A Survey On Burnout Among Senior High School EFL Teachers In Zhangzhou City

This study is to explore the overall burnout level and further investigate the three dimensions of burnout among the EFL teachers in the senior high schools of Zhangzhou City,as well as to explore the relationship between some demographic variables and the teacher burnout by using the Maslach Burnout Inventory(MBI),and partly referring to Dorman's Teacher Burnout Model.The subjects of this study are teachers employed in the senior high school in Zhangzhou,Fujian Province.Demographic forms investigate the participants' demographic variables including age,gender,professional titles and the school types.The findings indicate that the teachers experience a low-level of overall burnout while in terms of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment,the level is far from high,and the level is even lower in terms of depersonalization.Remarkably,burnout experience significantly varies among teachers of both genders in the overall and in the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment.It is found that female teachers experience higher level of burnout,sustaining more emotional exhaustion and less personal accomplishment.A significant difference in the level of burnout is also found among teachers of different ages in the overall burnout level and the dimensions of reduced personal accomplishment.The teachers of the age group between 41 and 50 years significantly experience lower level of burnout than teachers of other age groups under thirty and between 31 and 40.And the teachers' sense of personal accomplishment increase with the growth of age.There is a significant co-relationship between the teachers in the Public Schools and the Private Schools in the overall and in the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and reduced personal accomplishment.It is shown that Public School teachers experience higher level of burnout,having more emotional exhaustion and gaining less personal accomplishment.However,no significant difference is found in the levels of burnout between teachers of different professional titles.But the senior teachers significantly harvest more personal accomplishment than secondary teachers.Besides,the interviews have been made with the purpose of further understanding the factors influencing teacher burnout.According to the findings above,some suggestions are put forward to ease teacher burnout according to the individual and organizational factors,the teachers are advised to keep fit and active to form a value of lifelong learning,to enrich teaching experience,and to enhance teaching efficiency.At the administrative level,the government or the schools are supposed to adjust the teachers' professional values and expectation,avoiding role conflict,providing the best of social support,and train men teachers for free to increase the number of men teachers,easing the work stress of the teachers by improving the teachers' interpersonal communication ability amongst a better school environment.