Date

8-6-2025

Department

School of Health Sciences

Degree

Doctor of Philosophy in Health Sciences (PhD)

Chair

Keith Randazzo

Keywords

Burnout, Secondary Teacher, Exercise, Aerobic, Anaerobic, MBI-ES

Disciplines

Education | Medicine and Health Sciences

Abstract

Increased levels of stress, anxiety, and burnout among educators within the United States educational system have contributed to elevated attrition rates and diminished student outcomes. This study investigates the effects of single-bout exercise sessions on reducing of burnout, specifically emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and lack of personal achievement among secondary public-school teachers. Using the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES), this correlational study used a repeated-measures design in which 36 secondary teachers participated in a control (no exercise), aerobic exercise, and anaerobic exercise sessions. Pre- and post-exercise session scores were analyzed to evaluate the immediate effects on burnout elements. Findings indicate that both aerobic and anaerobic exercise yielded significant short- term reductions in emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, while increasing feelings of personal achievement. These results illustrate the viability of physical exercise as a low-cost, scalable intervention to alleviate burnout in educational settings. This study contributes to the limited literature on exercise-based burnout interventions for secondary teachers and highlights the potential of exercise to support teacher well-being and retention.

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