Chapter 17: Predictors of Elementary Teachers’ Burnout Symptoms: The Role of Teacher’s Personal Resources, Perceptions of Classroom Stress, and Disruption of Teaching

The role of personal coping resources, classroom demands, and disruption of teaching were examined as potential predictors of burnout symptoms in elementary school teachers. Participants included 263 teachers in North Carolina. Structural equation modeling was used to estimate constructs for the predictor variables (coping resources, classroom demands, and disruption of teaching) and to test whether classroom demands and disruptions mediate the relationship between coping resources and burnout symptoms. Support was not found for the mediational model, but a model in which each predictor construct was associated with burnout symptoms did show good fit. The results of this study may help researchers understand the factors that contribute to burnout in elementary school teachers.