Date

4-2022

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy

Chair

Kevin Struble

Keywords

Burnout, Community College, Adjunct, Age, Gender, Multiple Jobs

Disciplines

Education | Psychology

Abstract

Burnout is a psychological condition that affects individuals in high stress careers. Higher education faculty are prone to burnout, with studies showing women experienced burnout at different ages than their male counterparts. Few studies have been conducted to test if age and gender could predict a high level of burnout amongst adjunct faculty in community colleges. In addition, community college adjunct faculty are known to work more than one job to meet economic needs, and the research demonstrates such a condition creates anxiety, but little discussion is present on whether the variables of age, gender, and additional jobs held may predict high levels of burnout. The purpose of this quantitative correlational study is to apply the theoretical framework of Maslach and Jackson (1981) to determine if a predictive relationship exists between the three dimensions of burnout—emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and decline in sense of personal accomplishment—and the linear combination of age, gender, and the number of additional jobs held for community college adjunct faculty. Through anonymous data collection, 247 part-time faculty from the Virginia Community College System provided demographic information and levels of the three dimensions of burnout. Based on three multiple regression models, age was the primary predictor of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, but data analysis indicated additional variables need to be considered. A weak correlation between gender and depersonalization and personal accomplishment was also ascertained, but additional variables should be considered. A small sample size hindered the generalizability of the results, but it was discovered that males and females between the ages of 26 and 50 were more likely to experience burnout.

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