The educational landscape has undergone rapid and significant changes due to the COVID-19 pandemic and its containment measures. Teachers at the forefront of the education system had to adapt to unprecedented shifts in their work-related roles and responsibilities including adapting to remote online learning and increased workloads, motivating their students and negotiating the personal impact of the pandemic. Few studies have investigated the mental health impact of the pandemic on teachers in developing countries in Africa. In these contexts, there is considerable inequity in access to digital technology, appropriate school infrastructure and personal protective equipment. These factors can impact on teacher’s capacity to promote to continuity of the education system. The current study investigated (i) the factors that render South African teachers more vulnerable to burnout and (ii) the psychological consequences of burnout. Participants (N=355) were school teachers who completed the Perceived Vulnerability to Disease Questionnaire, the Fear of COVID-19 Scale, the Role Orientation Questionnaire, the Maslach Burnout Inventory, the Centre for Epidemiological Depression Scale, the Beck Hopelessness Scale, the Satisfaction with Life Scale and the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. The results of multiple regression showed that fear of COVID-19, role ambiguity and role conflict were significant predictors of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization while perceived infectability and role ambiguity significantly predicted personal accomplishment. The dimensions of burnout were significant predictors of depression, hopelessness, anxiety and life satisfaction. The results of the study highlight the necessity of building teacher resilience through multi-level individual and institutional strategies.

Authors:
Anita Padmanabhanunni, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Tyrone Pretorius, University of the Western Cape, South Africa
Nita Lawton-Misra, University of the Western Cape, South Africa

About the Presenter(s)
Professor Anita Padmanabhanunni is a University Associate Professor/Senior Lecturer at University of the Western Cape in South Africa

See this presentation on the full schedule – Sunday Schedule

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