Date

12-7-2023

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Education (PhD)

Chair

Jeffrey S. Savage

Keywords

burnout, depersonalization, emotional exhaustion, hope, job demands, Maslach Burnout Inventory - Educators Survey, personal accomplishment

Disciplines

Education | Educational Leadership

Abstract

This predictive, correlational, quantitative research study investigated gender, school size, school level, and hope as continuous predictor variables affecting principal burnout in Georgia. Burnout is a severe problem that has consequences beyond the primary person experiencing the phenomenon. Although considerable research has studied burnout in teachers and healthcare workers, less attention has been paid to burnout specific to school principals. There remain unanswered questions about predictor variables and how these variables can be used to design effective burnout prevention methods. This study used a stratified random sample of 1,399 principals with publicly accessible email contact information in Georgia. Principals in Georgia were surveyed using demographic questions about how their occupational demands and feelings of hope related to the three dimensions of burnout—emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment—using the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey and the Adult Hope Scale. Data were collected using the Qualtrics platform and analyzed using the IBM Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS). Multiple regression was used to examine the correlation between the variables. Although the data showed statistical significance for all three dimensions of burnout, the data provided convincing evidence showing a stronger association between gender, hope, and the dimensions of emotional exhaustion and personal accomplishment. It was recommended that future research be conducted using a mixed-methods approach to further understand what causes higher levels of hope and the role of gender as a predictor variable.

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