Longitudinal study reveals distinct burnout trends across dimensions in early career STEM teachers, highlighting the need for targeted support based on experience stage.
Support is an important buffer against the effects of burnout for early career teachers. Yet, little is known about how burnout trends change over time for teachers in their first 5 years in the profession. This paper focuses on the burnout trends and explanations of early career science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) teachers over 2 years. The participants were 27 early career STEM teachers in the United States grouped into novice (1–2 years teaching experience) and advanced beginner (>2 years teaching experience) career stages. Data sources included three burnout surveys, a pre-interview, and an end-of-year interview each year of the study. Results revealed differences in trends, depending on the burnout dimension and group. The qualitative data offered explanations for changes in each of the burnout dimensions. The study provides a window into STEM teaching stories that affect teacher burnout, highlighting the nuances of burnout for early career teachers.
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Navy et al. (2026) studied this question.
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