Date

8-29-2025

Department

School of Education

Degree

Doctor of Education in Curriculum & Instruction (EdD)

Chair

Rebecca Lunde

Keywords

teacher burnout, workload, occupational stress, teacher retention

Disciplines

Education

Abstract

The purpose of this qualitative, hermeneutic phenomenological study was to understand the impact of increased teacher workload on teacher burnout through the lived experiences of rural high school teachers in a school district in southern West Virginia. The theory guiding this study was Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory, as it helps understand motivation and behavior in people. The central research question is: How do secondary rural teachers describe their lived experiences with increased workload and its impact on burnout? The methodology used in this study was hermeneutic phenomenology. The study design for this study was qualitative. The sample was 10 experienced secondary teachers who teach in a rural high school district setting. The three data collection methods used in this study were a questionnaire, individual interviews, and a focus group. Data analysis was conducted using the modified Van Kaam model, Giorgi’s method, and Tesch’s coding method. The modified Van Kaam model was used to bracket information collected in the individual interviews, Giorgi’s method was used to identify units and uncover themes in the questionnaires, and Tesch’s analysis was used to identify patterns in the focus group. Triangulation was used to validate the credibility of the data and to establish a comprehensive understanding of the phenomenon. The study found that secondary rural teachers are experiencing increased workloads in their careers, intensifying burnout symptoms.

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