The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms

Educational Point, 2(2), 2025, e136, https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
Publication date: Dec 23, 2025

ABSTRACT

Teacher burnout has become a critical issue in education, threatening the sustainability of schools by diminishing the well-being and effectiveness of educators. This qualitative study explores the causes, consequences, and potential interventions for teacher burnout through in-depth discussions with eleven participants. The study draws on thematic analysis to uncover key stressors, including excessive workload, lack of administrative support, and systemic pressures. Our findings highlight the impact of burnout on classroom management, teacher-student relationships, and institutional cohesion. The discussion underscores the importance of strategic planning by school districts, emphasizing the need for well-paced, teacher-friendly programming to support educators. The study concludes that reducing administrative burdens and fostering a supportive work environment is essential to mitigating burnout and ensuring a sustainable education system.

KEYWORDS

teacher burnout workload management school leadership educational policy institutional support

CITATION (APA)

Appiah-Odame, E. K., & Frempong, G. (2025). The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms. Educational Point, 2(2), e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
Harvard
Appiah-Odame, E. K., and Frempong, G. (2025). The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms. Educational Point, 2(2), e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
Vancouver
Appiah-Odame EK, Frempong G. The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms. Educational Point. 2025;2(2):e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
AMA
Appiah-Odame EK, Frempong G. The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms. Educational Point. 2025;2(2), e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
Chicago
Appiah-Odame, Eric Kwadwo, and George Frempong. "The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms". Educational Point 2025 2 no. 2 (2025): e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638
MLA
Appiah-Odame, Eric Kwadwo et al. "The Silent Crisis of Teacher Burnout: Systemic Challenges and Coping Mechanisms". Educational Point, vol. 2, no. 2, 2025, e136. https://doi.org/10.71176/edup/17638

REFERENCES

  1. Acheson, K., Taylor, J., & Luna, K. (2016). The burnout spiral: The emotional labor of five rural U.S. Foreign Language Teachers. The Modern Language Journal, 100(2), 522-537. https://doi:10.1111/modl.12333
  2. Appiah-Odame, E. K. (2024). Authentic assessment for motivating student learning and teaching effectiveness in rural, high-need secondary schools in Manitoba, Canada. European Journal of Mathematics and Science Education, 4(4), 93-104. https://doi.org/10.12973/ejmse.5.2.93
  3. Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2024). Job demands–resources theory: Frequently asked questions. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 29(3), 188–200. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000376
  4. Capri, B., & Guler, M. (2018). Evaluation of burnout levels in teachers regarding socio-demographic variables, job satisfaction and general self-efficacy. Eurasian Journal of Educational Research, 18, 1-22. https://doi.org/10.14689/ejer.2018.74.7
  5. Casullo, D. (2012). Leading the high-energy culture: What the best CEOs do to create an atmosphere where employees flourish (1st ed.). McGraw Hill Publications.
  6. Connelly, L. M. (2016). Trustworthiness in qualitative research. Medsurg Nursing: Official Journal of the Academy of Medical-surgical Nurses., 25(6), 435-436. https://doi.org/10.4135/9781071909669.n18
  7. Creswell, J. W., & Creswell. J. D. (2018). Research design: Qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods approach (5th ed.). Sage.
  8. Creswell, J., & Poth, C. (2013). Qualitative inquiry and research design: Choosing among five approaches (4th ed.). Sage Publications.
  9. Cuban, L. (1988). The Managerial imperative and the practice of leadership in schools. New York Press, Albany.
  10. Cypress, B. S. (2017). Rigor or reliability and validity in qualitative research: Perspectives, strategies, reconceptualization, and recommendations. Dimensions of Critical Care Nursing, 36(4), 253-263. https://doi.org/10.1097/DCC.0000000000000253
  11. Dawes, M., Sterrett, B. I., Brooks, D. S., Lee, D. L., Hamm, J. V., & Farmer, T. W. (2024). Enhancing teachers’ capacity to manage classroom behavior as a means to reduce burnout: Directed consultation, supported professionalism, and the BASE Model. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 32(2), 110-123. https://doi.org/10.1177/10634266241235154
  12. Dexter, L. A. (2020). Teacher burnout: Measuring, contributing factors, and prevention [Masterʼs thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/166
  13. Dweck, C., & Yeager, D. (2019). Mindsets: A view from two eras. Perspectives on Psychological Science, 14(3), 481–496. https://doi.org/10.1177/1745691618804166
  14. Ferlazzo, L. (October 22, 2024). Five urgent classroom issues for teachers. Education Week. https://www.edweek.org/teaching-learning/opinion-5-urgent-classroom-issues-for-teachers-according-to-larry ferlazzo/2024/
  15. Freudenberger, H. J. (1971). New psychotherapy approaches teenagers in a new world. Psychotherapy: Theory, Research & Practice, 8(1), 38-43. https://doi.org/10.1037/h0086622
  16. Friedman, I. A. (1991). High- and low-burnout schools: School culture aspects of teacher burnout. The Journal of Educational Research, 84(6), 325–333. https://www.jstor.org/stable/27540438
  17. Fullan, M. (2014). The principal: Three keys to maximizing impact. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  18. Goodwin, B. (2013). A principal’s success requires people’s skills. Educational Leadership, 70(7), 79.
  19. Grise-Owens, E., Miller, J., Escobar-Ratliff, L., & George, N. (2017). Teaching note—teaching self-care and wellness as a professional practice skill: A curricular case example. Journal of Social Work Education, 54(1), 180-186. https://doi.org/10.1080/10437797.2017.1308778
  20. Hargiss, K., Whitman, M., Smith, D., & Appiah-Odame, E. K. (2023). Assessment and evaluation as a catalyst to motivate middle and high school students: The context of rural and urban high-need students. [Doctoral Dissertation, Aspen University]. https://doi.org/10.13140/RG.2.2.27863.89760
  21. Hartigan, B. F. (2017). Mindfulness in teacher education: A constructivist approach to stress reduction for teacher candidates and their students. Childhood Education, 93(2), 153-158. https://doi.org/10.1080/00094056.2017.1300494
  22. Hassan, M., & Mohamed J. H. (2024). Transformational leadership and supply chain performance: A systematic literature review. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 13(3), 550-563. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijoL.2024.60430
  23. Hofstede, G.H. (1991). Cultures and organizations. United Kingdom, UK: McGraw-Hill Books.
  24. Hofstede, G.H. (1997). Cultures and organizations: Software of the mind. New York, NY: McGraw-Hill Books.
  25. Jennings, P. A., Brown, J. L., Frank, J. L., Doyle, S., Oh, Y., Davis, R., Rasheed, D., DeWeese, A., DeMauro, A. A., Cham, H., & Greenberg, M. T. (2017). Impacts of the CARE for Teachers program on teachers’ social and emotional competence and classroom interactions. Journal of Educational Psychology, 109(7), 1010–1028. http://dx.doi.org/10.1037/edu0000187
  26. Joo, J., Ju, R., & Song, J. H. (2024). Which leadership styles matter to subordinates’ knowledge behavior? Focusing on occupational self-efficacy and self-regulatory focus. International Journal of Organizational Leadership, 13(1), 39-58. https://doi.org/10.33844/ijol.2024.60398
  27. Kerr, J., & Yoon, E-S. (2024). Editorial: Repairing and reimagining educational settings: Addressing the barriers to equity in schools and society. Canadian Journal of Education 47(3), i-iv. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.v47i3
  28. Khan, Samia & VanWynsberghe, Robert (2008). Cultivating the Under-Mined: Cross-Case Analysis as Knowledge Mobilization [54 paragraphs]. Forum Qualitative Sozialforschung / Forum: Qualitative Social Research, 9(1), Art. 34, http://nbn-resolving.de/urn:nbn:de:0114-fqs0801348.
  29. Kimama, R. C. W., Onyango, G. A., & Mungai, J. G. (2024). Effects of teachers’ stress and burnout on their professional performance in public secondary schools in Kenya. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 21(02): 705-712. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.21.2.0052
  30. Korstjens, I., & Moser, A. (2017). Series: Practical guidance to qualitative research. Part 4: Trustworthiness and publishing. European Journal of General Practice, 24(1), 120–124. https://doi.org/10.1080/13814788.2017.1375092
  31. Kouzes, J., & Posner, B. (2012). The leadership challenge: How to make extraordinary things happen in organizations. (5th ed.). San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass.
  32. Leedy, P. D., & Ormond, J. E. (2012) Practical research: Planning and design. (10th ed.). New York, NY: McMillan Publishing.
  33. Levinas, E. (2003). Otherwise, than being. In R. Silverstone (ed.), Proper Distance: Towards an ethics for cyberspace (p. 475). MA: MIT Press.
  34. Lussier, R. N., & Achua, C. F. (2016). Leadership: Theory, application, and skill development. (6th ed.). Boston, MA: Cengage
  35. Maslach, C., Jackson, S. E., & Leiter, M. P. (1996). Maslach’s burnout inventory (3rd ed.). Palo Alto, CA: Consulting Psychologists Press.
  36. McMurtry, J. (2024). The “inbred” comment that swayed an election. Woke Watch Canada. https://jimmcmurtry.substack.com/p/the-inbred-comment-that-swayed-an
  37. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2020). Qualitative data analysis: A methods sourcebook. (4th ed.). Thousand Oaks: Sage Publications.
  38. Miles, M. B., Huberman, A. M., & Saldana, J. (2013). Qualitative research design: An interactive approach (Applied Social Research Methods, 3rd ed.). Sage Publications.
  39. Moll, L. C. (2013). L. S. Vygotsky and education. Routledge Publishing. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780203156773
  40. Reid, M., Reid, S., & Eizadirad, A. (2024). Asian educators experiencing the Bamboo Ceiling: A Canadian case study of systemic barriers in hiring, advancement, and promotion. Canadian Journal of Education 47(3), 607-633. https://doi.org/10.53967/cje-rce.6483
  41. Salvagioni, D. A. J., Mesas, A. E., Melanda, F. N., González, A. D., & de Andrade, S. M. (2022). Burnout and long-term sickness absence from the teaching function: A cohort study. Safety and Health at Work, 13(2), 201–206. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.shaw.2022.01.006
  42. Taxer, J. L., Becker-Kurz, B., & Frenzel, A. C. (2018). Do quality teacher–student relationships protect teachers from emotional exhaustion? The mediating role of enjoyment and anger. Social Psychology of Education, 22(1), 209-226. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-018-9468-4
  43. Tomas, M. A. S. (2024). Factors influencing fast turnover of teachers: Impact on personnel’s satisfaction. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 24(2), 1676-1685. https://doi.org/10.30574/wjarr.2024.24.2.3507
  44. Vygotsky, L.S. (1978). Mind in society: The development of higher mental processes. M. Cole, V. John-Steiner, & E. Souberman (Eds. & Trans.). Harvard University Press.
  45. Whitaker, T., Casas, J., & Zoul, J. (2015). What connected educators do differently. New York, NY: Routledge Books.
  46. Xue, D., Sun, B., Li, W., Zhou, H., Ding, F., & Xiao, W. (2023). The symptom network structure of teachers' burnout and its connection to psychological capital. Psychology Research and Behavior Management, 16, 3503–3518. https://doi.org/10.2147/PRBM.S421932

LICENSE

Creative Commons License
This is an open access article distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution License which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.