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Sustainable Working Lives pp 51–64Cite as

School Engagement and Burnout Among Students: Preparing for Work Life

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Part of the book series: Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being ((AHSW))

Abstract

This chapter conceptualizes the process of school burnout, dropout and school engagement in the context of the school demands-resources model, analogous to the job demands-resources model applied in the work and health research area. Dropout from school could be viewed as one of the consequences of the burnout process. Applying the same conceptual models to both sides of the school-to-work transition brings these two areas of life closer to each other and facilitates research on this major transition. This chapter also reviews the longitudinal research on school engagement, burnout and dropout from educational careers and describes the consequences of different experiences of young people in reciprocal social contexts, such as with parents, teachers, peers and school. We then introduce a group intervention aimed at preventing school burnout and related dropout. This integrative approach reveals potential paths to marginalization and engagement during the key educational and school-to-work transitions. The transition to post-comprehensive education can be argued to be a focal educational transition affecting school burnout trajectories and dropout. In addition to providing appropriate resources in the educational environment, student-environment fit might also be enhanced through the development of student resources and career choice preparedness. Our intervention demonstrates how an increase in student’s career choice preparedness can result in higher internal motivation towards educational goals, better career choices and decreased school burnout. The chapter concludes with suggestions for further research in this area.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Psychology, University of Jyvaskyla, Jyvaskyla and Cicero Learning, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland

    Katariina Salmela-Aro

  2. University of London, London, UK

    Katariina Salmela-Aro

  3. Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Jukka Vuori

Authors
  1. Katariina Salmela-Aro
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  2. Jukka Vuori
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Correspondence to Katariina Salmela-Aro .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Development of Work and Organizations, Finnish Institute of Occupational Health, Helsinki, Finland

    Jukka Vuori

  2. TNO Sustainable Productivity and Employability, Leiden, The Netherlands

    Roland Blonk

  3. Department of Psychology, Organizational Studies, Institute for Social Research, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA

    Richard H. Price

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Salmela-Aro, K., Vuori, J. (2015). School Engagement and Burnout Among Students: Preparing for Work Life. In: Vuori, J., Blonk, R., Price, R. (eds) Sustainable Working Lives. Aligning Perspectives on Health, Safety and Well-Being. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9798-6_4

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