Psychological Burnout Among Middle School Teachers and Its Relationship to the Decline in the Quality of Their Performance in the Classroom Teaching Process

Abstract

This study aims to examine the relationship between the decline in the quality of performance in the educational process among some middle school teachers and their level of psychological burnout within classroom settings. The study sample consisted of 18 teachers (8 females and 10 males) from various disciplines in several secondary preparatory institutions in Casablanca and Nouaceur.

A questionnaire was used to measure the quality of teachers’ performance according to the following variables: willingness to perform tasks, ability to perform tasks, and pace of task performance. Psychological burnout was also measured through its three dimensions: emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced sense of personal accomplishment. The descriptive analytical method was adopted to conduct the study.

The results revealed a relationship between the decline in the quality of performance among some of the teachers studied and their level of psychological burnout. This was particularly related to emotional exhaustion during their interaction with students, the emergence of emotional detachment in classroom situations, and a lack of motivation to deliver the prescribed lessons.

In light of the study’s objectives and results, the researcher recommended that the responsible educational authorities reduce the workload of middle school teachers, particularly regarding weekly schedules, while considering the circumstances of the students they teach and the efforts exerted by teachers. This is especially important because third-year middle school students represent a psychologically vulnerable group that requires high-quality educational support. Therefore, intervention is needed to address the variables contributing to teachers’ psychological burnout in order to improve their overall performance.