Impact of safety in the educational environment on professional burnout among teachers

Introduction. Professional burnout among teachers is a growing concern in modern education, leading to job dissatisfaction and reduced professional longevity. The safety of the educational environment is recognized as a crucial factor affecting the teacher’s well-being but its connection with burnout components remains understudied. This article aims at studying the relationship between the components of professional burnout and indicators of the safety of the educational environment. Materials and methods. Design: correlational study Methods: K. Maslach Professional Burnout Questionnaire (MBI), Method for assessing the safety of the educational environment for teachers according to I.A. Baeva, methods of mathematical statistics (descriptive statistics, Pearson correlation analysis. Subjects; 42 secondary school teachers, women, random selection from 2 regions of Russia, average age: 42.2 + 13.09 years. KEYWORDS Results. It was shown that a decrease in the safety of the educational environment leads to the development of symptoms of emotional exhaustion (r=-0.609, p<0.01) and a reduction in the teacher’s professional achievements (r=0.414, p<0.05). It was found that emotional exhaustion is associated with: 1) teachers’ relationships with their colleagues and superiors (r=-0.405, p<0.05), 2) self-respect (r=-0.716, p<0.01), 3) preservation of personal dignity (r=-0.548, p<0.01), 4) protection from violence from colleagues and administration (r=-0.426, p<0.01). Depersonalization is associated with 1) a respectful attitude towards oneself (r=-0.395, p<0.05). A reduction in professional achievements is associated with: 1) teachers’ relationships with their colleagues and superiors (r=0.338, p<0.05), 2) respectful attitude towards oneself (r=0.389, p<0.05), 3) preservation of personal dignity (r=0.512, p<0.01), 4) protection from violence from colleagues and administration (r=0.437, p<0.01). Of the indicators of attitude towards the educational environment, the greatest influence on burnout is exerted by: the emotional component (the teacher no longer likes his work and the behavioral component (the teacher wants to quit); the cognitive component (the general idea of work as a way of self-realization) is not associated with burnout. Conclusions. Teacher professional burnout is more influenced by unsatisfactory relationships with colleagues and administration than relationships with students. Creating a positive school climate and strengthening teachers' ability to express opinions and make decisions can help prevent burnout and increase professional longevity. These findings highlight the importance of a safe educational environment as a resource for teacher well-being and retention in the profession.