A mixed-methods exploration of Northern Irish primary school teachers’ experience of stress and burnout within the context of the school environment

This study explored the school environmental factors impacting upon stress and burnout in primary school teachers in Northern Ireland. Additionally, the potential role of the Educational Psychologist in supporting teacher wellbeing was explored. An explanatory sequential mixed-methods design was utilised. In phase one, participants(n = 172) completed an online survey comprising the ‘Maslach Burnout Inventory– Educators Survey’ (Maslach et al., 2018) assessing level of burnout, and the ‘Areas of Worklife Survey’ (Leiter & Maslach, 2000) assessing ‘what’ in the work environment may contribute to burnout. In phase two, teachers (n = 10)participated in semi-structured interviews, analysed using reflexive thematic analysis. Findings are presented and discussed in relation to existing literature. Implications for practice are considered and directions for future research are presented.