Year: 2011
Type: article
Abstract: The current education system in the United States is riddled with difficulties which include an increasing demand for qualified teachers and persistently high attrition rates. Teachers are prone to low job satisfaction, low self-efficacy, as well as increased stress and burnout. Although these problems are widely discussed in the literature, scant intervention research is available. Additionally, existing interventions miss two key elements that may be especially relevant to the challenges faced by educators: acceptance and values. The current study examined the efficacy of acceptance and commitment therapy (ACT) for reducing teacher burnout through a day-long professional development workshop. Thirty-five teachers were assigned to either an experimental (n=20) or waitlist control group (n=15). At three months followup, burnout levels significantly decreased for the ACT group and increased for the control group. Additionally, changes in burnout were mediated by the acceptance of undesirable thoughts and feelings. The current study supports ACT as an effective method for reducing burnout in teachers.
Author: Debra Emery
Language: English
Subfield: Clinical Psychology
Field: Psychology
Domain: Social Sciences
SDG: Quality education
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W2273778843