The aim of this study is to determine whether there are significant differences in the burnout levels of high school teachers in the province of Mersin based on gender, professional seniority, age, and educational level. In line with the stated objective, the following research questions were addressed:
1. Do the burnout levels of high school teachers in Mersin significantly differ according to the gender variable?
2. Do the burnout levels of high school teachers in Mersin significantly differ according to the professional seniority variable?
3. Do the burnout levels of high school teachers in Mersin significantly differ according to the age variable?
4. Do the burnout levels of high school teachers in Mersin significantly differ according to the educational level variable?
This study is a descriptive research since it aims to identify the current situation as it is. Therefore, a general survey model was used. The study population consists of 9,495 high school teachers working in high schools in the province of Mersin. The research was conducted during the 2022–2023 academic year. A total of 825 participants were selected from the existing population using a simple random sampling method and constituted the sample group of the study. In this study, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) was used. The MBI is a scale developed by Maslach and Jackson (1981) and adapted into Turkish by Ergin (1992) to determine the burnout levels of participating teachers. The scale consists of 22 items related to teacher burnout. These 22 items are divided into 3 sub-dimensions: 9 items belong to the emotional exhaustion sub-dimension (items 1, 2, 3, 6, 8, 13, 14, 16, 20); 8 items belong to the personal accomplishment sub-dimension (items 4, 7, 9, 12, 17, 18, 19, 21); and 5 items belong to the depersonalization sub-dimension (items 5, 10, 11, 15, 22). The scale uses a five-point Likert rating. The sub-dimensions “emotional exhaustion” and “depersonalization” include negative expressions, whereas the “personal accomplishment” sub-dimension includes positive expressions. The items are coded as follows: 1 – Never, 2 – Rarely, 3 – Sometimes, 4 – Often, and 5 – Always. A high score in the emotional exhaustion and depersonalization subscales indicates a high level of burnout, while a low score in the personal accomplishment subscale indicates a high level of burnout. Based on the assumption that the intervals between the scale options are equal (4/5), the response categories were defined as follows (Olgun, 2005): Never = 1.00–1.80; Rarely = 1.81–2.60; Sometimes = 2.61–3.40; Often = 3.41–4.20; Always = 4.21–5.00. Since the values were found to be normally distributed, parametric tests such as the t-test and one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA) were used. Mean and standard deviation were employed to calculate teachers' perceptions.
FINDINGS
According to the gender variable, the mean perception scores of teachers significantly differed in all sub-dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion [t(823) = 12.008; p < .001], depersonalization [t(823) = 11.903; p < .001], and personal accomplishment [t(823) = 11.011; p < .001]. The findings revealed that male teachers had a higher level of burnout in the emotional exhaustion sub-dimension (Χ = 3.47) compared to female teachers (Χ = 3.21); the burnout level of male teachers in this dimension falls within the "often" range, while that of female teachers falls within the "sometimes" range. Similarly, male teachers’ depersonalization level (Χ = 3.51) was higher than that of female teachers (Χ = 3.24); male teachers fell into the "often" category, while female teachers fell into the "sometimes" category in this dimension as well. However, in the personal accomplishment sub-dimension, female teachers had a higher average score (Χ = 3.71) than male teachers (Χ = 3.11); the average score of female teachers falls within the "often" range, whereas male teachers fall into the "sometimes" range. These results indicate that male teachers perceive themselves as less pe According to the seniority variable, the mean perception scores of teachers significantly differed across all sub-dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion [F = 3.107; p < .001], depersonalization [F = 3.145; p < .001], and personal accomplishment [F = 3.183; p < .001]. The findings showed that teachers with 1–10 years of experience had higher levels of emotional exhaustion (Χ = 3.65) compared to those with 11–20 years (Χ = 3.38) and 21 years or more (Χ = 3.12) of experience. In the emotional exhaustion sub-dimension, burnout levels for teachers with 1–10 years of experience fall into the “often” range, while those for teachers with 11–20 years and 21+ years fall into the “sometimes” range. This indicates that emotional exhaustion decreases as seniority increases. Similarly, in the depersonalization sub-dimension, teachers with 1–10 years of experience had higher burnout levels (Χ = 3.63) than those with 11–20 years (Χ = 3.37) and 21+ years (Χ = 3.09); again, burnout levels decreased with increasing seniority. For both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, results of the Tukey HSD test indicated significant differences between all groups, with the difference favoring teachers with 1–10 years of experience. In the personal accomplishment sub-dimension, teachers with 11–20 years and 21+ years of experience had average scores within the “often” range, while those with 1–10 years fell within the “sometimes” range. This suggests that teachers with greater seniority perceive themselves as more successful than those with less experience. Therefore, teachers with 1–10 years of experience also exhibited higher burnout in this dimension. The results confirm that burnout in the personal accomplishment dimension also decreases as seniority increases. According to the Tukey HSD test results for this sub-dimension, there were significant differences among all groups, with the difference favoring teachers with 21 or more years of experience.
According to the age variable, the mean perception scores of teachers significantly differed across all sub-dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion [F = 3.141; p < .001], depersonalization [F = 3.203; p < .001], and personal accomplishment [F = 3.251; p < .001]. The findings indicated that teachers in the 22–30 age group had higher levels of emotional exhaustion (Χ = 3.70) than those in the 31–40 (Χ = 3.61), 41–50 (Χ = 3.32), and 51 and above (Χ = 3.01) age groups. In the emotional exhaustion dimension, teachers aged 22–30 and 31–40 fell into the “often” category, while those aged 41–50 and 51 and above fell into the “sometimes” category. This shows that as teachers’ age increases, their emotional exhaustion decreases. Similarly, in the depersonalization dimension, teachers in the 22–30 age group had higher burnout levels (Χ = 3.73) compared to those in the 31–40 (Χ = 3.65), 41–50 (Χ = 3.29), and 51 and above (Χ = 2.99) age groups. Teachers in the 22–30 and 31–40 age groups scored within the “often” range, while those in the 41–50 and 51+ age groups scored within the “sometimes” range. As age increases, depersonalization levels decrease. Tukey HSD test results for both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization revealed significant differences between the 22–30 and 31–40 age groups and the 41–50 and 51+ age groups, with the differences favoring the younger age groups. On the other hand, in the personal accomplishment dimension, teachers in the 41–50 and 51+ age groups had average scores in the “often” range, whereas those in the 22–30 and 31–40 age groups fell into the “sometimes” range. This suggests that teachers aged 41 and above perceive themselves as more successful than younger teachers, indicating lower levels of burnout. Therefore, burnout levels in the personal accomplishment dimension decrease as age increases. According to the results of the Tukey HSD test for this dimension, there were significant differences between the 41–50 and 51+ age groups and the 22–30 and 31–40 age groups, with the difference favoring the older age groups.
According to the education level variable, the mean perception scores of teachers significantly differed across all sub-dimensions of burnout: emotional exhaustion [t(823) = 14.137; p < .001], depersonalization [t(823) = 14.306; p < .001], and personal accomplishment [t(823) = 14.009; p < .001]. The findings revealed that teachers with a bachelor’s degree had higher emotional exhaustion levels (Χ = 3.54) compared to those with a postgraduate degree (Χ = 3.18); the burnout level of bachelor’s degree holders in this sub-dimension falls within the “often” range, while that of postgraduate degree holders falls within the “sometimes” range. Similarly, in the depersonalization sub-dimension, teachers with a bachelor’s degree had higher burnout levels (Χ = 3.57) than those with a postgraduate degree (Χ = 3.16); again, bachelor’s degree holders scored within the “often” range, whereas postgraduate degree holders scored within the “sometimes” range. On the other hand, in the personal accomplishment sub-dimension, the average score of teachers with a postgraduate degree (Χ = 4.02) was higher than that of teachers with a bachelor’s degree (Χ = 3.34); postgraduate degree holders scored within the “often” range, while bachelor’s degree holders scored within the “sometimes” range. These findings indicate that teachers with only a bachelor’s degree perceive themselves as less personally accomplished, which leads to higher levels of burnout in this dimension.