Date of Award

7-1999

Document Type

Dissertation

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

Department

Teaching & Learning

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify burnout levels of full-time faculty holding rank of assistant, associate, or full professor in three categories of institutions in North Dakota. The three categories comprised eight North Dakota public colleges and universities. Specifically the research questions were: (1) What level of burnout exists among full-time, postsecondary faculty? (2) Are there differences in burnout levels by rank among full-time, postsecondary faculty? (3) Are there differences in burnout levels of full-time faculty members by category of institution? (4) Are there differences in burnout levels by certain demographic variables?

After a telephone pre-contact was made to solicit participation, a cover letter, demographic data sheet, and the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES) were sent to 350 faculty members in the North Dakota University System. Three hundred thirty-six responses (or 96%) were returned. Of these, 306 (or 87%) were complete and usable.

Data analysis included descriptive and inferential statistics. The One-Way Analysis of Variance technique and the Tukey's procedure were run.

As a group, the North Dakota sample were found to have a significantly higher burnout level on all three of the MBI-ES sub-scales (Emotional Exhaustion, Depersonalization, and Personal Accomplishment) than the national average. Associate professors had a significantly higher Depersonalization score than full and assistant professors. No statistically significant differences in burnout levels were found by category of institution.

Significant differences in burnout levels by age, highest degree, and perceived pressure to engage in publishing or creative production occurred. Faculty age group 40–49 had a significantly higher Emotional Exhaustion and Depersonalization score than age group over 50. Faculty with doctoral degrees were significantly lower in their Personal Accomplishment score than those with masters degrees. Finally, faculty who indicated that they felt pressure to be involved in scholarly activity had a significantly higher score on Emotional Exhaustion than those who reported no pressure.

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