Addressing Burnout Among University Faculty with Mindfulness Practices and Activities: Preliminary Study

Workplace burnout, a growing concern in academic contexts, negatively affects student outcomes, teacher satisfaction, and teaching quality, often leading to disengagement and attrition. Recent research highlights mindfulness practices as an effective tool to mitigate burnout. This preliminary study involved eight full-time university faculty members participating in a one-month mindfulness program addressing burnout-related experiences using library-provided mindfulness activities. Participants completed pre- and post-program surveys assessing six aspects of burnout: exhaustion, cynicism, detachment, ineffectiveness, lack of accomplishment, and stress/anxiety. Data was analyzed using the Wilcoxon sign-rank test, revealing statistically significant differences between pre- and post- program survey scores in feelings of lack of accomplishment. While improvements in post- program survey scores were noted in all burnout aspects, statistical significance could not be determined. The study’s findings suggest mindfulness practices can positively impact faculty’s experience of aspects of burnout, and support the need for a larger-scale study to further validate them.