Introduction
Teacher burnout is a significant problem that affects effective delivery of educational services to students. Although there are many factors that contribute to teacher burnout, emotional reactions that teachers experience in classroom is one of the factors that cause burnout and emotional enervation.
Disruptive behaviors of students in classroom elicit unpleasant emotional reactions in teachers when they make appraisals and thus contribute to burnout. Teachers usually strain to comprehend disruptive behaviors in an attempt to bring order and appraisal of disruptive behaviors is emotionally taxing leading to burnout.
Therefore, disruptive behavior in classroom is the main factor that contributes to teacher burnout since appraisal reactions elicit unpleasant emotions that are emotionally taxing. According to Chang (2009), the purpose of the study, “Teacher Emotion Management in the Classroom:
Appraisal, Regulation, and Coping”, is to explore how novice teachers appraise disruptive behaviors of students in classroom and how unpleasant emotional responses contribute to burnout (p.11).
The study further investigates how teachers can cope with unpleasant emotions by regulation them to alleviate emotional exhaustion and subsequent burnout. The hypothesis of the study is that effective emotional regulation of unpleasant emotions can significantly alleviate burnout that emanates from disruptive behaviors of students in classroom.
The problem statement of the study is very appropriate since literature review confirms that teacher burnout is the major problem that affects effective delivery of educational services to students. When teachers are in classroom, they experience varied disruptive behaviors that trigger appraisal and consequently unpleasant emotions.
The unpleasant emotions cause emotional strain that leads to teacher burnout and thus interfere with effective delivery of services by teachers. The problem of teacher burnout due to disruptive behavior is, therefore plausible because it has its basis on personal experience and literature review.
The purpose of the study is very objective as it aims at identifying disruptive behaviors and experiences of novice teachers with a view of formulating appropriate interventions of regulating unpleasant emotions emanating from teachers’ appraisals and subsequently preventing emotional exhaustion and burnout.
The hypothesis of the study is clear and consistent with the objective of the study, which states that effective management and regulation of unpleasant emotions can help alleviate impacts of disruptive classroom behaviors of students and thus prevent burnout in teachers.
Moreover, for clarity, the study defined operational terms such as emotional appraisal, burnout, coping, emotional exhaustion, and emotional regulation amongst others. Definitions of operational terms enable readers to understand varied concepts and scope of the study.
Methodology
Process
The study utilized online survey by selecting 555 novice teachers, females, 437, and males, 113, from a region of Midwestern United States. The online surveys targeted novice teachers who had teaching experience of 1-5 years and employed email as means of inviting and administering questionnaires to 4500 teachers.
Out of the 4500 teachers, 713 teachers were willing to participate, but only 555 filled their questionnaires accurately and thus participated in the study. To examine thoroughly how disruptive behaviors contribute to teacher burnout, the study design focused on general measurement and context-specific measurement.
Concerning general measurements, the study aimed at collecting data that depicts how teachers view unpleasant emotions, experience burnout, regulate motions, and efficacy of teaching. To obtain comprehensive data, the study employed scales such as emotional regulation questionnaire, sense of efficacy scale, and burnout scale in the administered questionnaires.
Regarding context-specific measurement, participants identified and described a disruptive behavior that recently challenged them and further explained how they appraise and cope with unpleasant emotions.
In this case, to measure specific variables, the study used emotional appraisal scale, discrete scale, and coping scale. Ultimately, the study utilized statistical design of structured and closed questionnaire to enhance collection and analysis of the data.
Evaluation
Selection of 555 novice teachers was quite random thus eliminates selection bias that usually affect validity of research findings. Moreover, the survey targeted 4500 teachers using online surveys out of which 555 teachers qualified to participate in the study, hence signifies randomness in selection of participants. Furthermore, the online surveys are cost-effective and eliminate suggestive influence of interview on data collection.
The study design that involved general and context-specific measurements is also appropriate because it focuses on both general views and recent personal experiences of novice teachers, thus provide an in-depth focus of disruptive behaviors of students, appraisal tendencies of teachers, and regulation of unpleasant emotions.
In the study, questionnaire was an integral component of the survey as it provided assessment of numerous variables and measurements using different scales such as emotional regulation scale, efficacy scale, appraisal scale, coping scale, and discrete scale. Hence, different types of scales provided a broad perspective of collecting comprehensive data for analysis.
Structured and closed-form of questionnaires is appropriate in minimizing huge amount of data, which would otherwise be bulky if collected using other methods. Moreover, structured and closed questionnaire enhances statistical analysis of data and accurate determination of research findings.
Results
Process
To analyze collected data effectively, the study employed technique of structural equation modeling (SEM) to determine relationship of various variables collected in survey. Structural equation modeling is a set of statistical techniques, which test how different variables and constructs of the study relate to each other.
Using structural equation modeling, the study analyzed data in four steps viz. screening of data, model identification, model testing, and model estimation. Subsequently, the study used statistical package for social sciences (SPSS) to come up with various statistical analyses. Concerning presentation of the results, the study employed tables and figures in explaining research findings.
The tables presented how different scales rank varied parameters such as emotional regulation, coping, appraising disruptive behaviors, unpleasant emotions, burnout and efficacy of teaching.
The figures demonstrated how various variables such as disruptive behaviors, teachers’ appraisals, unpleasant emotions, and regulation of emotions interact in bringing about emotional exhaustion and burnout in teachers. Thus, SEM and SPSS analyzed collected data and the findings presented using tables and figures.
Evaluation
Since the study used two hypothetical models viz. unpleasant emotions regulation model and process of coping model, SEM technique of analyzing numerous variables and establishing their relationships were quite appropriate.
Given that the study has numerous questionnaires, which are also detailed, preliminary analysis using multiple statistical techniques of SEM provides a basis of carrying further analysis and drawing reliable inferences from research findings. Moreover, the ordinal nature of data collected required statistical analysis package of SPSS, which is quite accurate and reliable in carrying out various statistical analyses.
SPSS is appropriate in analyzing both descriptive and inferential statistics with regard to multiple variables that affect burnout, for instance disruptive behaviors, appraisals, unpleasant emotions, and burnout.
The study also employed tables and figures in presentation of the results to enhance clarity. The figures demonstrated how hypothesized models and numerous variables interact, resulting into burnout. Therefore, tables and figures enhanced presentation of the research findings for readers to comprehend.
Discussion
Process
The research findings were consistent with earlier findings dealing with emotional management and burnout among teachers. Moreover, the study has also added significant contribution to growing body of research on teachers’ emotions and burnout.
Since the study established that novice teachers experience unpleasant emotions after appraising disruptive behaviors of students, it has demonstrated that unpleasant emotions considerably contribute to burnout in teachers. In this context, the study suggests that, unpleasant emotions emanate from disruptive behaviors of students that strain teachers’ appraisals and lead to burnout.
The study further asserts that effective regulation of emotions can cushion teachers from experiencing unpleasant emotions and consequently alleviate burnout and thus, it has formulated a model that demonstrates how disruptive behaviors, teachers’ appraisals, emotional regulation, and burnout interact.
In addition to educational importance of the study, it has also made considerable contribution to appraisal theory in terms of enhanced unpleasant emotions on secondary appraisals and that appraisal of disruptive behaviors elicits significant unpleasant emotions that contribute to burnout and emotional exhaustion.
The study conclusively found out that emotional regulation of unpleasant emotions due to disruptive behaviors in classroom determines extent of burnout in teachers.
Evaluation
The study findings were quite valid because the study employed different models to elucidate relationships between different variables that contribute or mediate burnout in classroom. Research design, random selection of participants, use of comprehensive models, and statistical techniques has considerably enhanced internal validity and credibility of the findings.
However, the study has low external validity that limits generalization of the findings because the participants were novice teachers who had experience of 1-5 years, hence did not represent teachers across all ranges of experience.
Moreover, it is difficult to generalize the findings because the study occurred in one state; moreover, it targeted only participants who can access internet and there was low response rate of questionnaires. Thus, the study has more internal validity as compared to external validity, hence limits extrapolation of the findings.
Reference
Chang, M. (2009). Teacher Emotional Management in the Classroom: Appraisals, Regulation, and Coping with Emotions. American Educational Research Association, 1-122.