Abstract:

Recent studies draw attention to academic burnout experimented by university students and their relationship with academic performance and engagement sense. Among the possible factors responsible for academic burnout in higher education, the lack of motivation towards the academic degree, the overload of and high demand of tasks, a continuous evaluation feeling, the high competitiveness between peers, family economic pressure, the lack of job expectations or potential employability of the degree have been pointed out. In addition, these causes seem to be even worse in students with a high degree of self-demand and self-improvement.

In this context, the current study aims to:
(1) explore the relationships between academic burnout and engagement; and
(2) identify the key-elements perceived by undergraduate biotechnology students as significatively contributing to the academic stress, motivation, collegiality, and a sense of belonging as a first step of a serial of actions addressed to promote the emotional well-being of students enrolled in Biotechnology bachelor's degree at the Universitat Politècnica de València (UPV).

An exploratory mixed-technique design was applied to collect quantitative and qualitative data by means of questionnaires and focus-groups interviews, respectively. Quantitative evaluation was performed by means of both the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey (MBI-SS) version and the Utrecht Work Engagement Scale-Student (UWESS). The MBI-SS consisted of 15-items related to three dimensions: high emotional exhaustion, high depersonalization, and low professional efficacy; while a version of 13 items of the UWESS were used to evaluate students’ vigour, dedication and absorption, towards their studies. All items were rated using a five-point Likert scale. On the other hand, qualitative data were gathered by means of 6-10 student semi-structured focus groups. Students participating in a given focus-group were enrolled in the same academic course, 1st, 2nd, 3rd or 4th of the biotechnology bachelor's degree. For quantitative analysis, a Principal Component Analysis and a Structural Equation Model analysis (SEM) were applied to evaluate the underlying factorial structure of the questionnaire and to analyse its reliability and validity.

A total of 240 students answered the online questionnaires of MBI-SS and UWESS. Statistical analysis of the results found an inverse correlation between dimensions involved in burnout and engagement and varied form the first to the fourth academic course.

From the meetings held with the focus groups, it was possible to identify those factors that contribute most to the academic exhaustion of UPV undergraduate biotechnology students. These include the combination of a high self-demand and a high workload, especially at the end of the term, as well as the companionship lack derived from the high competitiveness between peers.

In conclusion, quantitative and qualitative results have confirmed that academic burnout among undergraduate biotechnology students at UPV exists. This fact evidences the need of implementing strategies to prevent and reduce the academic burnout throughout promoting emotional well-being of students.

Keywords:

Maslach Burnout Inventory, Utrecht Work Engagement Scale, focus-group interviews, academic course.