School climate factors relating to teacher burnout: A mediator model

The present study investigated components of school climate (i.e. parent/community relations, administration, student behavioral values) and assessed their influence on the core burnout dimensions of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and feelings of low Personal Accomplishment. The study weighed the relative contributions of demographic factors (i.e. gender, age, years of teaching experience), teacher satisfaction, and teacher-rated school climate that predict resultant levels of teacher stress and burnout from 17 rural schools in southeastern Ohio. Results revealed that different aspects of school climate related to each of the three primary burnout dimensions. Further, the inverse relationship between school climate and burnout was mediated by teacher satisfaction levels for both Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization dimensions. Results from the present study may be used in the development of future intervention targets for reducing teacher stress and burnout.