Abstract:

Stress and burnout represent significant issues in the context of education. The teaching profession is classified in the group of helping professionals which typically have a higher degree of stress and a higher risk of burnout syndrome due to the basic characteristics of this group of professionals including close contacts with other people, communication, and helping and facilitating the development of other people. Especially in the case of primary school teachers, it is necessary to take into account that their clients are small children, and working with them requires specific skills and knowledge including a considerable responsibility for their safety and school results, and at the same time, there is a degree of isolation of these teachers from contact with other adults. All of this can contribute to a higher degree of stress and a higher probability of burnout syndrome, which, in the case of an outbreak, leads to lower quality of work, significant negative impacts on the life of the individuals concerned, and in many cases to employee fluctuation or leaving the profession. In all of these cases, the quality of education as such decreases. Monitoring this issue and determining appropriate measures is therefore crucial for the education system and its quality. The aim of the paper was to investigate the relationship between burnout syndrome and occupational stress among primary school teachers. The research was carried out among 551 primary school teachers in the Czech Republic (age range 24–64 years). Data collection took place through a questionnaire survey; the level of burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory – Educators Survey (MBI-ES), while occupational stress was measured using the Occupational Stress Inventory. The results show that the incidence of burnout syndrome among Czech primary school teachers is relatively average, while occupational stress is high. Significant relationships were found between the dimensions of burnout and occupational stress.

Keywords:

Stress, burnout, teachers.