THE RELATIONSHIP OF PERSONALITY TYPE TO PERCEIVED LEVELS OF JOB BURNOUT AMONG SECONDARY PRINCIPALS

Abstract

Problem:

The issue of burnout continues to receive a great deal of attention.

Schwab,Gmelch and others have raised concerns about educators and stress and the result of stress in the multidimensional condition of burnout. Educators deal with continually mounting levels of stress and burnout in a world that is rapidly changing and thrusting greater expectations on education. As Barth, Ubben, Smith and other scholars have noted, the principal is called upon to lead educationally in the forefront of this rapid change. In the conceptual framework of Schwab, Gmelch, Whitaker and other researchers, this study is aimed at determining if there are any relationships between levels of burnout and personalities of secondary principals as measured in temperament types. The objectives of this study were threefold. The first was to determine if there were any relationships among secondary principals between perceived levels of burnout as measured in reported subscale levels of Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization,and Personal Accomplishment and the variables of age, sex, grade levels administered, school size, educational level, years of experience, years in the current position, and plans to continue in the principalship. The second objective was to determine if relationships existed between self reported personality traits of secondary principals as measured in temperament types of Sensing-Judging, Sensing-Perceiving, Intuitive-Feeling, or Intuitive-Thinking and the variables of age, sex, grade levels administered, school size, educational level, years of experience, years in the current position, and plans to continue in the principalship. The third objective was to determine if relationships exist among the background variables, personality temperament types, and level of burnout as measured by Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment.

Procedures:

The subjects of this study included all 659 secondary principals in the state of Iowa. The surveys included an informational background questionnaire, the Educators Version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) and the Meyers­ Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI). Both the MBI and the MBTI have been shown to be valid and reliable instruments. The usable respondents totaled 560 for a usable return of 85%.

Findings:

The findings of this study were that intent played a statistically significant role in relationship to levels of Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization experienced by secondary principals. There are also relationships between the temperament types of secondary principals and the variables of sex, levels of education attained, and urban or rural school setting.

Recommendations:

It is a recommended, based on the findings of this study, that further comparative studies be conducted using different measures of personality and burnout or that other aspects of the role of the principalship be studied in relation to levels of burnout.