Contribution of Emotional Exhaustion towards Depersonalization among College Teachers

Background/purpose – The aim of this correlational study was to analyze the contribution of emotional exhaustion towards depersonalization among college teachers.

Materials/methods – All serving teachers in public colleges of Gujranwala division, Pakistan, formed the population of the study, while 400 were randomly selected as the study’s sample. The Maslach Burnout Inventory was adapted to measure emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among teachers, as both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization are two distinct dimensions of burnout. The validity and reliability of the adapted tool to measure emotional exhaustion and depersonalization was assessed through expert opinion and pilot testing (emotional exhaustion α = .83, depersonalization α = .86). Qualitative data were collected through semi-structured interviews in order to triangulate the quantitative data. Pearson r was used to establish the contribution of emotional exhaustion towards depersonalization among teachers.

Results – The correlation results showed that emotional exhaustion significantly contributes towards depersonalization among college teachers. Demographic variables of gender, age, experience, and qualifications were also examined in the context of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among teachers. ANOVA was used to interpret the demographical variables in the context of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among college teachers. The study concluded that gender and age significantly differ in their effects on emotional exhaustion and depersonalization among college teachers, while experience and qualification revealed no significant difference.

Conclusion – Based on the study’s results, the researchers suggests that a conducive working environment constituting cordial interpersonal relationships and a balanced workload should be provided in educational institutions in order to control the factors that can contribute towards emotional exhaustion to avoid depersonalization among college teachers, and so that the performance of college teachers may be improved. The researchers recommend that further studies be undertaken in this field with different and larger populations.

Keywords: Emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, college teachers

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