TEACHER BURNOUT AND JOB SATISFACTION AMONG AGRICULTURAL EDUCATION TEACHERS

Abstract

The demands on teachers both in and out of classrooms combined with increased budget cuts have led many to question the levels of job satisfaction and burnout among agricultural education teachers. The purpose of this study was to describe the occurrence of burnout and the level at which burnout exists among agricultural education teachers in Ohio. The study was also designed to consider the relationships between job satisfaction, occupational stress, personal strain, personal coping resources, and burnout among agricultural education teachers. A random sample (n = 388) of the population (N = 628) received a mailed questionnaire (37% response, n = 145). Teachers were described predominantly as married, white males with one to two children and less than 10 years of experience in their present positions. The majority of agricultural education teachers in the study possessed high levels of job satisfaction, low levels of occupational stress and personal strain, and high levels of personal coping resources. However, teachers in the study indicated a moderate level of frequency of burnout and a moderate to high level of intensity of burnout. No significant relationships were found between demographic characteristics and burnout, or between organizational factors and burnout.