Eduardo Melguizo Ibáñez, assistant professor in the Department of Specific Didactics at the University of La Laguna, has recently published an article in the Interuniversity Journal of Teacher Training-RIFOP where he analyzes the increase in the levels of burnout among primary school teachers. The study highlights the direct impact of this phenomenon on teachers' mental health and their teaching self-efficacy. Rafael Caracuel Cáliz, from the International Universities of La Rioja and Valencia, as well as Gabriel González Valero and Pilar Puertas Molero, from the University of Granada, also participated in this research.
The syndrome of burnout, Melguizo explains that burnout is a state of mental, physical, and emotional exhaustion caused by prolonged exposure to work-related stress. This syndrome manifests as emotional exhaustion, detached attitudes, feelings of ineffectiveness at work, insomnia, anxiety, and depression, all of which negatively impact the classroom. A teacher exhibiting a high level of this condition can directly affect the teaching and learning process.
One of the key concepts in this research is teacher self-efficacy, understood as teachers' belief in their ability to plan, organize, and develop activities that allow them to achieve their educational objectives. “This variable is fundamental because it influences motivation, improves teacher performance, and helps prevent [the following]. burnout”Melguizo points out. In fact, when perceived self-efficacy is high, burnout levels tend to be low.”.
The applicability of this study is related to the design of practical support within the teaching profession to help primary school teachers cope with the high levels of burnout and emotional exhaustion they experience. “The implementation of programs aimed at strengthening self-efficacy should be carried out with the support of the teachers themselves, promoting mentorship and fostering feedback processes and emotional self-evaluation,” she explains. “These programs allow teachers to strengthen their self-efficacy and, consequently, reduce the levels of burnout and emotional exhaustion associated with teaching practice,” she states.
The study identifies several factors that increase burnout among primary school teachers, which are grouped into three main categories: personal factors, such as low self-efficacy, poor resilience, and high personal expectations; work-related factors, such as work overload, lack of institutional support, and lack of recognition; and contextual factors, such as social pressure, constant changes in educational policies, and precarious working conditions.
To carry out this research, a literature review methodology was used. Searches were conducted in academic databases such as Web of Science, Scopus, ERIC, and PsycInfo to focus on selected articles that met criteria such as being published in English or Spanish, having undergone peer review, and including analyses of burnout and self-efficacy, be based on cross-sectional or longitudinal designs, present significant results, and use validated instruments for the evaluation of variables.
This research represents an advance in the care of the mental health of primary school teachers, and shows that adequate attention to emotional well-being promotes professional work, which has a positive impact on the quality of teaching.
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