Teacher burnout and its impact on student academic achievement and classroom behavior

The body of the paper must be a minimum of 2,500 and a maximum of 3,000 words. Do not surpass 3,000 words. Writing concisely is an important part of academic writing. If the paper exceeds 3,000 words, you will be asked to revise it and condense it to meet the requirement. There must be a title page, abstract, and reference list in addition to the headings and information in the paper. The “body of the paper” does not include the title, abstract, or reference pages. The paper must be written in current APA format and include a minimum of 15 scholarly references. Ten of the 15 scholarly references must be current (published within the past five years). All additional references should be no older than 10 years. All sections of the paper, other than the Abstract, must include in-text citations. Your paper must include the information outlined below. The entire document must be double-spaced, and all headings should be in bold font. No more than one block quote (direct quote of 40+ words) and no more than 3 shorter direct quotes are to be used in this paper other than in the Definitions of Key Terms and the Biblical Worldview section. Direct quotes may be used for the definitions of the terms and for scripture in those sections. The approximate number of pages for each section of the paper is in parentheses after the explanation of what should be in the section. 1. Title Page- The title page must be the current APA professional version of the title page. The title summarizes the paper and its focus. Your title should be in this format: The Impact of ____________ on __________. 2. Abstract- The abstract is a short paragraph summarizing the major elements in the related literature section of the paper to give the reader an idea of important information in the paper. The abstract must be 150 words. The abstract should be double-spaced, the first line is not indented, and it should be on page 2. No other information should be included on this page. The body of the paper should start on page 3. It is usually helpful to write the abstract after the body of the paper has been written. Avoid citing references in the abstract. Keywords used in the paper should be written under the abstract. Indent and italicize the word Keywords. These should be the words defined in the paper’s Definitions section. 3. Introduction-No heading should be at the top of this page. This section introduces the topic that will be developed throughout the paper. You may use information from the Course Project: Develop a Topic Assignment that you completed earlier in the course; however, you will not be able to simply copy and paste from it because you have probably found more information in the references you have annotated for this paper. Explain the importance of the topic and give a broad overview of the problem. Clarify the learning theory that aligns with the topic and the importance it has in the field of education. The introduction should end with your thesis statement. (1-1 1/2 pages) 4. Headings-To ensure that your paper meets the requirements of the grading rubric, the following elements must be clearly identified with headings. Remember, there is no heading for the introduction. a. Definitions of Key Terms – This section immediately follows your paper’s introduction. This will be a numbered list of terms pertinent to the information in the paper. Each term will be indented and placed in italics. A dash should follow each term with the definition stated beside it. All definitions must be supported with a scholarly reference. Dictionary definitions are not acceptable. (1/2-1 page) Example:   1. Collaboration - A process among partners who share mutual goals and work together to make decisions (Barnes et al., 2021). 2.  Extrinsic motivation - The desire to engage in an activity as a means to an end that is driven by external rewards (Schunk, 2020).   3. Intrinsic motivation - The desire to engage in an activity for no apparent reward except task engagement itself (Schunk, 2020).   b. Related Literature – In this section, you will explain the information about the topic that you have found in the references you annotated in the Course Project: Annotated Bibliography Assignments. You may use other references in addition to the 15 that you annotated. None should be over 10 years old, and most should be recent and published within the past five years. You may end up using several that were not in your annotated bibliographies because you found other information in other references that you used in place of these. Begin this section with a short introductory paragraph introducing the three themes that will be the Level 2 headings in this section. This will be written directly under the Related Literature Heading. This paragraph must be at least 3-5 sentences long. Under this paragraph, your first level 2 heading will be written. You have read many different articles and studies about your topic and have determined three themes.  For example, say you have conducted a literature review on student engagement.  As you searched the literature, you discovered specific points (themes) in the research studies you reviewed that impacted student engagement.  The themes that were discovered include:  • Years of Teaching Experience • Administration Support of Teaching • Use of Technology These themes will be the Level 2 headings in your paper. The Related Literature section is the only section where Level 2 headings are needed. There should be three level 2 headings in this section, which should be the paper's longest section. You may add additional level 2 headings, but the paper cannot exceed 3,000 words. Level 2 headings help structure and organize the information for the reader. In these sections, under the level 2 headings, synthesize the references you used in your annotated bibliographies to show that several references support your points about the topic. When you synthesize the references, you will combine information from what different experts in the field have published about your topic. Do not write a summary of one reference at a time as you did in the annotated bibliographies, but rather, show that several references support a specific point. Synthesize or combine that information together. Citing multiple references in an in-text citation will give more validation to the statements being cited. To cite multiple citations in a parenthetical citation, separate each with a semicolon. (4-6 pages) c. Learning Theory Association - Identify one learning theory you have read about in the Schunk text that serves as the foundation for your topic. Explain the theory and identify the primary theorist responsible for the theory at the beginning of this section. Following this explanation, explain why this theory was chosen and how it connects/aligns with your specific topic throughout the rest of the section. You need to use references in this section in addition to the textbook. Find information in other references and discuss the theorist. There must be sources in addition to the textbook in this section. (1 1/2-2 pages) d. Gaps in the Research - Explain what areas of your topic that researchers have explained still need further study. (Usually, this can be found in the very last section of academic journal articles, labeled “future research). Citations must be used in this section. (1-2 pages) e. Biblical Worldview - Provide the biblical worldview perspective on the topic. Explain why the topic is important as it relates to scripture and your biblical worldview. Offer alternative ideas that incorporate a solid biblical worldview perspective. The use of scripture is appropriate in this section. (1-2 pages) f. Conclusion -Your conclusion should bring the paper to a close and should reiterate the most important points that have been discussed. No new information should be included. It should be no longer than 250 words. 5. References - Use the scholarly references that you used in the annotated bibliographies. Include at least 15 scholarly references, and make sure at least 10 of those references are recent and have been published in the past five years. Additional references should be no older than 10 years.   Introduction A. Introduce the topic. 1. I will define how teacher burnout negatively affects students' classroom behavior and achievement downstream. 2. I will address many current administrative practices, school policies, and large-scale workplace procedures that worsen teacher stress. B. Importance of the topic. 1. I will explain why this topic is important and why it is significant to the field of education. 2. I will touch on any earlier attempts by school districts to address teacher wellness. II. Definitions of Key Terms A. Teacher burnout B. Academic Achievement C. Emotional exhaustion D. Personalization E. Teacher self-efficacy F. Classroom climate III. Related Literature A.The Causes and Presentation of Teacher Burnout 1. I will describe what the current literature says about the leading causes of teacher burnout. 2. I will include examples of how burnt-out teachers act while in school. B. Detrimental teacher 1. I will address how teacher burnout causes teachers to teach less effectively by providing examples of poor instructional practices. 2. I will provide descriptions on how burnout causes teachers to have less of a relationship with their students and students to have more behavior problems. C. Measurable student outcomes 1. I will explain student behaviors that are caused by stress. 2. I will provide information on how special education teachers feel about this responsibility. D. Teacher Turnover in the Classroom 1. I will explain how teacher turnover and absenteeism are caused by teacher burnout. 2. I will give information on the effects on student achievement. . IV. Learning Theory Association A. I will share two different learning theories that connect to teacher burnout and negatively affect student achievement. B. I will explain how teachers who experience burnout have their psychological needs threatened, which lowers their productivity in teaching. V. Gaps in the Research A. I will discuss the need for more in-depth research on the long-term recovery of student achievement following burnout. B. I will share more research on separating the effects of teacher burnout in high-poverty urban schools from those in low-poverty suburban schools. VI. Biblical Worldview A. I will explain that teacher burnout should not be tolerated by those who call themselves Christ followers. School managers need to stop spreading their employees so thin and focus on taking care of the employees they have. I will explain how we can go to the Bible to learn how to practice healthy boundaries and rest. B. I will provide verses that directly tell us to regularly rest and restore ourselves, as found in Matthew 11:28-30 and Galatians 6:9. VII. Conclusion A. I will restate my topic and summarize the paper by explaining the main ideas from my research. B. I will clearly state that teachers' mental wellness can impact their students' academic achievement. VIII. References A. I will provide a reference page with full APA formatting for every source I use in my paper. B. There will be 15 citations, 10 of which will be current and come from peer-reviewed journals published between 2021 and 2026. . Agyapong, B., Obuobi-Donkor, G., Burback, L., & Wei, Y. (20 22). Stress, burnout, anxiety, and depression among teachers: A scoping review—International Journal of Environmental Research and Public Health , 19 (17) , 10 706. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph191710706 Teacher stressors and burnout, anxiety symptoms, and depressive mood were analyzed in teachers across the world. This review discusses the factors at school and teacher level contribute to poor teacher mental health. Study results show that teachers rank high on job-related stress and symptoms of poor mental health. Teacher mental health is suffering due to large workload, lack of administrative support, and poor students. Researchers concluded that if teacher burnout continues to be ignored by school leaders, teacher retention and classroom quality will decline. Schools should try to better teacher mental health by implementing mental health programs and resources. Organization should support teachers by creating policy. I chose this source because it helps support my topic by showing how teacher mental health can impact the classroom environment. Ansley, B. M., Varjas, K., & Roach, A. T. (20 21). The relationship between teacher stress, burnout, and student workshops: Implications for school administrators. Journal of Education and Human Development, 10 (2), 45–56. https://doi.org/10.3 102/00.34 65432513 32919. This article researched teacher stress and burnout had on student workshops. The researchers tried to decide how teacher well-being affects school programming and provide solutions. Study results show burnt out teachers who experienced emotional exhaustion ran poor student workshops. Burnt out teachers have trouble helping active learning and engaging students. If teachers are stressed it is harder for them to conduct workshops to engage students. Administrators should work to decrease teachers’ stress before trying to increase student engagement. I chose this source because it showed that when teachers are burnt out, they are not able to help their students become engaged, even if the school tries to provide workshops that will interest their students. Benita, M., Hamish, D., Katzir, T., & Lipka, O. (20 25). Teacher emotional exhaustion and students’ emotions in reading comprehension and achievement: Looking for connections? Educational Psychology Scientific Studies of Reading, 29 ( 2), 161–180. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888438.2024.2432262 This study was conducted to show the direct and indirect relationships between teachers' emotional exhaustion and student’s emotions during reading comprehension. The researchers wanted to know if teachers who had emotional outbreaks effect their student’s ability to learn. Study results show that students who had emotionally exhausted teachers scored lower on reading tests and reported higher negative emotions. Students were impacted by their teacher's emotional state if their teacher felt emotionally exhausted that day students’ cognition was lower and negative emotions were higher. Teachers emotions can shape the classroom environment and impact students learning and emotions. I chose this source because it connects teachers emotions to their students' reading levels. Gilmour, A. F., Sandilos, L. E., Pilny, W. V., Schwartz, S., & Wehby, J. H. (20 22). Teaching students with emotional/behavioral disorders: Teachers’ burnout profiles and classroom management practices. Journal of Emotional and Behavioral Disorders, 30 ( 1), 16–28. http://dx.doi.org/10.1177/10634266211020258 Researchers wanted to research how teachers that worked with emotionally disturbed students were impacted by teacher burnout. Study analyzed how burnt-out teachers practiced classroom management on their students. Study results show that burnt-out teachers used less proactive classroom management and more reactive coercive strategies. Burnt out teachers allow more student behaviors and cause less instructional time. I picked this article because it showed that when teachers are stressed it causes students to be less engaged. Harding, S., Evans, R., Morris, R., Gunnell, D., Ford, T., Hollingworth, W., Tilling, K., Bell, S., Grey, J., Brockman, R., Campbell, R., Araya, R., Murphy, S., & Kidger, J. (2019). Is teachers’ mental health and wellbeing associated with students’ mental health and wellbeing? Journal of Affective Disorders, 242, 180–187. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jad.2018.08.080 Research looked at teachers mental health and if it had any direct relationships with their student's mental well-being. Research used multi-cluster modeling to research the data collected from students and their teachers. Results show that teachers who had better well-being had students with higher well-being and lower levels of psychological distress. Teachers who had elevated levels of depression and low job satisfaction had students with lower emotional well-being. Teacher presentment and poor teacher-student relationships are the main factors that affect students when teacher are in distress. Madigan, D. J., & Kim, L. E. (20 21). Does teacher burnout affect students? A systematic review of its association with increased student anxiety and lower academic achievement. Educational Research Review, 33, 100387. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.edurev.2021.100387 Reviewed studies from around the world to see if teacher burnout had any effect on students. Researchers wanted to know if teacher burnout had any direct relationship with students' academic achievement and anxiety at school. Results show that teachers who suffered from burnout had students that scored lower on academics and higher on anxiety measurements. Teacher burnout doesn’t just affect the teacher’s mental health but the student’s as well. I chose this article because it gave me information on how teacher burnout affects students. Sokal, L., Trudel, L. E., & Babb, J. (20 20). Supporting teachers in times of change: The impact of administrative responsiveness on teacher burnout and pedagogical quality. International Journal of Educational Research Open, 1, 100008. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ijedro.2020.100008 Study researched how teacher felt when their administration supports them and how it affected their burnout and quality of teaching. They wanted to find if there were school factors that could help decrease teacher stress and burnout. Results concluded that teachers who felt as if their administration responded to their needs by giving them prompt and effective support. They felt less tired and had higher teaching efficacy. If school administration is not supportive of their teacher's teacher burnout will occur faster and quality of teaching decreases. School administrators play a big role on student's classroom experiences by supporting their teachers. I chose this source because it showed that if teachers are burnt out they are unable to give their students a quality education. Wei, X., Kuusisto, E., & Tirri, K. (20 23). The role of teacher pedagogical well-being in student academic engagement and performance: A longitudinal analysis. Frontiers in Psychology, 14, 11245.90. https// doi: 10.33 89/f psy g.20 23.1205 179. Researchers wanted to study teachers' pedagogical well-being had on students academic engagement and performance throughout the school year. They studied to see how teacher’s changing stress levels had an effect on their students. Results from this study show that teachers pedagogical well-being had positive effects on student engagement and academic achievement. However students who’s teacher’s were stressed had lower levels of motivation and achievement. Teacher stress causes students to be less engaged and have lower academic achievement. Herman, K. C., Prewett, S. L., & Reinke, W. M. (2022). Profiles of K-12 teacher stress and burnout: Implications for student academic and behavioral trajectories. Journal of School Psychology, 92, 112-127. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jsp.2022.04.002 The purpose of this study was to follow selected classrooms over 1 year to examine how teacher stress levels affect student performance. Researchers divided teachers within schools into distinct psychological groups according to their levels of job burnout. The researchers found that teachers who ranked high on the long-term burnout scales consistently reported reduced feelings of overall effectiveness during class time. This decrease in productivity was linked to decreased achievement test scores in mathematics and reading for their classes. Furthermore, classrooms taught by burned out teachers seemed to have a higher incidence of student disciplinary problems and overall off-task behavior during the year. I found this article helpful because it provided hard data that shows how systemic teacher burnout can negatively affect student academic progress and classroom management. Mesh, G., Rivas, J., & Chan, R. (2025). Effects of teacher burnout on student achievement. Revista El Labrador: Artículos y Ensayos Académicos , 10 (3), 219-232. https://doi.org/10.61285/r.e.l.-uisil.v10i03.200 This scholarly source explores the side-effects teacher burnout has on pupils’ educational inspiration, classroom involvement, and end-of-quarter scores. The authors claim that severe job-related stress can affect the teacher’s mindset and enthusiasm when it comes to working towards daily academic goals. Research collected demonstrates that teachers who are extremely drained and overworked tend to be more rigid in their lesson plans and unable to develop a mentor-like connection with students. These students then take on this loss of concentration and feel as though their interest in learning has plummeted as well. The article states that when teachers are overwhelmed with school tasks and lack institutional support they experience burnout, which at once impacts students by decreasing their test scores. I found this source to be useful to my research because it describes how a teacher losing motivation can cause students to lose understanding of the lesson. Burleigh, C., & Wilson, T. (20 23). Forced isolation in an era of inclusion with U.S. K–12 public school educators: Impact on mental health and wellness. Journal of Educational Research and Practice, 13 (1), 45-60. https://doi.org/10.5590/JERAP.2023.13.1.04 This quantitative research examines how rising education expectations and teacher shortage impact professional stress and job burnout in K-12 public education teachers. The researchers found that if public school teachers work while under constant mental pressure, it depletes their internal socio-emotional intelligence. These burnt-out teachers begin to lack confidence in their ability to teach and cannot adjust coursework for students who learn at distinct levels. Researchers associate this decline in educator morale with increasing student achievement gaps and drop rates in fundamental courses. I found this source significant to my topic because it helps solidify my belief that safeguarding an educator’s work environment is one thing necessary before we can see student growth. This source shows me that if we as leaders continue to overlook faculty fatigue, we are doing a disservice to students by creating poor performances and failures. Nguyen, H. T., Baxter, A., & Sullivan, M. (2023). Dual engines of equity: How restorative and continuous planning drive accessible learning. International Journal of Educational Research, 118, Article 102145. https://doi.org/10.54922/IJEHSS.2026.1273 The article provides information on how schools should plan to level the playing field in their classrooms. There are two types of planning discussed within the article. Restorative planning closes achievement gaps from previous educational inequities students have faced while continuous planning involves revising schools’ goals to address students’ needs. The article discusses how these two types of planning benefit students who have been left behind. The article was written using information collected from various districts throughout schools. The author states that when teachers understand these concepts, they can create classrooms where all students feel welcome. I found this article extremely helpful because it goes along with my research topic on school reform. Not only did it provide me with information on school reform, but it also gave me real life examples of what can be done to help students. This source will be beneficial to my research because it gives valid evidence of how equity when planned can create student success. Granziera, H., Martin, A. J., & Collie, R. J. (20 23). Teacher well-being and student achievement: A multilevel analysis. Social Psychology of Education, 26 (2), 279–291. https://doi.org/10.1007/s11218-022-09751-1 The title and purpose of this article is to see if there is a correlation between group level teacher burnout and student achievement. To test their hypothesis, they used multilevel structural equation modeling (quantitative surveys and test scores) from 39 elementary schools and 486 teachers. This research sought to see if school-level burnout influenced the average achievement of that school literacy and math scores. They concluded that there is a significant correlation between school level teacher burnout and overall student achievement. Schools with higher levels of teacher burnout had lower levels of student achievement. Students with burnt out teachers are learning less, as demonstrated on average by their scores. This article shows me quantifiable evidence that burnout isn’t just an individual risk to assess. But an organizational problem that is hurting our students’ education. I will be citing this article when I reference how emotional contagion in the environment can affect students’ scores on standardized tests. Jackson, K., & Parker, L. (20 23). Building resilience: Strategies to combat burnout and attrition in new special education teachers. Journal of Special Education Preparation, 3 (3), 56-70. https://doi.org/10.33043/JOSEP.3.3.56-70 This article focuses on consequences of teacher burnout as they specifically relate to the public classroom setting. More specifically, the authors focus on burnout that teachers experience early on in their careers. The article illustrates that extreme levels of stress from a teacher’s job cause them to emotionally distance themselves from their everyday teaching responsibilities. Teachers who check-out mentally from their role tear at the strong connection they should have with their students. When teachers experience this, their classroom management becomes sporadic which hinders the learning process. The authors connect this inconsistency to below average student letter grades and decreased homework completion. The source briefly goes over some actionable steps that schools can take to help reduce turnover and bring back consistency to the classroom. I found this article to be useful to my topic because it addresses the beginning stages of burnout and shows that new teachers can negatively impact student achievement. Stiles, C. (2026). Teacher mental health and student success: Examining the impact of educator well-being on classroom outcomes [master's thesis, Bethel University]. Spark Repository. https://spark.bethel.edu/etd/1279 The article discusses the direct correlation between a schoolteacher’s mental wellbeing and the overall academic performance of their students. I found that teacher burnout causes a shift in classroom mood. Students learn force negatively when they are in an inconsistent or negative environment. They often have less desire to learn and show more misconduct in the classroom. The author states that school boards should recognize teacher burnout as a threat to their students’ intellectual development. This article helps argue my claim that we must ensure teachers are healthy in order for students to thrive. It offers recent statistics that help correlate teacher mental health with student success.