This research aims to identify the level of burnout among the teachers of students with learning disabilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, and its relationship to gender, qualification, years of experience, and age group variables. The sample consisted of 296 teachers, and the study adopted the descriptive analytical approach and utilized the Maslach Burnout Inventory after verifying its psychometric characteristics. The results showed a high level of burnout among the teachers of students with learning disabilities; their mean scores were high for emotional exhaustion, moderate for depersonalization, and low for lack of personal accomplishment. Moreover, female teachers were exposed to emotional exhaustion more often than male teachers, and burnout did not differ according to academic qualification or age. Furthermore, teachers with experience of five years or fewer showed more emotional exhaustion. Based on the results, it’s recommended that ongoing psychological support and appropriate reinforcement should be provided to teachers of students with learning disabilities to motivate them to achieve more and improve their mental health.
Keywords: Burnout, Teachers, Students with learning, disabilities, Riyadh.
Received: 4 June 2021 / Revised: 6 July 2021 / Accepted:9 August 2021/ Published: 27 August 2021
This research contributes to the existing literature by providing theoretical information and discussing the critical issue regarding the mental health of the teachers of students with learning disabilities. It is one of very few studies which have investigated the level of burnout among these teachers in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia.
Teaching is an important job in our society and may be an even more stressful occupation than some medical professions in comparison (Kong, 2005). Teachers are more susceptible to burnout compared to people working in other fields of education (Park & Shin, 2020). The level of burnout experienced by special educators affects their retention, encourages them to serve in general education, or results in being exhausted enough to quit (Emery & Vandenberg, 2010; Gehrke & McCoy, 2007).
Burnout is a syndrome of physical, emotional and cognitive exhaustion that develops from sustained exposure to situations that are emotionally demanding and stressful, especially in professions in which the expectations of workers are high, such as medicine, law enforcement, and education (Richard, Marion, & Marich, 2006). Our mental health affects our physical health and our well-being. People suffering from mental health problems, such as anxiety, depression, and eating or sleeping disorders, may find it very difficult to maintain focus or feel motivated to complete the necessary tasks at home or work. They could even find difficulty in communicating with their relatives and colleagues.
Poor mental health is not only a personal concern for teachers, but it also negatively affects the achievement levels of their students and hinders schools’ ability to achieve their desired outcomes (Shen et al., 2015). Since teachers significantly influence children, youth, and the community, it is essential to support them to prevent the occurrence of psychological issues. In the field of special education, multiple factors directly cause psychological stress and tension (Vittek, 2015). Stress causes emotional exhaustion, i.e., burnout, which has grabbed the attention of researchers in the field of education (Al-Zahrani, 2008).
Burnout is a remarkable phenomenon in the field of education at both global and local levels. Teachers of students with learning disabilities suffer from a high degree of burnout due to the stress associated with the nature of their work (Kong, 2005). They may experience intense frustration in their efforts to develop rapid achievement and progress among these students who are low achievers.
In addition, they feel overloaded due to the recent trends and demands of comprehensive education, which they cannot achieve in light of their poor financial and moral support, low salaries, and the numerous cases that they have to deal with. Thus, a conflict arises between the motive to achieve their goals and the power that prevents it.
Good mental health helps special education teachers to create promising outcomes in the long and short terms; therefore, it is necessary to prioritize this as well as identify and solve teachers’ problems. Teachers frequently experience burnout, which negatively affects their performance and impedes their achievements at work. This study aims to identify the level of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. It seeks to address the issue by raising the following questions:
The practical significance of the current research stems from the importance of the mental health of the teachers of students with learning disabilities because they directly affect the frequency of the educational goals achieved. Furthermore, the research provides teachers with theoretical information and practical recommendations regarding their level of burnout and the most common manifestations of stress in Saudi schools, and accordingly, teachers, officials, and decisions makers will properly understand the level of burnout in Saudi schools.
Moreover, the research directs officials’ attention to teachers’ problems caused by burnout. In addition, it presents a theoretical framework that addresses the level of burnout and the variables that can maximize or minimize it. Based on the results, programs can be developed to support teachers who are experiencing burnout.
Human limits: Teachers of students with learning disabilities in public schools.
Geographical limits: Teachers of students with learning disabilities in Riyadh, Saud Arabia.
Temporal limits: The first semester of the 2020/2021 academic year.
Objective limits: This study identifies the level of burnout in three areas: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal accomplishment.
Maslach (1982) defines burnout as a syndrome of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal or professional accomplishment. According to Seidman & Zager (1987), teacher burnout is a negative manifestation of responses to stress associated with teaching processes and lack of management support. Dedrick & Raschke (1990) defined teacher burnout as the display of cold emotions and emotional blunting when dealing with students, a feeling of frequent physical and emotional decline, as well as weakness in the ability to combat the effects of frustrations and depressants.
Generally speaking, burnout is a negative internal psychological problem that teachers experience for long periods. It also causes severe stress that worsens over time. Scholars argue that teachers suffer from burnout and dissatisfaction because there is an imbalance between the appreciation they receive and the effort they put into their work (Al Battal, 2000). Jing (2008) reports that burnout occurs when work demands increase, expectations rise, and the criteria of their appraisal become difficult to achieve.
Freudenberger (1982) proposed that people who have a human-based profession may suffer from burnout if they struggle to achieve the idealistic and irrational goals inconsistent with the potentials of workplace. These people may adopt the goals imposed by their community and thus develop a feeling of unwillingness to work, along with anger and frustration.
Lazarus & Folkman (1984) state that burnout is the result of inner psychological readiness. When the interaction occurs between the environment and the characteristics of the individuals, especially the competence of using defense mechanisms, the individuals’ characteristics may control how they evaluate situations in the workplace in order to manage their emotions and avoid the frustration that creates stress.
Al-Rashidi (1999) asserts that Spielberger’s Trait-State Anxiety Theory helps us to understand burnout among teachers. In this theory, two different anxiety constructs are defined – state anxiety and trait anxiety. Trait anxiety (neurosis or chronic anxiety) is a disposition or a behavioral attitude that causes anxiety based mainly on experiences. State anxiety, on the other hand, is objective or situational, and is related to stressors but does not usually cause stress.
(Al Battal, 2000) states that the two reasons why burnout accelerates among teachers are: (i) the job requirements may conflict with a teacher’s characteristics, meaning that they are unable to meet the demands of the job, they don’t fully understand the responsibilities associated with their job, there is ambiguity in their roles at work, there are excessive demands that they are unable to meet, as well as lack of support and meaningful rewards; and (ii) personal characteristics, e.g., idealistic and adventurous teachers who have ambition, initiative, and the desire to change the educational system, which may cause them to be more susceptible to burnout.
Scholars agree that these feelings occur through successive stages that develop over time (Dedrick & Raschke, 1990; Edelwich & Brodsky, 1980), while Willings & Lynn (1992) contend that the burnout curve is very steep where one can descend from high levels of enthusiasm to feelings of physical and mental collapse. Rice (1999) proposes that burnout develops gradually through three main stages: it starts with the emergence of fatigue at work, then develops into the stage comprising of tension and distress, and eventually reaches the stage of satisfying special needs, not adhering to work responsibilities and striving to release work stress and adopt a new self-assessment.
Maslach & Jackson (1986) claim that burnout develops in three main stages. The first is emotional exhaustion: Losing the feelings of vitality and enthusiasm that the person previously enjoyed as well as a change from the positive and optimistic attitudes towards his/her profession toward a more negative outlook. Thus, he/she feels unwilling to complete work or perform perfectly. The second is depersonalization: This is the teacher ’s negative feelings and attitude toward work that affect them after emotional exhaustion, so they develop a negative attitude towards others as well, either students or teachers, treating them harshly and strictly or neglecting them altogether. The third is lack of personal achievement: This is the inability to accomplish tasks and the teacher's tendency to negatively measure their capabilities and competencies. This leaves them feeling unable to carry out the required tasks and duties as well as feeling dissatisfied with the work they have accomplished.
According to Dedrick & Raschke (1990), burnout occurs suddenly and involves the following stages:
First stage: The person has a good personality and holds unrealistic and idealistic expectations as well as a high level of job satisfaction.
Second stage: This stage grows slowly in line with the routine of practical reality, so one ’s personality copes with routine, the level of job satisfaction gradually decreases, enthusiasm for their profession declines, the level of performance at work decreases, and they develop feelings of doubt toward their profession and goals.
Third stage: Feelings of rebellion, frustration, and disgust appear. The teacher feels completely helpless to change the reality of their students and experiences a state of severe stress, poor physical and psychological health, and uncertainty of professional values.
Fourth stage: Burnout reaches its maximum where the person has no desire for achievement or change, social isolation and withdrawal increase, and constant feelings of weakness, helplessness and frustration arise.
Burnout symptoms include physical illnesses and neuro-emotional symptoms that encompass compelling negative emotions as well as behavioral symptoms that comprise the actions that an individual exhibits during exposure to burnout (Al Battal, 2000). The individual may exhibit physical symptoms, such as a decrease in physical activity, a feeling of constant fatigue, sleep disturbance, and chronic headaches.
In terms of neuro-emotional symptoms, feelings of depression, frustration, guilt, and remorse increase; the person adopts a negative perspective of himself; and his sense of value towards achieving his goals is reduced. Moreover, violence, cruelty, cold emotions, lack of friendliness towards students, psychological alienation, despair, as well as a change of values and religious beliefs arise. In addition, some people may resort to alcohol addiction, drug abuse, and even suicide. Burnout is a negative response to long-term work stress, i.e., there is a correlation between work-related stress and burnout (Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996).
Burnout negatively affects the person, his students, colleagues, and family members. Al Battal (2000) reports that burnout involves organic disorders that cause negative chemical changes in the brain. This chemical imbalance may trigger severe psychological effects, such as stress and depression. Hence, when ones’ energy and activity levels worsen, their flexibility is reduced, cruelty increases, they become intolerant, their professional and family relations weaken, and they may become incapable of coexisting with others both at home and at work.
Al-Shammari (2015) states that burnout is a state of inability that the teacher experiences when dealing with pupils. It escalates educational, motivational, and emotional effects. More precisely, it affects the educational aspects, as the learners consider their accomplishments to be in vain. Its effect on motivation is represented in one ’s reluctance to initiate and make an effort. Its impact on emotions is represented in one ’s inability to control his issues, so he shows negative emotional responses instead.
Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005) explored the level of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities in the resource room. Their sample consisted of 166 Jordanian teachers and their study adopted Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. The results revealed that the teachers’ scores were moderate on the scales for emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and high on the scale for lack of personal accomplishment. Moreover, the level of burnout among female teachers was higher than that of male teachers.
Al-Dhafiri & Al-Qaryouti (2010) addressed the levels of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities in the Sultanate of Oman. The study also examined the impacts of specialization, academic qualification, marital status of female teachers, teaching experience, and training courses for female teachers, as well as the economic levels of students on the level of burnout. The sample involved 200 teachers and the study adopted Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. The results showed a low level of burnout among the participants. In addition, there were statistically significant differences in the levels of burnout in favor of scientific specializations and holders of bachelor’s degrees, whereas there were no statistically significant differences due to the marital status of the female teachers, teaching experience, or training courses. Furthermore, the level of burnout among teachers rose whenever the students’ economic levels diminished.
Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012) examined the level of burnout among special education teachers in comparison to general education teachers in Al-Bahah Province, Saudi Arabia. The sample involved (81) teachers: (29) special education teachers and (52) general education teachers. The study adopted the Arabized form of Maslach and Jackson’s Burnout Inventory. The results showed a moderate level of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization and burnout, while the level of personal accomplishment was high among special education teachers. On the other hand, the level of emotional exhaustion was moderate among the female teachers of other specializations, the feelings of personal accomplishment were high, and the level of depersonalization and burnout was low.
Tashtoush, Jarwan, Muhaidat, & Bani Atta (2013) investigated burnout and job satisfaction among teachers of students with learning disabilities in Jordan. The study also covered the impacts of the variables of gender, qualification, and years of experience on the level of burnout. The sample consisted of 121 teachers. The study adopted Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. The results demonstrated that the participants showed a moderate level of burnout and job satisfaction, while the teachers with a master’s degree showed a higher level of burnout and lower level of job satisfaction when compared to those with a bachelor’s degree.
Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014) addressed the levels of burnout among special education teachers of students with intellectual, hearing and visual impairments and their relationships to the variables of specialization, academic qualification and experience. The sample consisted of 144 teachers (46 for the people with an intellectual disability, 54 for the people with a hearing impairment, and 44 for the people with a visual impairment), and the study adopted the Maslach and Jackson’s Burnout Inventory. The results showed a high level of burnout for depersonalization and personal accomplishment, while the level of emotional exhaustion was moderate. Moreover, specialization affected depersonalization and personal accomplishment. Furthermore, the teachers with a bachelor’s degree showed statistically significant differences for emotional exhaustion. Finally, less experienced teachers showed higher levels of burnout for both depersonalization and emotional exhaustion.
Al-Araydah (2016) explored the level of burnout among special education teachers in public schools in Rass Governorate, Al Qassim, Saudi Arabia, as well as the impacts of teachers’ experience, specialization, the educational stage they teach, and the number of students in the classroom on the level of burnout. The sample comprised 32 teachers, and the questionnaire containing 22 items was designed to measure burnout. The results indicated that the level of burnout was moderate. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences for the variables of teaching experience, specialization, stage, or number of students in the classroom.
Bourezk (2018) investigated the level of job burnout among special education teachers in Laghouat and Djelfa, Algeria. The study identified the effects that differences in gender and years of experience have on the level of burnout. The sample involved 40 teachers – 19 males and 21 females – and Maslach’s Burnout Inventory was used to measure the level of burnout. The results revealed a moderate level among the participants. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences for the variables of gender and years of experience.
Al-Shammari (2018) examined the level of burnout among the teachers of students with learning disabilities in Kuwait. This study also measured the effects of gender and experience on the level of burnout by adopting Maslach’s Burnout Inventory. The results demonstrated that teachers’ scores were moderate on the domains of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment, and low on the domain of depersonalization. Moreover, there were no statistically significant differences for the variables of gender and experience.
Essa & Al-Falih (2018) investigated self-efficacy and its relationship to the level of burnout among female primary stage teachers of students with learning disabilities from their perspective in Al-Jouf, the Northern Borders, Hail and Tabuk. The study also examined the impacts of the variables of gender and years of experience. The study adopted a self-efficacy questionnaire and the burnout inventory. The sample consisted of 73 males and 27 females. The results indicated a high level of self-efficacy and a moderate level of burnout among the teachers.
Accordingly, the results in previous literature showed fluctuations in the levels of burnout among teachers; it was high according to Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014) and Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005), but it was moderate according to Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012) and Al-Araydah (2016). This particular study was carried out because few studies have addressed burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities in Saudi Arabia.
7.1. Method
This research adopted a descriptive analytical approach that seeks to obtain conclusions that help us to understand the reality of educational phenomena and their development (Obaidat, 2003). By collecting and surveying the data related to burnout using the designed questionnaire, the data can be analyzed accurately.
The population comprised 1200 teachers (543 males and 657 females) of students with disabilities who are enrolled in programs in Saudi public schools for the 2020/2021 academic year. A sample of 400 teachers was randomly selected. The questionnaire was distributed to all participants and 296 responded to the inventory they received electronically. Table 1 illustrates the characteristics of teachers responding to the study.
Table-1. Distribution of the frequency and percentage of the participants according to the study variables.
Category |
Frequency |
Percentage |
|
| Gender | Male |
134 |
45.3 |
Female |
162 |
54.7 |
|
| Age | 20–30 |
31 |
10.5 |
31–40 |
37 |
12.5 |
|
40+ |
228 |
77.0 |
|
| Qualification | Bachelor’s |
158 |
53.4 |
Master’s |
138 |
46.6 |
|
| Experience years | Less than 5 |
236 |
79.7 |
5+ |
60 |
20.3 |
|
Total |
296 |
100.0 |
Table 1 shows the differences between the participants in terms of the above-mentioned variables. The number of respondents according to gender is close. Meanwhile, the distribution of the participants shows that most respondents (77%) aged more than 40 years according to age variable. The number of holders of bachelor's and master’s degrees according to qualification variable is close. Most respondents (79.7 %) are who have less than five years’ experience according to experience years’ variable.
To achieve the research objectives, Maslach’s Burnout Inventory was used, which is highly reliable and valid. It comprises 22 items pertaining to teachers’ job-related burnout. The scores for items 1, 2, 3, 5, 6, 8, 10, 11, 13, 14, 15, 16, 20, and 22 indicate a high level of burnout, whereas the scores for items 4, 7, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, and 21 indicate a low level of burnout.
The inventory comprises the three following domains:
1. Emotional Exhaustion: This measures the level of stress and emotional exhaustion that a person has due to working with a specific group or in a specific field via the following nine items: 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, and 20. Assessment of the burnout scores is as follows: high (27 and over), moderate (17–26), and low (16 or below).
2. Depersonalization: This measures the level of disinterest or indifference as a result of working with a particular group or working in a specific field, and measures the following five items: 5, 10, 11, 15, and 22. Assessment of the burnout scores is as follows: high (14 and over), moderate (9–13), and low (8 or below).
3. Lack of personal accomplishment: This measures how one evaluates their personal sense of competence at work. It measures the following eight items: 4, 7, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, and 21. Assessment of the burnout scores is as follows: high (30 or below), moderate (31–36), and low (37 and over). The inventory has no total score.
9.1. Scoring
The participants were asked to choose one response (0, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6). Six is a high score, suggesting frequent occurrence (every day), and zero is a low score, indicating no occurrence.
Table-2. Scoring the Inventory.
Level |
1st domain |
2nd domain |
3rd domain |
Low |
16 |
8 |
37 |
Moderate |
26–17 |
9–13 |
36–31 |
High |
17 |
14 |
30 |
Table 2 clarifies the following:
To verify its validity, the preliminary form of the inventory was reviewed by eight Saudi faculty members to evaluate the appropriateness of the items. The internal validity was estimated between each domain and the total score of the pilot sample comprised 30 teachers who were both related and unrelated to the sample. Pearson’s correlation coefficients between the scores of the domains and the total scores were estimated.
Table-3. Correlation coefficients between the scores of the domains and the total scores.
Item |
Correlation Coefficient |
Item |
Correlation Coefficient |
Item |
Correlation Coefficient |
1 |
0.73 ** |
9 |
0.72** |
17 |
0.80** |
2 |
0.67 ** |
10 |
0.92** |
18 |
0.81** |
3 |
0.752 ** |
11 |
0.77** |
19 |
0.78** |
4 |
0.62 ** |
12 |
0.70** |
20 |
0.85** |
5 |
67 ** |
13 |
0.71** |
21 |
0.73** |
6 |
57 ** |
14 |
0.50** |
22 |
0.77** |
7 |
53 ** |
15 |
0.86** |
||
8 |
0.72** |
16 |
0.62** |
Note: ** Significant at the level of 0.01.
Table-4. Cronbach's alpha and retest of the domains and total score.
| Domain | Retest Reliability |
Internal |
| Emotional exhaustion | 0.89 |
0.85 |
| Depersonalization | 0.87 |
0.86 |
| Lack of personal accomplishment | 0.85 |
0.80 |
9.2. Statistical Methods
To estimate the statistical processing, Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) software was adopted. To answer the first question, arithmetic means and standard deviations were used. The t-test was adopted for the independent samples, and the one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used in cases of differences. To answer the second question, Scheffé's test was employed. Pearson’s correlation coefficient was adopted to verify the validity and reliability of the retest. Cronbach's alpha was used to verify the inventory reliability.
To answer the first question, arithmetic means and standard deviations were estimated.
Table 5. Means of the teachers of students with learning disabilities in the three domains of Maslach’s Burnout Inventory.
| No. | Domain | Level |
Standard |
Mean |
Standard Deviation |
Level |
| 1 | Emotional exhaustion | High |
30+ |
32.14 |
10.893 |
High |
Moderate |
18–29 |
|||||
Low |
0–17 |
|||||
| 2 | Depersonalization | High |
12+ |
9.11 |
7.251 |
Moderate |
Moderate |
6–11 |
|||||
Low |
0–5 |
|||||
| 3 | Lack of personal accomplishment | High |
24+ |
9.06 |
7.104 |
Low |
Moderate |
12–23 |
|||||
Low |
0–11 |
Table 5 shows that the level of emotional exhaustion is high, with a mean of 32.14; the domain of depersonalization is moderate, with a mean of 9.11; and lack of personal accomplishment is low, with a mean of 9.06. As expected, it shows that teachers of students with learning disabilities are exposed to high levels of burnout.
Despite all the privileges and services provided by the Education Department to optimize and qualify the teachers of students with learning disabilities, teachers are susceptible to high levels of burnout, asserting the stress that teachers of students with learning disabilities suffer from.
Previous literature has demonstrated a correlation between emotional exhaustion and lack of support within schools, whether from general education teachers, headmasters, or educational supervisors (Embich, 2001; Iancu, Rusu, Măroiu, Păcurar, & Maricuțoiu, 2018). This indicates the necessity to improve the level of psychological, social, and professional support provided to teachers of students with learning disabilities.
The results demonstrated high levels of emotional exhaustion, which is inconsistent with Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012); Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014); Bourezk (2018); Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005); Tashtoush et al. (2013); Al-Shammari (2018) and Essa & Al-Falih (2018), who found a moderate level of emotional exhaustion, as well as Al-Dhafiri & Al-Qaryouti (2010), who found a low level of emotional exhaustion.
The results revealed a moderate level of depersonalization, which is consistent with Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012); Bourezk (2018); Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005); Tashtoush et al. (2013) and Essa & Al-Falih (2018). However, they are inconsistent with Al-Dhafiri & Al-Qaryouti (2010), who found a low level of depersonalization, and Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014), who found a high level of depersonalization. Inconsistency occurs due to the difference in participants, place of testing, and objectives.
In terms of lack of personal achievement, the results are consistent with Al-Dhafiri & Al-Qaryouti (2010), who found a low level. However, they are inconsistent with Bourezk (2018); Tashtoush et al. (2013); Al-Shammari (2018); Tashtoush et al. (2013) and Essa & Al-Falih (2018), who found a moderate level, as well as Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014); Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005) and Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012), who found a high level.
Previous literature has demonstrated that the low level of lack of personal accomplishment was associated with high levels of satisfaction and self-efficacy. However, the high level was related to emotional experience and support provided by the school personnel (Park & Shin, 2020).
To answer the second question, the means and standard deviations of burnout according to the variables of gender, age, qualification, and years of experience were estimated. To identify the statistical differences between the arithmetic means, a t-test was used to show the effect of gender, qualification, and experience years on burnout among the teachers of students with learning disabilities ,and a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) was adopted to reveal the effect of age. Tables 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 show the results.
First: Gender
Table-6. Arithmetic means, standard deviations and t-test of the effect of gender on burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities.
Gender |
N. |
Mean |
SD |
T-value |
FD |
Statistical Significance |
|
| Emotional exhaustion | Male |
134 |
29.92 |
11.398 |
-3.246 |
294 |
0.001 |
Female |
162 |
33.98 |
10.128 |
||||
| Depersonalization | Male |
134 |
8.85 |
7.825 |
-0.562 |
294 |
0.575 |
Female |
162 |
9.33 |
6.757 |
||||
| Lack of personal accomplishment | Male |
134 |
8.71 |
7.228 |
-0.767 |
294 |
0.444 |
Female |
162 |
9.35 |
7.009 |
Table 6 shows no statistically significant differences at the level of a = 0.05 due to the effect of gender on the domains, except for emotional exhaustion where the differences were in favor of female teachers, who showed higher levels than male teachers.
These results are consistent with Brewer & McMahan (2004), who found that females were exposed to emotional exhaustion and burnout more often than males. Meanwhile, males showed higher levels of depersonalization. These results are consistent with Al-Kharabsheh & Arabiyat (2005), who found that females had higher levels of burnout than males. However, they are inconsistent with Bourezk (2018); Tashtoush et al. (2013) and Al-Shammari (2018), who found no statistically significant differences between males and females in the level of burnout.
Second: Qualification
Table-7. Arithmetic means, standard deviations and t-test of the effect of qualification on burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities.
Qualification |
N. |
Mean |
SD |
T-value |
FD |
Statistical Significance |
|
| Emotional exhaustion | Bachelor’s |
228 |
32.41 |
11.167 |
0.769 |
294 |
0.443 |
Master’s |
68 |
31.25 |
9.945 |
||||
| Depersonalization | Bachelor’s |
228 |
9.17 |
7.041 |
0.239 |
294 |
0.811 |
Master’s |
68 |
8.93 |
7.969 |
||||
| Lack of personal accomplishment | Bachelor’s |
228 |
9.20 |
7.423 |
0.639 |
294 |
0.523 |
Master’s |
68 |
8.57 |
5.933 |
Table 7 indicates no statistically significant differences at the level of a = 0.05 due to the effect of qualification on the three domains. Thus, qualification has no statistically significant effect on burnout. This is consistent with Abu-Hawash & Al-Shayeb (2012), who found no differences in burnout due to qualification. However, it is inconsistent with Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014), who revealed higher levels of burnout among those with a bachelor’s degree. On the other hand, these results are inconsistent with Tashtoush et al. (2013), who found higher levels of burnout among those with a master’s degree.
Third: Years of Experience
Table-8. Arithmetic means, standard deviations and t-test of the effect of years of experience on burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities.
| Experience years | N. |
Mean |
SD |
T-value |
FD |
Statistical Significance |
|
| Emotional exhaustion | Five years or less | 60 |
35.6 |
10.766 |
2.785 |
294 |
0.006 |
| More than 5 years | 236 |
31.26 |
10.771 |
||||
| Depersonalization | Five years or less | 60 |
9.67 |
7.189 |
0.664 |
294 |
0.507 |
| More than 5 years | 236 |
8.97 |
7.275 |
||||
| Lack of personal accomplishment | Five years or less | 60 |
7.88 |
5.106 |
-1.436 |
294 |
0.152 |
| More than 5 years | 236 |
9.36 |
7.507 |
Table 8 shows no statistically significant differences at the level of a = 0.05 due to the effect of years of experience except for emotional exhaustion. The differences were in favor of five years or less. This result is consistent with Embich (2001), who found that novice teachers showed higher levels of burnout due to lack of experience and competence that qualifies them to achieve optimal results from teaching students with learning disabilities. Furthermore, it is consistent with Al-Lalla & Al-Alla (2014), who found that teachers with many years of experience were exposed to less stress. However, it is inconsistent with Bourezk (2018) and Al-Araydah (2016), who illustrated no differences in the teachers' experience, and Al-Shammari (2018), who found no relation between burnout and experience.
Fourth: Age Group
Table-9. Arithmetic means, standard deviations and t-test of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities according to the variable of age group.
Age group |
N. |
Mean |
SD |
|
| Emotional exhaustion | 20–30 |
49 |
32.00 |
10.870 |
31–40 |
151 |
31.16 |
11.815 |
|
Above 40 |
96 |
33.76 |
9.173 |
|
Total |
296 |
32.14 |
10.893 |
|
| Depersonalization | 20–30 |
49 |
8.00 |
6.837 |
31–40 |
151 |
9.01 |
7.940 |
|
Above 40 |
96 |
9.84 |
6.238 |
|
Total |
296 |
9.11 |
7.251 |
|
| Lack of personal achievement | 20–30 |
49 |
7.55 |
5.050 |
31–40 |
151 |
9.79 |
8.509 |
|
Above 40 |
96 |
8.68 |
5.226 |
|
Total |
296 |
9.06 |
7.104 |
Table 9 shows an apparent difference in the means and standard deviations of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities due to differences in age.
Table-10. One-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) of the effect of age group on burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities.
| Sources | Sum of Squares |
FD |
Square Mean |
F-value |
Statistical Significance |
|
| Emotional exhaustion | Between groups | 398.366 |
2 |
199.183 |
1.686 |
0.187 |
| Within groups | 34605.675 |
293 |
118.108 |
|||
| Total | 35004.041 |
295 |
||||
| Depersonalization | Between groups | 113.671 |
2 |
56.836 |
1.082 |
0.340 |
| Within groups | 15397.650 |
293 |
52.552 |
|||
| Total | 15511.321 |
295 |
||||
| Lack of personal achievement | Between groups | 205.693 |
2 |
102.847 |
2.053 |
0.130 |
| Within groups | 14680.331 |
293 |
50.104 |
|||
| Total | 14886.024 |
295 |
Table 10 indicates no statistically significant differences at the level of a = 0.05 due to the effect of age group on all domains. Thus, the level of burnout among teachers never changes according to the variable of age group. This asserts that burnout is related to external reasons, such as the support provided by the school, regardless of the teacher’s age.
The current research recommends conducting further studies to examine the causes of burnout among teachers of students with learning disabilities. Moreover, future studies should address the variables related to students with learning disabilities, such as the type and severity of the difficulty, age of the students, number of students, and their socioeconomic status, as well as their impact on the level of burnout among teachers. Furthermore, adequate psychological and financial support should be provided to the teachers of students with learning disabilities to encourage them to achieve more. In addition, maximizing training courses for novice teachers to overcome the obstacles they may face due to lack of experience in teaching methods or other administrative requirements is highly recommended.
The results showed a high level of burnout among the teachers of students with learning disabilities, as their mean scores were high for the domain of emotional exhaustion, moderate for the domain of depersonalization, and low for the domain of lack of personal accomplishment. Moreover, female teachers were exposed to emotional exhaustion more often than male teachers Furthermore, female teachers with experience of five years or less showed more emotional exhaustion. In addition, the variables of gender, qualification, years of experience, and age group did not affect depersonalization or lack of personal achievement.
Funding: This study received no specific financial support. |
Competing Interests: The author declares that there are no conflicts of interests regarding the publication of this paper. |
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