- Longitudinal study by a team of researchers led by Thamar Voss, an educational scholar from Freiburg, together with researchers from Frankfurt, Potsdam, and Kiel, investigated the period from 2007-2022
- Relevant factors included, among others, the working environment, access to technical equipment and difficulties in dealing with students
- The pandemic’s impact on teachers varied, depending on the teacher’s personality
Newswise — A comprehensive investigation was carried out by researchers to assess the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the well-being of mathematics teachers over an extended period. The study revealed noteworthy findings regarding the emotional exhaustion and enthusiasm for teaching among these educators. Between 2019 and 2021, the average emotional exhaustion score of teachers increased from 1.89 to 2.41 on a scale ranging from 1 to 4. Simultaneously, the average enthusiasm for teaching decreased from 3.52 to 3.21 during the same time frame. It was observed that factors such as the availability of advanced technical resources within the school and individual personality traits played a role in mitigating the effects of these tendencies. The research was conducted collaboratively by Prof. Dr. Thamar Voss from the Department of Educational Sciences at the University of Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Uta Klusmann from the Leibniz Institute for Science and Mathematics Education in Kiel, Nikolaus Bönke from the University of Freiburg, Prof. Dr. Dirk Richter from the University of Potsdam, and Prof. Dr. Mareike Kunter from the University of Frankfurt. The findings of the study were published in the Journal of Psychology.
Study part of a longitudinal survey of maths teachers as of their teacher training program
The authors of the study analyzed data collected from six surveys conducted between 2007 and 2022, involving math teachers from various types of schools. The surveys were carried out at different time points, including during the teachers' training in 2007 and 2008, as well as in 2010, 2019, 2021 (summer), and 2022 (spring) during the COVID-19 pandemic. In these surveys, teachers were presented with statements related to their enthusiasm for teaching (e.g., "I teach with enthusiasm" or "I always enjoy teaching students new things") and emotional exhaustion (e.g., "I often feel exhausted at work" or "I feel overworked by my job in general"). The initial survey in 2007 also included questions about personality traits such as neuroticism, extroversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness. Additionally, in 2021, during the pandemic, teachers provided information on the technical equipment at their schools, support from principals, collaboration with colleagues, parental support, and current challenges in dealing with students.
Not all teachers who initially participated in the surveys completed all questionnaires throughout the entire duration of the study. The sample size started with 856 teachers in training in 2007, and by 2022, 214 teachers remained in the study. Most dropouts occurred after the completion of their training program in 2010. However, the composition of the group remained relatively consistent in terms of socio-demographic factors. To address missing data, the researchers used modern statistical estimation techniques and established the 2007 data as baseline values. The findings revealed significant declines in teachers' professional well-being during the pandemic. Based on their own responses, teachers in 2021 reported higher levels of emotional exhaustion and lower levels of enthusiasm compared to previous years. The data collected over the long observation period clearly indicated that teachers' perceived stress during the pandemic exceeded the levels experienced in previous years. Furthermore, teachers reported greater exhaustion compared to their challenging initial years on the job. "The widely discussed 'reality shock' also emerged in our data, but its impact was much smaller compared to the 'Corona shock.' That was surprising for us," said Voss.
Differences depending on the work environment and personality type of the respondents
While there is a clear overall trend in the mean values of the measured emotions, individual teachers' experiences during the pandemic vary significantly. The impact of the pandemic is influenced by the specific work environment and the teachers' personality traits. Teachers working in schools with good technical equipment reported lower levels of emotional exhaustion during the pandemic. However, they experienced a decrease in enthusiasm for teaching and an increase in exhaustion when faced with difficulties in dealing with students, such as the need for frequent admonishments during (digital) lessons.
Teachers who displayed a higher openness to new experiences, based on their personality traits, exhibited a smaller increase in emotional exhaustion during the pandemic. On the other hand, highly extroverted teachers were more strongly affected by a negative change in their well-being. "As our study's data indicate, there was only a slight recovery in teachers' professional well-being observed in 2022 after the pandemic-related school closures. Therefore, support from policymakers and school administrators remains crucial," emphasizes Voss. The researchers will continue the study to further investigate the question of recovery.
Overview of facts:
- Original publication: Voss, T., U. Klusmann, N. Bönke, D. Richter, and M. Kunter: Teachers' Emotional Exhaustion and Teaching Enthusiasm Before Versus During the COVID-19 Pandemic. In: Journal of Psychology 2023 231:2, 103-114. DOI: 10.1027/2151-2604/a000520
- Prof. Dr. Thamar Voss is an educational researcher and professor of Empirical School and Instructional Development Research at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Freiburg. Nikolaus Bönke is a research assistant in the Department of Empirical School and Instructional Development Research at the Institute of Educational Science at the University of Freiburg.
- The study was funded by the Innovation Fund of the Max Planck Society and the German Research Foundation (DFG) (DFG project numbers 438654700, 470251387). The open access publication was made possible by the University of Freiburg.
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