Burnout among Head Teachers of Public Primary Schools: The Existence of the Three Dimensions in Kakamega County, Kenya

International Journal of Research and Innovation in Social Science (IJRISS) | Volume III, Issue X, October 2019 | ISSN 2454–6186

Burnout among Head Teachers of Public Primary Schools: The Existence of the Three Dimensions in Kakamega County, Kenya

Ambunya Lawrence Omollo¹, Dr Otieno Kenneth²

¹Research Student, Department of Educational Psychology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya
²Department of Educational Psychology, Masinde Muliro University of Science and Technology, Kenya

Abstract:- Research has shown that role conflict and role ambiguity are associated with burnout among head teachers of public schools and educators in generas beel.Burnout has be documented to exist in three distinct dimensions-Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization and reduced Personal Accomplishment. A quantitative study of head teachers was done to establish the existence of different dimensions of burnout. The study was based on Role Stress Theory, Existential Theory, and the Sociological Burnout Theory. Descriptive and Correlation survey designs; simple random, stratified and purposive sampling techniques were used to carry out the study. Data was collected using the role questionnaire, Maslach Burnout Inventory-Education Survey and a semi-structured interview schedule. A pilot study was conducted prior to the main study to ascertain the validity and reliability of the instruments. The target population was 855 while the study sampled 261 head teachers. The head teachers completed the Eclectic Questionnaire and an in-depth interview was conducted among the head teachers and 12 Sub-County Quality Assurance Officers (SQUASO). Data analysis was guided by the study objective. Descriptive statistics were used to describe the study sample. A one- tailed sample t-test was conducted to establish the presence of the three dimensions of burnout.. The Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 26.0 was used to analyze the data. Data has been presented in tabular form and discussed. The three dimensions of burnout were found to be present and statistically significant. The recommendations made from the findings of the study may be useful in policy formulation on intervention strategies to burnout among head teachers of Public Primary Schools particularly in Kakamega County.

Key Words: Burnout, Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, Personal Accomplishment

I. INTRODUCTION

Compared to other professions, teaching is a sensitive and chanceful profession to burnout (Innstrand, Langballe, Falkum, & Aasland, 2011) It is perceived as the number one reason for the increased rate of premature retirement of teachers due to psychosomatic disorders and symptoms (BauerJ, Stamm, Virnich, Wissing, Muller, Wirsching, & Schaarschmidt, 2006).

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