Relationship Between School and Classroom Environment and Teacher Burnout: A LISREL Analysis

Research was conducted on the relationship between school and classroom psychosocial environment and perceptions of burnout in teachers who staff Queensland private schools. A sample of 246 teachers responded to scales that assess seven school environment and seven classroom environment dimensions and the three facets of burnout measured by the Maslach Burnout Inventory: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation and personal accomplishment. Preliminary multiple regression analyses resulted in an hypothesised model of seven environment dimensions predicting burnout. This model was tested in a LISREL analysis with posthoc modifications improving model fit to data. While staff affiliation and work pressure were significant predictors of emotional exhaustion, staff mission consensus and co-operation in classrooms were significant predictors of depersonalisation. Staff mission consensus, together with classroom interactions, co-operation and task orientation were significantly related to personal accomplishment. Results supported previous research on the structure of teacher burnout in that emotional exhaustion influenced depersonalisation which subsequently impacted on personal accomplishment.

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