V.A. Enachescu
In the contemporary global educational milieu, teacher burnout constitutes a pervasive and multifactorial crisis, exerting profound repercussions on the sustainability and efficacy of educational systems worldwide. This article undertakes a comprehensive psychological inquiry aimed at reconceptualizing teacher burnout through an integrative lens that foregrounds the triadic interplay among motivation, resilience, and institutional support. Moving beyond reductive framings that construe burnout solely as emotional exhaustion or depersonalization, the study rigorously interrogates its nuanced etiology and manifestations, situating burnout as a complex psychosocial construct deeply embedded in the dialectics of individual agency and systemic ecology.
The significance of this investigation is underscored by escalating empirical evidence highlighting the alarming prevalence of burnout across diverse pedagogical contexts, exacerbated by unprecedented stressors including global pandemics, shifting policy mandates, and heightened accountability pressures. Such dynamics not only imperil educators’ psychological well-being but also compromise student outcomes and institutional stability, thus warranting urgent scholarly attention and innovative intervention paradigms. This study responds to this exigency by elaborating a theoretically sophisticated framework that synthesizes Self-Determination Theory’s motivational continuum with contemporary conceptualizations of psychological resilience as a dynamic, contextually contingent capacity for adaptive response.
Empirically, the research employs a robust mixed-methods design incorporating longitudinal quantitative analyses of motivational profiles and burnout trajectories among educators, complemented by rich qualitative phenomenological narratives that elucidate the lived realities of resilience and perceived institutional efficacy. The findings illuminate heterogeneity in burnout experiences, revealing distinct motivational orientations—ranging from autonomous to controlled regulation—that critically modulate vulnerability and recovery pathways. Furthermore, the pivotal mediating role of institutional support structures emerges, encompassing transformational leadership, collegial solidarity, and organizational climates that foster psychological safety and professional flourishing.
By reconfiguring teacher burnout as an emergent phenomenon at the nexus of intrapersonal motivation and extrinsic institutional contingencies, this article challenges prevailing deficit-focused paradigms and advocates for systemic, resilience-informed, and motivationally attuned interventions. The discourse advances a transformative vision wherein educational stakeholders collaboratively cultivate enabling environments that not only mitigate burnout but also proactively enhance educators’ sense of purpose, efficacy, and belonging. This paradigm shift carries profound implications for policy design, organizational development, and future research trajectories, ultimately contributing to the fortification of global educational resilience and equity.
Keywords: Teacher burnout, motivational psychology, psychological resilience, institutional efficacy, educational sustainability.