Variables in relation to teacher burnout in Israeli junior high schools

• Main Author: Sliman, Martha
• Published: University of Leicester 2004
• Subjects: 371.10019095694
• Online Access: http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.410254

In 1968 it was decided to establish junior high schools. The main goal was to reduce ethnic gaps by integrating the different groups in the classes. Forming heterogeneous home classes was considered as the main tool to encourage social integration among students from different social classes and to upgrade the level of achievements of all the students.;Teachers need to deal with the social, cultural and educational diversities of the students whenever they try to improve their students' achievements. The unique characteristics of junior high school students that are typical to adolescence and the many students in the classes make it difficult for any teacher to perform at their best.;For this study, two tools were selected for eliciting data, a semi-structured interview and a questionnaire. Participants were teachers from 10 junior high schools in north of Israel, including both sectors Arab and Jews. Both research tools obtained details directly from subjects.;This study focuses on what happens in classroom and the inter-relationships between the teacher and his/her students as one of reasons for teacher burnout.;According to the results of this research, the dominant factors that are responsible for the phenomenon of burnout in teachers are discipline problems and class environment. On the other hand the interviewees indicated another dominant factor overcrowded heterogeneous classes . It was found that young teachers experience more burnout than their seniors.;In addition, in contrast to another research hypothesis, that teachers in the Arab sector are less burnt-out than teachers in the Jewish sector, the opposite was found in this research, Arab teachers feel more burnt-out due to cultural differences.;Teaching as a profession does contribute to burnout. However, there are means and possibilities within schools that can be used to minimize burnout.