Abstract
School burnout syndrome is typically defined through exhaustion from academic demands, cynicism toward school, and feelings of inadequacy as a student, identically as occupational burnout syndrome. This approach neglects the context of education, while equating it with formal employment, overlooking differences between the status of a student and a worker. Therefore, this study aimed at better understanding diverse aspects of school burnout and its contextual risk factors in order to provide a more comprehensive conceptualization of this phenomenon. Methodologically relying on the grounded theory approach and conceptually on Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model, we conducted and analyzed 25 semi-structured individual interviews with Serbian secondary school students that exhibited high scores on the School Burnout Inventory. Five interconnected main themes emerged: Loss of meaning, Intense emotional reactions and states, Perceived incompetence triggered by comparison with classmates, Guilt-induced withdrawal, and Impaired physical health. External factors included Unsupportive and pressuring family and Disengaged teachers. Finally, alongside advocating for preventative measures, such as educational policy and practice changes, we offer a novel theoretical conceptualization of school burnout syndrome. We also argue that the emergence of school burnout syndrome is not an individual’s collapse stemming from inner limitations, but a symptom of systemic deficiencies within the educational system.
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Notes
This mean and standard deviations were determined in one of previous studies done by May and associates (May et al., 2015) that was conducted on a sample similar to ours.
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Acknowledgements
The realization of this research was financially supported by the Ministry of Science, Technological Development and Innovation of the Republic of Serbia as part of the financing of scientific research work at the University of Belgrade—Faculty of Philosophy (Contract Number 451-03-47/2023-01/200163).
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Appendix
Appendix
Interview protocol
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1.
Knowledge and experience with school burnout:
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2.
Have you heard about school burnout?
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3.
What does school burnout mean to you?
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4.
Have you ever experienced school burnout and what was it like?
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5.
Periodization:
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6.
In which period would you say you burned out the most?
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7.
How was your school burnout different when we went to school online compared to now when we go in person?
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8.
Family:
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9.
Do relationships within your family play a role in your school burnout?
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10.
Do you feel like you are getting adequate support from your family members?
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11.
Friends:
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12.
Do your relationships with friends play a role in burnout?
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13.
Do you feel like you get adequate support from your friends?
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14.
School environment:
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Is there anything going on at school that is playing a role in your school burnout?
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16.
How is your relationship with the teachers?
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17.
Do teachers play a role in your burnout?
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18.
What would you say, what are the teaching methods of your teachers?
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What do teachers expect from you and how do they evaluate you?
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Cognitive aspect:
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21.
What was school burnout like from your point of view?
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22.
What are your thoughts when you burn out?
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Do you then have any different beliefs about yourself or others?
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24.
Emotional aspect:
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25.
How do you feel when you burn out?
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26.
What emotions do you mostly experience and express then?
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Behavioral aspect:
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What changes do you notice in your behavior during those periods when you burn out?
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How is your confidence when you feel like you're burning out?
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30.
How does it show in your everyday life that you are burnt out?
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31.
Physiological aspect:
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32.
How is your physical health when you burn out?
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What physical symptoms do you notice then?
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34.
How is your sleep and eating pattern, for example, when you are burnt out?
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35.
Coping:
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36.
How do you deal with school burnout?
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37.
What or who can help you the most in that situation?
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Jovčić, N., Simić, N. Beyond the Edge of Exhaustion: Redefining the Concept of School Burnout Syndrome Through Qualitative Reexamination of Secondary School Students' Experiences. School Mental Health (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-024-09654-w
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12310-024-09654-w