Work Environment and Burnout of Physical Education Teachers

This paper presents an analysis of the nature of physical education teaching and reports a study of work environment factors relating to burnout in a sample of physical education teachers in Israel. Based on teachers’ responses to a questionnaire, a factor analysis of 80 items describing work conditions found 15 factors to explain 57% of the variance in the work environment. In a multiple regression of all variables in the model on burnout, none of the personal or occupational variables entered the equation. However, 3 of 15 factors describing work conditions affected teacher burnout: Low Remuneration (β = .359), Bureaucratic Limitations (β =211), and Role Limitations (β = .204). These factors include some items common to all teachers but also point at some problems related to the unique nature of physical education teaching, such as social isolation, role conflict, lack of diverse activities, and lack of opportunity for self-development.