The association between teacher efficacy and teacher burnout expectancy among Swedish student teachers

There are concerns about student teachers starting to develop symptoms of teacher burnout during their teacher education. This makes it important to explore the links between burnout expectancy and teacher self-efficacy among student teachers. Previous research has not yet examined whether student teachers’ current teacher efficacy is associated with their expectancy of burnout as future teachers. The aim of the current study was to examine whether teacher efficacy was associated with teacher burnout expectancy among student teachers. A second aim was to examine whether all three dimensions of teacher efficacy (instruction, classroom management, and student engagement) were associated with teacher burnout expectancy among student teachers. A sample of 548 student teachers at six Swedish universities completed a questionnaire measuring teacher efficacy and teacher burnout expectancy. Findings from regression analyses showed that student teachers who scored higher in self-efficacy for instruction and classroom management tended to report less teacher burnout expectancy.