Document Type : Original Article
Authors
1 Master of Science in Educational Psychology, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran.
2 Professor of Educational Psychology, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran
3 Associate Professor, Department of Educational Sciences, Faculty of Educational Sciences and Psychology, Shahid Madani University of Azerbaijan, Tabriz, Iran.
4 Master of Science in Educational Psychology, Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Marlik Institute of Higher Education, Noshahr, Mazandaran, Iran
Abstract
Introduction: In recent years, rapid educational changes, increasing occupational demands, and growing expectations of teachers have made job burnout a major concern in the teaching profession worldwide (Wang et al., 2026; Avola et al., 2025). Burnout arises when teachers’ personal and professional resources are insufficient to cope with prolonged occupational stress, often leading to diminished well-being and intentions to leave the profession (Salama, 2025; Li, 2023). Originally conceptualized by Freudenberger, burnout was later defined by Maslach and Jackson as a multidimensional construct comprising emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment (Lai & Ng, 2026; Despoina et al., 2024; Kinman, 2025). Excessive workload, limited autonomy, and poor workplace relationships have been identified as key antecedents of burnout (Mańkowska, 2025). The risk of burnout is particularly pronounced among teachers working in multi-grade classrooms, where students from different grade levels are taught simultaneously and instructional demands are considerably more complex (Bunga et al., 2025; Qangule & Letuma, 2025). Limited resources, diverse student needs, and the management of multiple curricula further increase occupational stress and emotional exhaustion while reducing teaching effectiveness (Ruelan & Ebisa, 2025; Salamat & Majid, 2025; Abbasi, 2025; Alipour et al., 2023; Mortazavizadeh & Hassani, 2021). Among the psychological factors associated with burnout, achievement goals and self-efficacy have received considerable attention. Mastery-oriented teachers emphasize learning and professional growth, whereas performance-oriented teachers rely more on social comparison and external evaluation, increasing their susceptibility to burnout (Schweder et al., 2025; Lüftenegger & Muth, 2024; Bruce et al., 2026). These motivational orientations are closely linked to self-efficacy, a central construct in Bandura’s social cognitive theory reflecting beliefs about one’s capability to perform professional tasks successfully (Sims et al., 2026; Woodcock & Hardy, 2025). Therefore, the present study tested a structural model in which self-efficacy mediates the relationship between achievement goals and job burnout among rural elementary school teachers working in multi-grade classrooms in Marivan County.
Methods and Data: This applied study employed a descriptive-correlational design. Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) was used to examine the direct and indirect relationships among the study variables. The statistical population consisted of all elementary school teachers working in rural multi-grade schools in Marivan County during the 2023–2024 academic year. According to official statistics provided by the Department of Education, the population comprised 410 teachers. Based on the Krejcie and Morgan sample size table, a sample of 154 teachers was selected through convenience sampling, including 21 females (13.6%) and 133 males (86.4%).Data were collected through visits to rural multi-grade schools and during in-service training programs organized by the local Department of Education. Prior to participation, teachers were informed about the study objectives, the voluntary nature of participation, and the confidentiality of their responses. Informed consent was obtained from all participants. Regarding educational attainment, 2 participants (1.3%) held doctoral degrees, 18 (11.7%) held master’s degrees, 126 (81.8%) held bachelor’s degrees, and 8 (5.2%) held associate degrees. In terms of teaching assignment, 49 teachers (31.8%) taught two-grade classrooms, 57 (37.0%) taught three-grade classrooms, 16 (10.4%) taught four-grade classrooms, 6 (3.9%) taught five-grade classrooms, and 26 (16.9%) taught six-grade classrooms. Data were collected using three standardized instruments. Job burnout was assessed using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (Maslach & Jackson, 1986), a 22-item measure of emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and reduced personal accomplishment rated on a seven-point Likert scale. Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for the scale in the present study was 0.78. Self-efficacy was measured using the General Self-Efficacy Scale (Sherer et al., 1982), consisting of 17 items rated on a five-point Likert scale. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient for this scale was 0.76. Achievement goals were assessed using the Patterns of Adaptive Learning Scales (PALS; Midgley et al., 1988), which includes 14 items measuring mastery, performance, and avoidance goal orientations on a five-point Likert scale. Cronbach’s alpha coefficients were 0.72 for the subscales and 0.89 for the overall scale. Data were analyzed using IBM SPSS Statistics 22 and AMOS 22.
Findings: The results revealed that both mastery and performance goal orientations exerted significant direct and indirect effects on job burnout through the mediating role of self-efficacy. Table 1 presents the model fit indices. The results indicated that all goodness-of-fit indices fell within the acceptable ranges. Moreover, the proposed model demonstrated an adequate fit compared to the independence model, supporting the overall fit of the structural model to the observed data.
Discussion and Conclusion: The present study was conducted to investigate job burnout among elementary school teachers working in multi-grade classrooms in Marivan County. Within the proposed model, teachers’ educational goals served as predictor variables, whereas teacher self-efficacy functioned as a mediating mechanism underlying the relationship between achievement goals and job burnout. The findings indicated that both mastery-oriented goals (β = -0.789) and performance-oriented goals (β = 0.893) exerted significant effects on teachers’ job burnout. Furthermore, the mediating role of self-efficacy in these relationships was supported. Bootstrap analyses based on 2,000 resamples revealed that mastery-oriented goals exerted a significant indirect effect on job burnout through self-efficacy (β = -0.594). Specifically, teachers who endorsed mastery-oriented goals tended to report higher levels of self-efficacy, which in turn was associated with lower levels of job burnout. In contrast, performance-oriented goals also demonstrated a significant indirect effect on job burnout through self-efficacy (β = 0.303). These findings suggest that self-efficacy represents an important psychological mechanism through which teachers’ achievement goals influence their vulnerability to burnout in demanding educational contexts such as multi-grade classrooms. Overall, the results underscore the pivotal role of achievement goals and self-efficacy in explaining job burnout among teachers working in multi-grade settings. Promoting mastery-oriented goals and strengthening teachers’ self-efficacy beliefs may serve as effective strategies for reducing burnout and enhancing professional well-being. Accordingly, educational policymakers and school administrators should seek to create supportive environments that foster adaptive motivational orientations and empower teachers to cope more effectively with the complex demands of multi-grade teaching.
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