “How are you managing your
work-related stress?” Themes related to both personal and professional coping strategies were
identified in the 49 responses to the question and included coping strategies such as exercise,
meditation, professional collaboration and boundary setting.
Coding Research Question 2
The themes of coping strategies related to work-related stress were discovered through a
multi-stage approach to coding. A priori codes related to personal coping strategies, professional
coping strategies, and the lack of identified coping strategies were used as an initial filter for the
responses. The second stage of coding broke personal coping strategies into more specific
inductive codes which included self-care, exercise, meditation and mindfulness, adjusting
expectations, and personal support systems. In the second stage of coding, the category related to
professional coping strategies was divided into more specific inductive codes which included
professional boundary setting and professional collaboration. In the second stage of coding the
category related to the lack of coping strategies was divided into three inductive codes which
included time (or lack of), lack of support, and general stress and anxiety. The third stage of
coding further divided the inductive codes related to the category of personal coping strategies,
too numerous to list, into specific themes which will be described in the upcoming chapter. In the
third stage of inductive coding the category of professional boundaries was divided into three
specific themes including time management related to maintaining a healthy work/life balance,
taking mental breaks, and participants declining optional work-related functions. In the third
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stage of inductive coding professional collaboration was divided into two themes: emotional
support and problem solving.
Professional Coping Strategies
Several themes emerged when looking at coping strategies teachers employed that were
directly related to their work or profession. These themes, broadly, included professional
boundary setting and collaboration.
Professional Boundaries
Teachers setting boundaries related to their commitments and time was the professional
coping strategy that was mentioned most frequently. Twenty-one of the 49 survey respondents
(43%) mentioned a form of setting professional boundaries in order to cope with work-related
stress. The three categories mentioned by the survey respondents in relation to boundary setting
were time management, taking mental breaks in their workdays, and saying no to optional work-
related functions or expectations.
Time management and focusing on maintaining a healthy work/life balance was
mentioned by eleven of the survey respondents. Setting boundaries related to work time versus
personal time was a common theme. Responses such as “I have some boundaries. I leave school
by 4:00 everyday. I also now limit how much work I take home on the weekend,” and “I am not
checking my emails after a certain time. I am spending more time with my family and checking
out of work earlier than normal” are specific to the types of tasks, such as emails and taking
work home, teachers are setting time-bound boundaries around. Responses such as “make work
free times to my day to manage stress, “Trying to complete all work while at work, not taking it
home,” and “I also have strict boundaries with myself for working from home around work time
and family time,” indicate that teachers are separating work from their home lives in order to
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help mitigate professional stress. In relation to this, one respondent said, “I don’t experience a lot
of work stress. I have learned to separate my personal life from my work life.” Maintaining a
healthy work and life balance was a common coping strategy identified by many teachers as
being helpful when managing stress.
In relation to boundary setting, three teachers identified taking mental breaks within the
school day as being a coping strategy they were employing to help manage stress. Respondents
stated, “I am giving myself breaks throughout the day or during stressful times,” “taking breaks,”
and “stepping away for a bit and coming back,” as coping strategies that they were using within
their working days. Setting time boundaries to include breaks within the day was a coping
strategy three respondents found helpful in managing stress.
A third category related to professional boundary setting that was mentioned by seven of
the 49 respondents included declining or minimizing optional work-related functions. Saying no,
rather than yes, to additional work-related tasks and activities was used as a coping strategy
when managing professional stress. One respondent stated:
I say no to more work related things. I know I could do better, more amazing lessons, but
am choosing to do a decent lesson in exchange for a cope-able amount of stress. I am
turning down school related matters that are outside the classroom - trainings, community
relations, anything that goes beyond my duties as teaching.
Other respondents wrote, “letting of some of the extras I did in the past,” “Not doing too much
more than expected,” and, related to student work, “I also limit how many papers I return and
how many I comment on. I no longer feel that everything needs to be returned or commented on.
Providing feedback in person or while students are working seems to be more effective.” Many
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teachers put professional boundaries around extra duties and classroom practices in order to
combat professional stress.
Professional Collaboration
A second category related to professional coping strategies, that was mentioned by many
teachers, was relying on professional collaboration. Fifteen of the forty-nine respondents (31%)
mentioned communicating with their colleagues as a strategy they were using to help cope with
work-related stress. Professional collaboration was divided into two further categories based on
the responses. Those categories include emotional support from colleagues and professional
problem solving.
Nine of the 49 survey respondents mentioned talking with colleagues for emotional
support as being a coping strategy they were using. Responses included, “I have been
communicating with my team on a daily basis sometimes just to vent about parents. It’s not the
students we are having problems with it’s the parents,” “I also talk to the trusted colleagues I
work with and vent, meaning we just talk about our feelings and frustrations,” and “I talk with
other teachers to remind myself that I am not alone.” Emotional support by colleagues, a person
to talk with who is in the same situation, was described by these teachers as a strategy that
helped them cope with professional stress.
Four of the 49 teachers mentioned that collaborating with colleagues for professional
problem solving and planning was a strategy that was being used to manage stress. Typical
responses included, “I make time to talk with other teachers, both at my site and other sites. We
split time between venting and problem solving,” and “I have an amazing 1st grade team mate
who we work and plan everything together, so it REALLY helps with the workload and social
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emotional support.” Relying on colleagues to help solve problems and to plan with was a coping
strategy identified by nine teachers as being helpful when coping with professional stress.
Personal Coping Strategies
Several themes emerged when looking at coping strategies teachers employed that were
not related to their work or profession. These themes, broadly, included exercise, meditation and
mindfulness, adjusting expectations, reliance on personal support systems, and other forms of
self-care.
Exercise
Exercise emerged from the data as a dominant theme when looking at teachers' non-
professional coping strategies. Thirty-one of the 49 respondents (63%) mentioned some form of
exercise when describing their personal coping strategies. Responses ranged from exercise in
general to very specific forms of exercise.
Fourteen of the 31 respondents mentioned exercise, in general, as a coping mechanism.
Responses such as, “I exercise several times a week,” and “I exercise daily right when I arrive
home from work. This energizes me and allows me to get rid of the stress I am feeling,” were
typical of the responses related to managing stress and coping strategies. Many times, exercise
was mentioned as one of several ways the individual teacher was managing stress. An example
would be, “exercise, podcasts, medication” and “Exercising, limiting caffeine, support of family
and friends,” indicated that exercise was often one of many coping strategies being employed to
manage stress and burnout.
When respondents included exercise in their list of coping strategies, many were specific
when communicating the type of exercise they engaged in. Walking was the most popular
specific form of exercise with eight respondents identifying walking as being a coping strategy
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they were using. Responses such as, “Happy hours with my husband. Extra long walks,” and “I
have been walking around my neighborhood and working out in my garage,” were typical
responses that included walking as a specific form of exercise being used to manage stress.
Another specific form of exercise that was identified by respondents to help combat
stress was yoga. Four of the 31 respondents who mentioned exercise as a coping mechanism
identified practicing yoga to mediate stress. Responses such as “Exercise, yoga, and talking to
colleagues,” and “Meditation, yoga, good principal, good grade level partner,” were typical of
respondents who identified yoga as a stress mediating strategy.
Other forms of exercise that were mentioned included golf, “I take ‘ME’ days, play golf,
don’t answer email from 6PM Friday through 4PM Sundays (if at all); weekends are meant for
release and regrouping time,” swimming, “Exercise, meditation, swimming,” and lifting weights,
“Working out with weights and doing yoga.” Alternate forms of exercise were identified as
being part of teachers’ coping strategies they employed when managing work-related stress.
Non-Work Related Personal Support Systems
Personal support systems were the second most-identified personal coping mechanism
mentioned by teachers in the open-ended question, “How are you managing your work-related
stress?” Fourteen of the 49 respondents (29%) identified personal support systems as a coping
mechanism when addressing professional stress. Some responses included spouses helping with
household chores which alleviated some of the stress experienced. For example, “I have a very
supportive family. My husband picks up the chores at home when I am exhausted from
working,” and “My husband is taking over lots of the home related tasks: cooking, laundry,
shopping, etc.” Other respondents indicated that talking to their friends and family was a coping
mechanism they were finding helpful in mediating job-related stress. Responses included,
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“talking on the phone to nonteacher friends,” “I talk on the phone and vent about my problems to
my mom,” and “I socialize with my friends.” Social connection outside of the work environment
was the second most-cited coping mechanism. Tapping into support systems at home and in the
teachers’ personal lives was a way that they indicated was helpful in reducing work-related
stressors.
Adjusting Expectations and Making Time for Relaxation
Adjusting expectations and making time for relaxation was another frequently identified
coping mechanism teachers indicated in their responses to the open-ended questions. Eight of the
49 respondents (16%) indicated adjusting expectations and making time for relaxation was a
coping skill they employed. Responses such as, “Not sweating the small stuff,” “taking time to
just relax and cuddle with the pups,” and “Trying to spend a few hours a week doing something
just for enjoyment or relaxation,” were typical responses associated with adjusting expectations
and trying make time for personal relaxation was indicated by many teachers as being important
for managing stress.
Meditation and Mindfulness
Meditation and mindfulness were mentioned by seven of the 49 respondents (14%) as
being another coping strategy when mitigating professional stress. Responses that mentioned
mediation and mindfulness as a strategy included, “I am using the calm app that is offered free
through Kaiser. The calm app is a mindfulness app that I do daily mood check ins on and
practice daily gratitude. I also have been trying to get meditation into my daily routine,” “I try to
practice mindfulness daily,” “Meditation, guided imagery,” and “I have learned how to meditate
using the Calm app. I highly recommend it.” Teachers cited meditation and mindfulness as
successful tools to cope with work related stress. Specific tools such, such as Calm, and general
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practices such as meditation and mindfulness practices were mentioned as being helpful in
alleviating work-related stress.
Food and Drink
The categories of food and drink were mentioned by six of the 49 respondents (12%).
What was interesting was the heterogeneity of the strategies. Three respondents indicated that
consuming alcohol was a helpful coping strategy with the responses, “Alcohol, taking walks,
talking to colleagues,” “Happy hours with my husband,” and “drink nightly.” One respondent
indicated the opposite of alcohol consumption and stated, “I have stopped drinking and that has
helped a lot.” One respondent similarly indicated that “limiting caffeine,” was a coping strategy
while another indicated that “comfort food” was a strategy. Another respondent indicated that
“eating a healthy diet” was a way they were coping with stress. The wide variety of responses in
this category, with some teachers indulging in food and drink while others identified limiting
food and drink made this category particularly diverse in the ways that teachers indicated they
were coping with professional stress.
Other Forms of Self-Care
Other forms of self-care were also identified. These included three participants
identifying massage as being a coping strategy. Two respondents indicated that therapy was
helping them cope with work-related stress, and one respondent indicated that medication was a
coping mechanism. Seeking outside assistance from the professional field was not mentioned by
many of the respondents. Only three of the 49 respondents indicated that they were seeking these
services. Professional help with stress and burnout was not a frequently indicated personal
coping strategy.
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Four of the 49 respondents indicated that a form of media was helping relieve
professionally related stress with two indicating that music was helping with the responses, “I
listen to relaxing music and that really helps,” and “listening to calm music while I prepare for
the day and when I head home to get my mind in a peaceful place to begin and end my day.”
Another respondent indicated that “watching sports” was a coping strategy and another relied on
“podcasts.” No respondent indicated that social media was a strategy they were using to cope
with stress. With the proliferation of time spent scrolling and posting on social media being well
documented, it is notable that not a single respondent indicated that this helped alleviate stress.
Two responses had two participants indicate they used them as coping strategies and they
included canine companionship and crying. Two respondents indicated that spending time with
their dogs was helpful in alleviating stress. With the responses, “taking time to just relax and
cuddle with the pups,” and “I also enjoy walking my dogs,” canine companions were mentioned
as stress relievers. No other types of animals were mentioned by respondents other than dogs. An
additional two of the 49 respondents indicated that crying was a way they relieved stress with the
responses, “Talking with friends and colleagues, trying to exercise, crying,” and “When I am
really overwhelmed, and I’m at home, I go into my closet and cry.”
In sum for personal coping strategies, the responses were varied. Personal coping
strategies such as exercise and leaning into personal support systems had many respondents
indicate that these helped mitigate stress. Other responses, such as crying and massage, had
fewer respondents identify these as successful coping strategies. Looking at the broad themes, it
can be observed that some strategies were found by many to be helpful in reducing stress while
other strategies were more effective to certain individuals.
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Lack of Coping Strategies
Several respondents did not identify any coping strategies that they were finding effective
in managing professional stress. The reasons for the lack of strategies fell into three categories.
These categories included time constraints and increased workload, the lack of support under
constantly changing work conditions and the overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety.
Time Constraints
Three of the 49 survey respondents (6%) indicated that time constraints were a factor in
their inability to identify any strategies that were helping them manage their professional stress.
One respondent stated:
It’s almost impossible to handle work related stress because all you do is work. I don’t
have time to think about myself due to my job edging into my evenings and weekends. I
have been teaching for 22 years. It is monumental the amount of work an elementary
classroom teacher must do.
Other responses included, “I am not handling it well. Too much change, too little time in which
to do it,” and
During this time of teaching remotely and in-person, the most frustrating component for
me is the amount of work involved in providing a quality education for my students. I am
literally running out of time each day. What we are currently being asked to do, is not
sustainable. I feel like I am working two jobs. No amount of release can fix the fact that I
simply cannot continue to work at this level.
Increased work expectations and a constantly changing job environment left these teachers
feeling like there were no strategies that would be sufficient to mitigate the stress caused by their
jobs.
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General Stress and Anxiety
Feelings of general stress and anxiety were identified by four survey respondents (8%) as
being the reasons why they were not managing professional stress. Their responses were, “I have
never experienced the amount of stress in my job in 20 years as I have since this pandemic. I am
not managing my stress well,” “I do find myself having anxiety more often. I can feel myself
getting negative when I am stressed,” and
I would like to get professional help to talk about my stress and be able to do things like
get a massage or join an exercise group to lower my stress, but I get paid FAR TOO
LITTLE to afford things of this nature. So besides talking…. I’m pretty much bottled up
and suffer from migraines several times a week.
An additional respondent wrote, “I am trying, but I often feel like I can’t find anything healthy to
relax me.” Teachers who responded with overwhelming feelings of stress and anxiety struggled
to identify any healthy coping strategies that helped mitigate professional stress.
The reasons for the lack of strategies by these respondents included lack of time,
constantly changing working conditions, lack of training and support and overwhelming feelings
of anxiety and stress. Even when these individuals identified productive coping strategies
mentioned by others, the barriers were identified as insurmountable in accessing healthy,
productive and effective coping strategies to help mitigate professional stress.
Results Research Question 3
Open-ended survey question nine asked, “What supports do teachers feel would help
them better manage their stress?” When analyzing the findings for the support, if offered,
teachers felt would help them better manage their stress, several themes emerged. A priori codes
related to administrative and district support were identified in the 50 responses to the question
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and responses included desired support for additional preparation time, more opportunities for
collaboration, clearer communication, additional training opportunities, and less time spent on
administrative tasks in addition to teaching.
Coding for Research Question 3
The themes of types of support requested to manage work-related stress were discovered
through a multi-stage approach to coding. A priori codes related to administrative support and
district level support were used as an initial filter for the responses. The second stage of coding
broke the category related to administrative support into more specific inductive codes which
included reducing non-student related responsibilities and the desire for more planning time. In
the second stage of coding the category related to district level support was subdivided into more
specific inductive codes which included desired training opportunities, additional resources,
district level leadership demonstrating appreciation, and concern for the teacher’s well-being,
and clear communication. The third stage of coding further divided the inductive codes related to
district support into more specific themes that are detailed in the following section.
Site Administrative Support
Three themes emerged when looking at desired support from the site level which would
be under the purview of the site administrator. These themes, broadly, included reducing tasks
that don’t relate to direct teaching, more planning time, and respondents who could not identify
any supports or felt that their sites were already supporting their needs.
Reducing Expectations That Do Not Relate to Students
Administrators lessening the demands outside of teachers’ directly teaching their students
emerged from the data as a common theme. Seven of the 50 respondents (22%) mentioned the
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desired support of reducing non-teaching expectations and responsibilities. One respondent
stated,
I’m not sure if it’s exactly a professional support but having my principal ask less of
teachers. My principal is currently asking us to do many small - but many - community
engagement tasks. There are also several expectations to work as if we are not teaching
during a pandemic that is putting more and more on teacher’s plates. I need things taken
off my plate next year.
Another respondent said,
Some professional supports that I feel could help me manage my work-related stress is
lowering outside-of-teaching tasks that teachers have been made responsible for during
the week. Due to COVID, there are many more steps teachers are having to take that are
making the job a lot harder.
Another stated, “Having less to do with all of the extra attendance stuff to do, plus grading, plus
planning, etc. would be helpful. Expectations of what we can do is unrealistic.” An additional
respondent, who summed up the desire for less administrative tasks so they could focus on
teaching and reduce stress, wrote, “Less time spent on documentation and grading, more time
spent on evaluating and gauging student learning.” The respondents indicated that reducing
expectations of time committed outside of direct teaching of students within the school day
would be a helpful support in reducing professional stress.
More Planning Time
A second theme that emerged from the data related to desired supports included
additional time for planning and preparation. With additional responsibilities related to distance
and hybrid learning being the teacher’s reality at the time the survey was conducted due to
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COVID-19, eight of the 50 respondents (16%) indicated that additional preparation and planning
time would help minimize their professional stress. Related to time for planning, responses
included, “Having built in planning time on a weekly basis would help a great deal,” “More paid
planning time before the start of the year and then again on a weekly basis. It is hard to print,
analyze and compare data with colleagues when there is not enough time given without students.
Effective planning creates effective teaching,” and “Additional time to prep and prepare
materials and lessons as well as to evaluate student work and provide constructive feedback.”
Four respondents stated, in relation to additional time, responses specific to collaborative
planning. They wrote, “More chances to meet with my peers/staff. Our staff meetings have
nearly gone away. I feel like weekly meetings just to talk and support each other is vital,” and
More collaborative planning and problem solving sessions to see how other teachers
are/come up with ideas to give students the learning they need in the short time they have
and engage them in work or participatory learning activities.
Another respondent wrote, “Collaboration so each teacher isn’t reinventing the wheel. More time
for prep.”
Of note, teachers were provided one full workday per week for planning and preparation
by the district when hybrid instruction was initiated. The elementary hybrid schedule ran
Tuesdays through Friday with Mondays reserved for planning. The responses seemed to suggest
that this increase of 20% more planning time during working hours was insufficient to meet the
demands of the changes due to distance and hybrid learning.
No Site Support Identified
A third theme that emerged from the data included survey respondents failing to identify
any site level support that would help alleviate job-related stress for a variety of reasons. Seven
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of the 50 respondents (14%) either couldn’t identify any supports or indicated they were being
supported adequately. Three respondents stated, “I feel all of my needs are being met,” “I can’t
think of any,” and “I don’t know.” Two respondents wrote that the support they needed was
coming from their colleagues/administrator when they indicated, “I am getting supported by
other teachers on campus, which has greatly reduced my stress level,” “My team is amazing and
we help each other out so much by sharing the load. Our principal is stellar and does anything
she can to help us! Our teaching team as a whole is very supportive,” and “We have a very
supportive principal who is always looking out for us. Our PTO is strong also. It feels good to be
appreciated.” At the time of the survey administration, these respondents either could not
identify supports that would help or felt they were getting the support they needed.
District Level Support
Four themes emerged when looking at desired supports at the district level. These
themes, broadly, included more training opportunities, acquiring additional resources, clear
communication and protocols, and the demonstration of concern and appreciation for the
teachers’ contributions.
Training Opportunities
The desire for training opportunities emerged from the data as a dominant theme when
looking at teachers' requests for district level support. Twelve of the 50 respondents (24%)
mentioned some form of desired training opportunity when describing their desired supports
from the district level.
Distance Learning Training. Training opportunities related to distance learning was the
largest theme that emerged from the data when looking at types of training teachers identified
would help mitigate work-related stress. Six of the twelve survey respondents who identified
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training as a support to help mitigate occupational stress identified distance learning and/or
technology as an area of need. Survey respondents wrote, “It would help to have more
professional for distance learning with younger students,” “I (believe) more support around
constructing digital lessons would be helpful,” and “More training for on line teaching.” One
survey respondent explained, “Minimal training in tech systems leaves me feeling anxious
because I am unprepared.” Training opportunities related to distance learning and the technology
that helped drive instruction was a common theme in relation to the types of desired supports
specific to desired training opportunities.
Social Emotional Training. In a second theme related to desire training opportunities
that emerged from the data was training related to the social emotional health of the teachers.
Four of the twelve survey respondents who indicated training as a desired support indicated
desire for training opportunities related to stress management and/or mindfulness and meditation.
Responses included, “How to deal with stress, and how to manage stress more effectively,” and
I think more teachers would benefit from mindfulness and meditation if they learned
about it. I think that having training on mindfulness/gratitude/meditation would be
helpful. I have heard of work having everyone meditate for 2 minutes and it really
increases productivity and positive feelings. I recommend the district looks into research
on mindfulness. Daily gratitude actually rewires your negative synapses in your brain to
be more positive. I also think daily mood check ins are helpful to track moods. Social
emotional learning is important for teachers and students. Mental health matters for
adults too.
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Training related to stress management and mindfulness was a theme that emerged from the data
when looking at specific types of training teachers identified as being relevant for reducing
professional stress.
Additional Resources
A second area of indicated areas of support the district could offer to help alleviate
professional stress included additional resources including support staff. Six of the 50 survey
respondents (12%) indicated additional resources would be helpful with the two subcategories of
support staff and curriculum resources.
Support Staff. In relation to additional resources, three of the six survey respondents
indicated that support staff assistance would be a helpful resource. Responses included, “More
instructional aide support in the classroom,” “Management of support staff,” and “Not having to
do reports that have no bearing on educating students. I need a secretary.” The desired assistance
related to support staff was varied, with the ask for more staff assistance and, conversely,
assistance with managing support staff in place.
Curriculum Support. In relation to desired resources, four of the 50 respondents
indicated that they needed assistance with their curriculum due to the distance learning
expectations of the curriculum being converted to a digital platform. Responses indicated that,
“Help turning curriculum digital,” “Better curriculum. Better tech supports,” and “not having the
ball just in our court...creating curriculum that is accessible online for our students is
exhausting.” Desired support from the district included the request for additional resources in
helping to turn the curriculum designed for in-person instruction into a curriculum that worked in
an online teaching environment.
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Clear Communication and Protocols
A third area of desired support from the district level that emerged from the data included
clearer communication regarding constantly evolving procedures and protocols necessitated by
COVID-19 distance learning. Five of the 50 respondents (10%) indicated clear and consistent
communication would be a support that would help mitigate professional stress. Responses
included, “Our district giving better and more timely guidance for upcoming changes to
schedules, job expectations, and procedures. Also better communication with parents from the
district level,” “The district does not communicate the changes effectively. Facebook is my
source of information,” and “Clearer direction from the top, answers to questions, defined
protocols.” The desired support of clear and timely communication was a theme that emerged
from the data.
Showing Concern and Appreciation
A fourth theme that emerged from the data was the desire for the district to demonstrate
respect and appreciation for the teachers. Responses related to this theme included, “The district
does not appear to respect teachers and has created a divide between the administration and the
board (of education) vs. the teachers,” “To feel appreciated,” and
I don’t feel like the school district cares that we (are) already in the classroom working
and getting exposure to COVID. There was such a huge push to get the schools to open
and now teachers are even more stressed out than before we came back.
Other responses included, “A more supportive district office who respected teachers and listened
to concerns would be great,” and
I feel that upper management doesn’t care about or listen to teachers. They don’t ask for
feedback or solutions from us. They don’t thank us or acknowledge hard work or how
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much they’ve asked. They are cutting budgets and asking us to do more with less and
don’t seem to care.
District leadership showing concern and appreciation for teachers’ additional contributions, risk
and workload during distance learning resulting from COVID-19 was an identified support that
respondents felt would help reduce occupational stress.
Summary
In sum, when analyzing the survey results for Research Question One, “What is the
relationship between teacher collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to return?”
several correlations were discovered. Positive correlations were found between teachers
indicating they would remain in the profession, efficacious beliefs involving personal classroom
management capabilities, and personal accomplishment in relation to their job as an educator. A
negative correlation was found between positive intention to return and collective efficacy
beliefs around group competence. Inversely, teachers indicating they would choose a different
profession if given the opportunity had significant positive correlations with feelings of
depersonalization and emotional exhaustion, which are the burnout indicators, and negative
correlations with feelings of personal accomplishment, classroom management, and the ability to
engage their students. Teachers signaling they would leave had higher levels of burnout and
lower levels of feelings of teacher self-efficacy.
When analyzing the findings for Research Question Two, “How do teachers manage their
stress?” many themes were evident. Themes related to both personal and professional coping
strategies were identified and included coping strategies such as exercise, meditation,
professional collaboration and boundary setting.
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When analyzing the survey results for Research Question Three, “What supports do
teachers feel would help them better manage their stress?” several themes emerged. Themes
included desired support for additional preparation time, more opportunities for collaboration,
clearer communication, additional training opportunities, and less time spent on administrative
tasks in addition to teaching.

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Chapter Five: Discussion and Recommendations
Three recommendations are introduced in this chapter. The three recommendations
include professional development opportunities in classroom management and student
engagement, professional development and teacher collaboration related to teachers’ social-
emotional health, and the provision of additional collaborative opportunities related to the
successes and challenges of different aspects of classroom teaching. These three
recommendations are outlined and supported by the results of research questions one, two, and
three. Limitations and delimitations of the study, overall, are explored and analyzed, and
opportunities for expanded research are discussed.
Findings
When analyzing teachers’ feelings of burnout and efficacy when compared to the year
before, teachers reported higher levels of burnout and feelings of lower teacher self-efficacy. The
findings of heightened burnout and lower efficacy were anticipated because of the teaching
context changes resulting from COVID-19 and social distancing. While the sliding scale survey
questions indicated lower feelings of efficacy, however, the short forms of the efficacy measures
revealed relatively high levels of feelings of both collective and self-efficacy from the surveyed
teachers. This was not an anticipated finding due to the constantly changing teaching
environment necessitated by social distancing requirements. The difference may be accounted
for in the specificity of the questions. The short forms asked for feelings related to specific
aspects of classroom teaching, which revealed highly efficacious beliefs, and the sliding scale
questions asked for general feelings in relation to the year before. Taken together, these findings
indicate that teachers feel overwhelmed by the changes that result from COVID-19 in general but
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are still highly efficacious when it comes to the particular practices that constitute classroom
teaching and being a member of a grade level team.
Prior research supports the general findings of increased burnout and lower feelings of
efficacy in relation to environmental changes through previous research linking the school
environment with teacher stress and attrition (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2011). With the teachers in
this study reporting increased workload, a theme in both RQ2 and RQ3, which resulted from the
changing environment due to COVID-19, prior research also supports workload as being a
significant predictor of teacher stress and burnout (Chaplain, 2008; Collie et al., 2012;
Greenglass & Burke, 2003; Klassen, 2010; Kokkinos, 2007; Kukavuz-Onal, 2012; Kyriacou,
2001; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016; Skaalvik & Skaalvik; 2007, 2011).
Intention to Return
The problem of practice, teacher attrition, was examined through the analysis of the
quantitative findings (RQ1) related to teachers’ positive and negative intention to return. Many
significant and expected positive and negative correlations were found in this study when
relating burnout to teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy beliefs.
Negative Intention to Return
In this study it was found that the minority of teachers indicating they would leave the
profession were more likely to be burned out and less likely to feel accomplishment or
efficacious in their abilities to manage their classrooms or engage their students. While these
findings were anticipated through the examination of prior research in Chapter 2, knowing that
teachers who do not wish to stay in the profession are feeling emotional exhaustion and a sense
of depersonalization combined with low feelings of self-efficacy is important to note because
these areas (self-efficacy) need support or teachers will continue to leave. Social cognitive theory
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supports these findings, with environmental influences, such as changes related to COVID-19,
affecting personal factors such as feelings of teacher self-efficacy, which influences behavioral
factors such as teachers’ intention to return. In other words, this study found environmental
influences related to distance learning were connected with increased feelings of burnout and
stress due to lower agency and efficacy beliefs, which were related to the behavioral factors of
negative intention to return.
Teacher burnout and low feelings of teacher self-efficacy are found by previous
researchers to increase attrition which exacerbates the teacher shortage outlined in Chapter One.
In prior research, increased teacher efficacy beliefs were found to have a negative relationship to
teacher stress and burnout (Klassen et al., 2012) and a positive relationship with teacher retention
(Caprara et al., 2003; Caprara et al., 2006; Klassen et al., 2009; Imants & Van Zoelen, 1995).
Burnout contributes to increasing rates of teacher turnover because teachers who experience
lower job satisfaction have a higher likelihood of both intending to and actually leaving the
teaching profession (Dagli, 2012; Klassen, 2010; McCarthy et al., 2010; Sass et al., 2011).
Positive Intention to Return
The majority of teachers surveyed indicated they were likely to remain in the profession
had high feelings of self-efficacy in classroom management and student engagement and were
not suffering from burnout. Teachers who indicated they would stay in the profession also did
not have negative feelings towards their colleagues’ competency as found in the significant
negative correlation between PIR and CTE low group competence. This study affirmed the
importance of supporting teachers' feelings of accomplishment, beliefs in their abilities to
manage their classrooms, and collective beliefs around group competency because these beliefs
are positively related to teachers remaining in the field as evidenced through the significant
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positive correlations between these factors outlined in Chapter Four. Additionally, social
cognitive theory supports this finding (Klassen et al., 2012). The relationship between certain
personal factors, such as feelings of personal accomplishment, and behaviors such as positive
intention to return, may be related to the mitigation of environmental influences of COVID-19
and related stressors.
When looking at potential and urgent teacher shortages across the United States as
discussed in Chapter One, understanding teachers’ beliefs and practices that are positively
correlated with keeping teachers in the field is critical. When looking for support opportunities to
help mediate teacher burnout, the relationships between feelings of burnout, efficacy, and
intention to stay in the profession are important to understand. In addition to the positive
correlations between intention to stay, self and collective efficacy, and the personal
accomplishment indicator of the MBI found in this study, prior research supports these findings.
For example, Demir’s (2018) found that the greater the teacher’s psychological capital, the less
stress, anxiety and burnout was experienced by the teacher, and teachers with enhanced capital
were less likely to experience stress as a negative emotion and less likely to face burnout.
Malinen and Savolainen’s (2016) study found that having a higher percentage of students with
behavior problems in class was associated with lower job satisfaction, and Collie et al. (2012)
also specifically linked student behavior and teacher stress and burnout. Skaalvik and Skaalvik
(2011) found teachers’ positive social relationships at their school sites resulted in a stronger
feeling of belonging and inclusiveness which increased job satisfaction and decreased educator
attrition. Understanding the relationships between teacher intention to return and self and
collective efficacy beliefs is important in order to decrease burnout and increase teacher
retention.
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Teacher Burnout: MBI Subscales
Teachers experiencing burnout, as evidenced through the indicators of emotional
exhaustion and depersonalization, did not have efficacious feelings towards their own
professional abilities, as indicated through the significant negative correlations with the teacher
self-efficacy subscales, nor their colleagues' abilities, as evidenced through the significant
negative correlations with the collective teacher efficacy subscales. Inversely, feelings of
personal accomplishment were significantly positively correlated with self and collective teacher
efficacy.
Teacher Burnout: Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization
Teachers experiencing burnout did not have efficacious beliefs about their abilities to
select impactful instructional strategies nor engage their students and had negative feelings about
their colleagues’ competence. While these findings relating to burnout and teacher self and
collective efficacy are expected when examining prior research and when looking at the frame
provided by social cognitive theory, they are concerning because teachers experiencing burnout
are more likely to leave the profession (Dagli, 2012; Klassen, 2010; McCarthy et al., 2010).
These significant negative correlations between burnout and efficacy are important
because they affirm previous research also found that low teacher-self efficacy and feelings of
low teacher collective efficacy are linked to higher rates of teacher burnout. In prior research,
low levels of teacher self-efficacy were used to predict teacher burnout and high teacher stress
(Bandura 1994; Klassen et al., 2009; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007,
Stephanou et al., 2013). Research has also linked teacher burnout to job dissatisfaction and
feelings of alienation from the work environment (Alavinia, 2012; Klassen et al., 2010; Kulavuz-
Onal et al., 2017).
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Personal Accomplishment
As expected, teachers with high feelings of personal accomplishment were more likely to
indicate they will stay in the profession and had high feelings of self-efficacy related to
management, student engagement, and instructional strategies, and also felt more confidence in
their colleagues' competence. The high feelings of personal accomplishment had significant
positive correlations with high feelings of self and collective efficacy. Inversely, teachers’ sense
of personal accomplishment had negative correlations with depersonalization and negative
intention to return. The significant correlations between personal accomplishment and efficacy,
intention to return, and burnout are important because they aid in understanding the relationships
between positive belief systems that help teachers feel a sense of accomplishment and efficacy in
their work, which result in teachers' positive intention to remain in the field. Social cognitive
theory also can explain these positive correlations. The relationship between personal factors,
such as feelings of high teacher self-efficacy and high personal accomplishment, behaviors such
as positive intention to return, and environmental factors, such as strong relationships with
colleagues as demonstrated through feelings of high teacher collective efficacy, may be related to
the mitigation of teacher burnout related to environmental influences of COVID-19 and related
stressors. In addition to the quantitative findings of significant correlations found in RQ1, these
relationships were also supported by themes in RQ2 related to positive coping strategies which
included collaboration with colleagues and feelings of support from fellow teachers and
administrators as being an identified mitigating effect to stress and burnout.
In relation to teachers’ feelings of personal accomplishment, burnout and efficacy, Demir
(2018) found that the greater the psychological capital, the less stress, anxiety and burnout was
experienced by the teacher. Teachers with enhanced capital were less likely to experience stress
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as a negative emotion and less likely to face burnout (Demir, 2018). In addition, and supporting
the relationship between intent to return and self and collective efficacy, researcher and social
cognitive theory founder Albert Bandura’s lens of looking at both a person’s beliefs about their
individual abilities to master complex tasks (self-efficacy), and the collective group that
surrounds the teacher’s beliefs about their abilities to achieve common goals (collective-efficacy)
provide a lens through which to evaluate teacher job satisfaction, stress, and can help predict
future attrition from the field of education (Caprara et al, 2003).
Self and Collective Teacher Efficacy
Results from this study provide insight into the strong relationship between teachers’
feelings of self and collective efficacy. The teachers in this study had unexpectedly high feelings
of both self and collective efficacy beliefs. This was unanticipated due to the fluctuating
environmental context due to the social distancing requirements necessitated by COVID-19.
When analyzing the findings related to teachers’ efficacy beliefs, there were many significant
correlations between the self and collective efficacy subcategories and the MBI burnout
indicators, as expected through analysis of past research and the framework of social cognitive
theory. Understanding teachers’ efficacious beliefs regarding their individual abilities to engage
their students as well as their collective beliefs in their colleagues' competencies can help
identify possible mitigators to teacher burnout and attrition.
Teacher Self-Efficacy: Student Engagement
Teachers who had high beliefs relating to their individual abilities to engage their
students also had high beliefs about their classroom management and instructional strategy
capabilities, were not burned out, had high feelings of personal accomplishment, and were also
returning to the profession. Teachers’ beliefs in their abilities to engage students had the most
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positive relationships with their feelings of confidence in their abilities in the other subcategories
of self and collective efficacy and personal accomplishment. The findings from RQ1 showed that
teachers’ self-efficacy related to their abilities to engage students was strongly positively
correlated with their self-efficacy feelings related to classroom management and instructional
strategies. Teachers’ self-efficacy feelings regarding student engagement were also strongly
positively correlated with CTE high group competence and positively correlated with high CTE
task analysis. Additionally, SE student engagement was the only subcategory of teacher self-
efficacy to positively correlate with both subscales of CTE. SE student engagement was also
positively correlated with personal accomplishment and negatively correlated with burnout
(emotional exhaustion and depersonalization) and negative intention to return.
When examining the significant positive and negative correlations related to self-efficacy
in light of social cognitive theory, teachers’ high feelings of self-efficacy (personal factors) were
predicted to relate to behavioral outcomes such as teachers’ intention to return and may help
mediate negative behaviors such as burnout and stress, so the findings are predictable. Prior
research also has found self-efficacy to be significantly related to teacher burnout and stress.
Caprara et al.’s seminal study (2003) found that teachers beliefs related to self-efficacy directly
impacted job satisfaction, and Klassen’s (2010) study linked teachers’ feelings of self-efficacy
directly to levels of job satisfaction. In multiple studies, increased teacher self-efficacy was
found to reduce teacher burnout (Fisherman, 2015; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016). Additionally,
in prior research it was found that when teachers demonstrated higher self-efficacy, they
displayed greater persistence, effort, and resilience when faced with challenges (Caprara et al,
2003; Kadi et al., 2015; Klassen et al., 2009; Perrachione et al., 2008; Savas et al., 2014;
Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007; Stephanou et. al, 2013).
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Collective Efficacy
Teachers’ who had high beliefs in their colleagues' competence also felt highly of their
own self-efficacy capabilities in all three subcategories, had high feelings of personal
accomplishment, and were not burned out. When examining this studies’ findings, teachers’
confidence in CTE group competence (inferences about the faculty's teaching skills, methods,
training, and expertise) had positive correlations with feelings of personal accomplishment
(MBI) and negative correlations with burnout (emotional exhaustion and depersonalization).
High feelings of CTE group competence also had positive correlations with all three
subcategories of teacher self-efficacy including student engagement, instructional strategies, and
classroom management. Social cognitive theory supports this theory with high feelings of
collective efficacy rooted in high feelings of teacher self-efficacy (Bandura; 1982). Personal
factors such as high teacher self-efficacy are related to the environmental factors of supportive
teacher teams as seen through high feelings of teacher collective efficacy which mitigate
behavioral factors such as negative intention to return. High teacher self-efficacy and collective
efficacy may be mitigating personal factors related to feelings of emotional exhaustion and
behavioral factors related to depersonalization.
These findings of significant correlations between high CTE group competence, personal
accomplishment, and high teacher self-efficacy are important because they reflect past research
that has also found a strong correlation between self and collective efficacy, as well as a possible
mitigation of teacher stress through high feelings of CTE. In prior research, job stress was
inversely related to job satisfaction and collective teacher efficacy was linked to increased job
satisfaction and professional motivation (Donohoo, 2018; Klassen et al, 2010). Additionally,
Klassen et al. (2009, 2010) found that CTE had a significant relationship with job satisfaction
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and mediated the effects of teacher stress. When looking for possible mitigation strategies for
teacher burnout, to avoid teacher attrition, understanding the significant relationship between
CTE and teacher stress is important to consider.
Implications for Practice
Three recommendations are presented within the framework of social cognitive theory.
One recommendation is made for the personal factor of social cognitive theory, one for the
environmental factor, and one recommendation is made for the behavioral factor. The first
recommendation relates to the personal factor of increasing capacity and teacher self-efficacy in
relation to classroom management and student engagement through providing district-wide,
optional training related to these skills. The second recommendation centers on the
environmental factor of social cognitive theory by recommending the provision of structured,
grade-level specific collaboration opportunities so that teachers can work together to brainstorm
ideas regarding instructional barriers and best practices. The third recommendation is related to
the behavioral factor of social cognitive theory with initial capacity building around teachers’
social emotional health and stress management through optional training opportunities, followed
by collaboration opportunities and support groups so that teachers may gain strategies when
coping with stressors, and attempting to mitigate the behavioral manifestations of fatigue, and
burnout.
Teacher stress and burnout may be alleviated through increasing self-efficacy, belonging,
and collective teacher efficacy through group participation in professional development (Emel,
2017). Stress and burnout may also be mitigated by providing teachers additional time for
collaboration (Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010), and implementing social emotional
programs for the adults in the building to enhance coping skills (Alavania & Ahmadzadeh,
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2012). Additionally, through providing workspaces that encourage collegial conversations and
collaboration (Onal & Tatar, 2017), teacher stress and burnout may be alleviated which will help
in the retention of teachers.
Recommendation 1
The first recommendation related to social cognitive theory’s personal factor is to
increase teachers’ self-efficacy in classroom management and student engagement through
professional development specific to teaching in online environments. While RQ1 indicated high
self-efficacy related to classroom management and student engagement, RQ2 and RQ3 indicated
the specific need for professional development in these areas in a distance learning format. This
recommendation calls for an increase in the number of opportunities for teachers to participate in
training related to student engagement and classroom management in a distance learning setting.
Training opportunities may be offered by grade level span (K-1, 2-3, 4-5) to differentiate
recommended strategies by grade level. Training related to classroom management and student
engagement could be offered through Zoom by the lead teachers of DSUSD, who are existing
district-level teachers in charge of providing in-house professional development to teachers
throughout the district.
Findings to Support Recommendation 1
The desire for training opportunities related to engagement and management emerged
from the survey data as a dominant theme when looking at teachers' requests for district level
support (RQ3). Twelve of the 50 respondents (24%) mentioned increased training opportunities
when describing their desired support from the district level. Additionally, training opportunities
related to distance learning was the largest theme that emerged from the data when looking at
types of training teachers identified would help mitigate work-related stress. This expressed
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desire for training opportunities was combined with the quantitative data (RQ1) of significant
correlations related to self-efficacy feelings regarding classroom management and student
engagement with positive intention to return, feelings of personal accomplishment and negative
correlations between these self-efficacy factors and burnout when making this recommendation.
In RQ1 significant correlations related to teachers’ affirmative intention to return were positively
correlated with feelings of personal accomplishment, high teacher self-efficacy beliefs in
classroom management and student engagement, and negatively correlated with emotional
exhaustion and CTE low group competence. Inversely, teachers’ negative intention to return was
positively correlated with emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and negatively correlated
with feelings of personal accomplishment and self-efficacy beliefs related to classroom
management and student engagement. Additionally, teachers’ feelings of personal
accomplishment had positive correlations with positive intention to return, self-efficacy beliefs
around classroom management, student engagement, and instructional strategies and a positive
correlation with CTE high group competence.
Prior Research to Support Recommendation 1
Prior research supports the recommendation for training opportunities aimed at increasing
self-efficacy beliefs in order to mitigate burnout and increase the likelihood of teachers
remaining in the profession. Related to attending professional development in general, prior
research supports the increase of teachers’ sense of belonging and collaboration through group
attendance at professional development (Arslan, 2017). Prior research also found that low levels
of teacher self-efficacy in areas of student discipline, classroom management, and capacity to
teach all students produced increased levels of teacher stress and burnout. (Caprara, et al., 2003;
Collie et al., 2012; Klassen, 2010; Kyriacou, 2001; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016; O’Brennan et
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al., 2017; Savas et al., 2014; Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2007). Additionally, research suggests low
teacher self-efficacy increases difficulties with student behavior, producing more pessimistic
attitudes about student capacity. These pessimistic attitudes result in lower job satisfaction
(Demir, 2018). Inversely, increased teacher self-efficacy reduces teacher burnout (Fisherman,
2015; Malinen & Savolainen, 2016). Attempting to increase teacher capacity in classroom
management and student engagement will help increase teacher efficacy in these areas which
may be a mitigator to stress and burnout.
Conceptual Framework to Support Recommendation 1
Social cognitive theory supports increasing personal factors, such as self-efficacy to also
increase behavioral and environmental factors. Teacher stress and burnout is best examined
through social cognitive theory in relation to teachers’ perceived agency of effective teaching,
which is addressed in the recommendation to provide training, which impacts job satisfaction
and stress (Klassen, 2010). Training related to student engagement and classroom management
helps support teachers’ capacity to engage in mastery experiences which, in turn, may help
mitigate environmental and behavioral stressors.
Recommendation 2
The second recommendation is related to the environmental factor of social cognitive
theory. The second recommendation is to increase the number of opportunities for teachers to
share and collaborate across the district in order to collaborate around best practices and
collectively brainstorm solutions to environmental barriers. The platform for district-wide
collaboration opportunities could include bi-weekly, one hour grade level specific Zoom
meetings with topics for teachers to share best practices and brainstorm solutions to common
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problems and barriers. Structured collaboration could be hosted by DSUSD lead teachers, who
run district wide professional development.
Findings to Support Recommendation 2
Study findings, related to professional coping strategies (RQ2), indicated that relying on
professional collaboration was a coping strategy employed by teachers to mitigate stress. Fifteen
of the forty-nine respondents (31%) mentioned communicating with their colleagues as a
strategy they were using to help cope with work-related stress. In addition, eight of the 50 (16%)
respondents of RQ3 indicated that additional collaboration, preparation and planning time would
help minimize their professional stress. These findings were supported by the quantitative data
collected for RQ1, where CTE group competence (inferences about the faculty's teaching skills,
methods, training, and expertise) had positive correlations with feelings of personal
accomplishment (MBI), SE student engagement, instructional strategies, and classroom
management and negative correlations with emotional exhaustion (MBI) and depersonalization
(MBI). This is important because past research has found not only a strong correlation between
self and collective efficacy, but also the mitigation of teacher stress through high feelings of SE
and CTE.
Prior Research to Support Recommendation 2
Prior research supports a recommendation to increase the professional collaboration
opportunities as a means to mitigate teacher stress and increase teachers’ intention to remain in
the profession. Past researchers found that a strategy to increase value consonance is planned
collegial discussions of values and goals of education (Skaalvik & Skaalvik, 2015). When
teachers engage in collegial discussions, it may increase feelings of value consonance and lower
feelings of stress and burnout by increasing teachers’ sense of belonging (Skaalvik & Skaalvik,
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2015). Additionally, peer support and cooperation have been found to reduce stress by providing
emotional support when teachers’ face the challenges presented in their work lives (Inandi &
Buyukozkan, 2013; Lorenzo et al., 2015, Onal & Tatar, 2017). Also, it has been found that
providing shared workspaces where collaboration and interaction is facilitated by the
environment and providing teachers the opportunities to interact professionally and socially are
all linked with reduced professional stress (Onal & Tatar, 2017). Additionally, in support of
increasing collaboration opportunities, the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation (2010) noted
teachers would rather have more time to collaborate than a boost in pay.
Conceptual Framework to Support Recommendation 2
Social cognitive theory supports addressing environmental factors, such as collaboration
opportunities which is the recommendation, may also increase personal factors, such as teacher
self-efficacy, and behavioral factors such as intention to return and collaboration with colleagues.
High feelings of collective teacher efficacy, facilitated by professional collaboration, may help
mitigate behavioral factors such as negative intention to return and personal/cognitive factors
such as feelings of low teacher self-efficacy. High teacher self-efficacy and collective efficacy
may be mitigating factors related to feelings of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization.
Klassen (2010) found that CTE mediated the effect of teacher stress by providing resources to
help teachers manage student behavior, which is a primary contributor to teacher stress and
burnout. Additionally, it was found that schools that have high levels of CTE have teachers who
report high levels of job satisfaction and lower levels of teacher stress and burnout, and school
environments that foster CTE have a positive effect on job satisfaction among teachers (Caprara
et al., 2003; Caprara et al., 2006; Kunmari et al., 2018; Viel-Ruma et al., 2010).
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Recommendation 3
The third recommendation, connected to social cognitive theory’s behavioral factor,
includes increasing the opportunities for teachers to get information and strategies to help cope
with stress and social emotional health. Topics would include the benefits of exercise, boundary
setting and time management, and mindfulness/meditation which are based on the themes found
in RQ2 which identified the successful coping strategies teachers were employing in order to
mitigate their professional stress. The training platform could consist of bi-weekly Zoom training
sessions with specific topics such as meditation, yoga, stress management, and burnout
identification and coping strategies. DSUSD lead teachers would facilitate the training
opportunities in consultation with the Social-Emotional director, all personnel already employed
by DSUSD. District-wide collaboration opportunities and support groups, offered weekly
through Zoom, could also be offered as a follow-up.
Findings to Support Recommendation 3
Supporting training and collaboration around adult social-emotional health included
themes from RQ2. These themes indicated that time constraints were a factor in teachers’
inability to identify any strategies that were helping them manage their professional stress.
Responses from RQ2 indicated that increased work expectations and a constantly changing job
environment left teachers feeling like there were no strategies that would be sufficient to mitigate
the stress caused by their jobs. Feelings of general stress and anxiety were identified by survey
respondents as being the reasons why they were not managing professional stress. Additionally,
findings from RQ3 indicated teachers specifically asked for training opportunities related to
stress management and/or mindfulness and meditation. The quantitative findings from RQ1
showed the positive correlations of teachers not intending to remain in the profession and high
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levels of emotional exhaustion, which further supports the recommendation of increasing skills
and resources related to the teachers’ social emotional health and stress management coping
strategies.
Prior Research to Support Recommendation 3
In addition to the findings of the study supporting Recommendation 3, research supports
implementing social emotional programs for the adults in the building. Social emotional
programs help teachers monitor their stress levels which may help to reduce teacher burnout
(Alavania & Ahmadzadeh, 2012). Additionally, adults benefit from collegial conversations and
collaboration (Onal & Tatar, 2017; Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation, 2010) and the increased
sense of belonging that comes from group participation in professional development (Emel,
2017). Group participation in professional development, and collaboration in follow-up sessions,
related to social emotional programs for the adults in the building has been found by research to
enhance coping skills. Building the capacity of the teachers to manage their own stress is a way
to mitigate burnout and increase teacher retention.
Conceptual Framework to Support Recommendation 3
Social cognitive theory supports the relationship between environmental, behavior and
personal factors. By addressing the behavioral factors for the teachers through the introduction of
coping strategies and social emotional health professional development, it will also increase the
other two factors. The environmental factors of providing social support through shared training
and collaboration opportunities around stress management would increase teachers’ personal
feelings of self-efficacy related to stress management which would mitigate their behavioral
manifestations of burnout and negative intention to return.
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Limitations and Delimitations
The researcher chose to attempt to survey all 500 teachers in the Delta Shores Unified
School District in order to avoid choosing or silencing critical voices. A limitation was that only
eight of the twenty site principals chose to participate in the survey and distribute it to their
teachers. This may be due to the ongoing Covid-19 stressors in the survey year, including hybrid
instruction and the consistent collapsing of student and teacher cohorts due to Coronavirus
exposure. The increased demands on the principals to logistically coordinate in-person, distance
learning, and hybrid instruction in the middle of a pandemic may have contributed to less than
half of the principals choosing to spend time in their weekly staff meetings launching a survey.
Another limitation was that not all teachers who had access to the survey chose to participate.
Again, increased demands due to the social distancing requirements of Covid-19 and the
psychological demands of teaching in a pandemic may have contributed to more than half of the
teachers electing not to take an optional survey. Because participation was optional, the
researcher also received unbalanced participation between the two cities. Two of the ten schools
in Delta launched the survey and six of the ten schools in Shores launched the survey. The
researcher’s past employment as a principal in the city of Shores may have also given some
undue influence which may be seen in the higher percentage of schools in Shores choosing to
launch the survey. The one school that elected for the researcher to launch the survey in a staff
meeting was also the school where she had been the principal and that may have either
encouraged or discouraged certain teachers from participating based on their perceptions of her
as a person and as a former administrator. Other limitations included teachers possibly
responding to the survey based on how they would like to feel, or alternatively selecting an
answer they felt was ‘correct’ instead of answering truthfully about how they really felt.
86

In addition to the limitations due to Covid-19, the conceptual framework of social
cognitive theory was selected because of Albert Bandura’s contributions to the understanding of
self and collective efficacy. Albert Bandura’s lens of looking at both a person’s beliefs about
their individual abilities to master complex tasks (self-efficacy), and the collective group that
surrounds the teacher’s beliefs about their abilities to achieve common goals (collective efficacy)
provided a lens through which to evaluate teacher job satisfaction, stress, and may be used to
predict future attrition from the field of education (Caprara et al, 2003). A possible limitation of
this chosen framework is that it does not include large systems analysis that may contribute to
the understanding of the root causes of burnout.
The adoption of pre-existing surveys was selected because they had been vetted for
validity and reliability to look at burnout, teacher self-efficacy and teacher collective efficacy.
Open ended questions were selected in order to analyze current levels of burnout and efficacy
given the Covid-19 current environment. A limitation of using existing surveys is that the
researcher was unable to get deeper into the teachers’ feelings that may have been possible
through interviews.
Delimitations may have included questions that were poorly worded or confusing, a
survey instrument that may have felt too long to some teachers so they did not fill it out
completely, and the limited number of fill-in-the-blank responses which may have not
adequately addressed the responses being sought.
Future Research
Recommendations for future research would be a replication of the same study including
secondary teachers with the inclusion of junior high and high school teachers. Further benefit
could also be attained by expanding the audience of the survey to include looking at
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administrator burnout, self and collective efficacy and intention to return, in addition to the
teachers. Further research should also analyze the impact of distance learning and COVID-19 in
relation to teacher stress, burnout and attrition. More exploration related to intention to return
and teacher collective efficacy are also warranted since the findings in this study indicated one
area of significance related to collective teacher efficacy (teacher competence) but did not find
the other areas that had been found by past researchers.
Conclusion
With the unprecedented changes to the educational environment due to COVID-19,
understanding the relationship between burnout, efficacy beliefs and intention to return has never
been more urgent. With teachers nationwide leaving the field of education at unprecedented
rates, identifying the relationships between teachers’ self and collective beliefs and intention to
return, identifying teacher’s successful coping strategies, and implementing teachers’ desired site
and administrative support has taken on a new priority. Looking for systemic support
opportunities to mediate the effects of teacher stress and burnout is critical, urgent, and needed in
this time of historically unprecedented educational dysregulation. Addressing burnout through
increasing efficacy is imperative to staunch the flow of teachers leaving the field and
exacerbating an already present, and now more critical, teacher shortage.

88

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Appendix A: Survey
Figure A1
Burnout

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Figure A2
Teacher Self-Efficacy Short Form

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Figure A3
Collective Efficacy Short Form

Likert Scale Questions: Intent to Stay Questionnaire (ISQ)
Wang, L., Tao, H., Ellenbecker, C., & Liu, X. (2012).
SCALE: l=Strongly Disagree (SD) 2=Disagree (D) 3=Agree (A) 4=Strongly Agree (SA)
1. I intend to remain in the teaching profession as my long-term professional career.
2. I would leave teaching tomorrow if I were offered a job for the same salary but with less
stress.
Open-Ended Questions
49. How are you managing your work-related stress?
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50. What are some professional supports that you feel could help you manage your work-
related stress in the upcoming school year?
Scale Questions
51. Ranking your feelings on a scale of 10, how much more or less burnt out do you feel
going into this upcoming school year versus last year? (0= same, negative number = less
burnt out, positive number = more burnt out)
52. Ranking your feelings on a scale of 10, given the current environment influenced by
Covid-19, do you feel more confident about your ability to teach your students or less
confident when compared to your feelings last year? (0= same, negative number = less
confident, positive number = more confident)

Abstract (if available)

Abstract This study used social cognitive theory to examine teacher self and collective efficacy in relation to teacher stress and burnout. The purpose of the study was to examine teachers’ feelings of stress and burnout, their intent to remain in the profession, and their feelings of collective teacher efficacy (CTE) to determine the relationships and correlations between those three constructs. This study built upon the correlations between teacher stress, burnout, and CTE found in previous research. The research questions were 1. What is the relationship between teacher collective self-efficacy and teacher stress and intention to return? 2. How do teachers manage their stress? and 3. What supports do teachers feel would help them better manage their stress? Identifying possible sources of teacher stress and burnout was important to address because understanding why teachers succumb to burn-out helps schools intentionally create supportive environments which, in turn, helps retain educators in the K-12 educational system. Significant correlations were found between intention to return, burnout, teacher self-efficacy and collective teacher efficacy. Positive intention to return correlated with high teacher self-efficacy in classroom management, student engagement, and instructional practices as well as teacher collective efficacy beliefs involving peer competence. Negative intention to return positively correlated with teacher burnout and negatively correlated with teacher self and collective efficacy beliefs. More teachers indicated positive intention to return with high degrees of self and collective efficacy overall.

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Asset Metadata

Creator Rice, Alison McKeeman (author)

Core Title Better together: teacher attrition, burnout, and efficacy

School Rossier School of Education

Degree Doctor of Education

Degree Program Organizational Change and Leadership (On Line)

Publication Date 04/14/2021

Defense Date 03/24/2021

Publisher University of Southern California (original), University of Southern California. Libraries (digital)

Tag collective teacher efficacy,COVID-19,OAI-PMH Harvest,teacher attrition,teacher burnout,teacher self-efficacy

Language English

Contributor Electronically uploaded by the author (provenance)

Advisor Hirabayashi, Kimberly (committee chair), Muraszewski, Alison (committee member), Seli, Helena (committee member)

Creator Email alisonmr@usc.edu,amckeema@hotmail.com

Permanent Link (DOI) https://doi.org/10.25549/usctheses-c89-443000

Unique identifier UC11667414

Identifier etd-RiceAlison-9456.pdf (filename),usctheses-c89-443000 (legacy record id)

Legacy Identifier etd-RiceAlison-9456.pdf

Dmrecord 443000

Document Type Dissertation

Rights Rice, Alison McKeeman

Type texts

Source University of Southern California (contributing entity), University of Southern California Dissertations and Theses (collection)

Access Conditions The author retains rights to his/her dissertation, thesis or other graduate work according to U.S. copyright law. Electronic access is being provided by the USC Libraries in agreement with the a...

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