Dimensions of Work Engagement and Teacher Burnout: A Study of Relations among Iranian EFL Teachers

Oct 15, 2026

Burnout can produce irrevocable effects across the educational system, yet prior teacher-related research has often emphasized negative factors while giving limited attention to positive criteria. This study investigates relationships between work engagement and teachers’ burnout, and examines how work engagement, burnout, and teachers’ years of experience are associated. Correlational results show a significant negative link between engagement and burnout, with higher experience linked to greater engagement and lower burnout as teaching years increase. Findings support implications for in-service and pre-service training.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryExam

FormatPDF

Pages17

Reading Time43 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Keywords

Introduction

Teacher-related factors and burnout

Work engagement as a positive construct

Research questions

Literature Review

Definitions of engagement and burnout

Australian Journal of Teacher Education | Volume 43 | Issue 1 | Article 5 | | --- | --- | | 2018
Dimensions of Work Engagement and Teacher Burnout: A Study of Relations among Iranian EFL Teachers
Arefe Amini Faskhodi
Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran, [arefe.amini@gmail.com](arefe.amini@gmail.com)
Masood Siyyari
Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran, [siyyari@gmail.com](siyyari@gmail.com) | | Recommended Citation Amini Faskhodi, A., & Siyyari, M. (). Dimensions of Work Engagement and Teacher Burnout: A Study of Relations among Iranian EFL Teachers. Australian Journal of Teacher Education, 43 (1). Retrieved from [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss1/5](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss1/5) This Journal Article is posted at Research Online. [http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss1/5](http://ro.ecu.edu.au/ajte/vol43/iss1/5) Australian Journal of Teacher Education Dimensions of Work Engagement and Teacher Burnout: A Study of Relations among Iranian EFL Teachers Arefe Amini Faskhodi 1 Masood Siyyari2 Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran Abstract: Among different teacher-related variables burnout can have irrevocable effects on the whole educational system. Due to the importance of considering all positive and negative related variables, and also lack of attention to positive criteria in the area of work related factors, this study is the first attempt in Iran in the field to include engagement as a positive factor involved. The purpose of the present study is to investigate any possible relationship between work engagement and teachers’ sense of burnout, as well as associations between work engagement, burnout, and teachers’years of experience. The correlational analyses indicate a significant and negative relationship between work engagement and burnout. Moreover, the higher the participants’ experience is, the greater the amount of their work engagement is. On the contrary, as the number of years of teaching increases, the level of burnout decreases. On the other hand, negative relationship exists between burnout and their experience. The results offer a number of implications for in-service and pre-service teacher training systems. Keywords: Burnout, Work engagement, Experience Introduction Since teachers play a significant role in students’ success, it is vital to know which set of teacher-related factors are the more effective ones in students’ achievements. In addition, it seems that successful teachers share a number of characteristics (Rushton, Morgan, & Richard, 2007) . Among different variables, some including burnout need more attention (Hakanen, Bakker, & Schaufeli, 2006) . Otherwise, it can have irrevocable effects on teaching profession (Maslach & Goldberg, 1998) .“Burnout leads to physical symptoms, to absenteeism, and to job turnover”(Maslach, 2017, p. 8) . In fact, according to Maslach and Goldberg (1998), teachers’behavior, students’ outcome, and as a result, the whole educational system can be affected negatively by burnout. Related studies to burnout suggest that burnout may be a product of 1 The first author 2 The second and the corresponding author Vol 43, 1, January 2018 78 Australian Journal of Teacher Education environmental factors. Furthermore, according to the bulk of research evidence, environmental factors, in particular factors relevant to work setting, are significantly related to burnout (Maslach & Jackson, 1984b) . Owing to the fact that all teacher related variables should be taken into account, and also the fact that in the literature related to the area of health psychology the negative aspects of teaching have received more attention (Hakanen et al., 2006), recently some concepts such as work engagement which is a positive opponent for burnout have been the concern of a considerable amount of research. In fact, i

FAQs

What is the study’s main purpose?

To examine the possible relationship between work engagement and teacher burnout and to assess associations among engagement, burnout, and teachers’ years of experience.

What do the correlational analyses show about work engagement and burnout?

They indicate a significant and negative relationship between work engagement and burnout.

How does teachers’ experience relate to work engagement and burnout?

The study reports that higher participant experience corresponds to greater work engagement, while increased years of teaching are linked to decreased burnout.

Oct 15, 2026

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