Teachers' Emotional Exhaustion and Teaching Enthusiasm Before Versus During the COVID-19 Pandemic: Results From a Long-Term Longitudinal Study

Because of the sudden removal of teachers' work routines, we investigated pandemic-related changes in mathematics teachers' emotional exhaustion and teaching enthusiasm.We drew on data from a 15-year longitudinal study, including four prepandemic (2007-2019) and two pandemic (2021 and 2022) measurement points. During the COVID-19 pandemic, N = 194 teachers participated in 2021 and N = 214 in 2022. The results from latent growth curve models indicated a pronounced increase in emotional exhaustion and a decrease in enthusiasm during the pandemic. We also found that good technical equipment and high openness represent resources associated with a lower increase in emotional exhaustion, whereas difficulties with students during the COVID-19 pandemic and high extraversion were risk factors. Like in other occupations, these results indicate that COVID-19 negatively affected teachers' experiences and highlight the need to support teachers to avoid further negative consequences for teachers and students.

Teachers' emotional exhaustion during the COVID-19 pandemic: Levels, changes, and relations to pandemic-specific demands.

We aimed to identify the levels of and changes in emotional exhaustion experienced by teachers and principals during the COVID-19 pandemic and pandemic-related stressors and resources. In a German sample of 2157 teachers and 374 principals, we found high levels and an increase of emotional exhaustion. Results from multi-group structural equation modeling analyses indicated that health concerns and workload were positively and social support negatively related to emotional exhaustion. Additional analyses of an open response question confirmed that teachers and principals experienced their work during the COVID-19 pandemic as predominantly stressful. These results indicate the importance of supporting both teachers and principals in reducing their exhaustion to help students overcome the consequences of the COVID-19 pandemic.

[Emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction among teaching staff during the COVID-19 pandemic]. / Emotionale Erschöpfung und Berufszufriedenheit von Lehrpersonal während der COVID-19-Pandemie.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: The COVID-19 pandemic has significantly changed the everyday professional life of teaching staff. The purpose of this paper is to examine the effects of the pandemic on teachers' emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. METHODS: A sample of 2531 school administrators and teachers from North Rhine-Westphalia was recruited in October 2020. Changes in emotional exhaustion during the pandemic were directly measured with nine items of the Maslach Burnout Inventory and changes in job satisfaction with six items. Adjusted regression models were used to determine risk and protective factors associated with changes in emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. RESULTS: Risk factors associated with both more frequently perceived symptoms of exhaustion and reduced job satisfaction were as follows: the additional workload during the pandemic, the stress of uncertainty, the perceived change in workload, concerns about the students, and being employed at an elementary school. A supportive school environment was associated with both fewer perceived symptoms of exhaustion and stable job satisfaction. DISCUSSION: From the perspective of the teaching staff, the COVID-19 pandemic was related to subjective changes in emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction. The COVID-19 pandemic was associated with higher emotional exhaustion for more than half of the teaching staff and with reduced job satisfaction for one in five teachers. Due to the study design, causal conclusions are not possible.

Emotionale Erschöpfung und Berufszufriedenheit von Lehrpersonal während der COVID-19-Pandemie Emotional exhaustion and job satisfaction among teaching staff during the COVID-19 pandemic

Hintergrund und Ziel Die COVID-19-Pandemie hat den beruflichen Alltag von Lehrpersonal erheblich verändert. Das Ziel dieser Arbeit ist es, die Auswirkungen der Pandemie auf die emotionale Erschöpfung und die Berufszufriedenheit von Lehrpersonal zu untersuchen. Methoden Eine Gelegenheitsstichprobe von 2531 Schulleitungen und Lehrkräften aus Nordrhein-Westfalen wurde im Oktober 2020 rekrutiert. Veränderungen der emotionalen Erschöpfung während der Pandemie wurden mit 9 Items des Maslach-Burnout-Inventars gemessen, Veränderungen der Berufszufriedenheit wurden mit 6 Items direkt gemessen. Adjustierte Regressionsmodelle wurden gerechnet, um Risiko- und Schutzfaktoren zu bestimmen, die mit der Veränderung der emotionalen Erschöpfung und der Berufszufriedenheit assoziiert sind. Ergebnisse Risikofaktoren, die sowohl mit häufiger wahrgenommenen Erschöpfungssymptomen als auch mit einer verringerten Berufszufriedenheit in Zusammenhang standen, waren: die zusätzliche Arbeitsbelastung während der Pandemie, die Belastung durch Unsicherheit, die wahrgenommene Belastungsänderung, Sorgen um die Schüler:innen sowie die Tätigkeit an einer Grundschule. Ein unterstützendes Schulumfeld war sowohl mit seltener wahrgenommenen Erschöpfungssymptomen als auch mit einer stabilen Berufszufriedenheit assoziiert. Diskussion Aus Sicht des Lehrpersonals ging die Coronavirus-Krankheit-2019 (COVID-19)-Pandemie mit subjektiven Veränderungen der emotionalen Erschöpfung und der Berufszufriedenheit einher. Bei über der Hälfte des Lehrpersonals war sie mit einer höheren emotionalen Erschöpfung sowie bei jeder fünften Lehrkraft mit einer verringerten Berufszufriedenheit assoziiert. Aufgrund der Studienanlage sind kausale Schlussfolgerungen nicht möglich. Zusatzmaterial online Zusätzliche Informationen sind in der Online-Version dieses Artikels (10.1007/s00103-022-03554-7) enthalten.