Brackett 2010

Source:   RESEARCH STUDY/ARTICLE

APA Citation:

Brackett, M. A., Palmomera, R., Mojsa-Kaja, J., Reyes, M. R., & Salovey, P. (2010). Emotion-regulation ability, burnout, and job satisfaction among British secondary-school teachers. Psychology in the Schools, 47(4), 406-417.

Author bio:

Brackett, Mark – Yale University

Palomera, Raquel – University of Cantabria

Mojsa-Kaja, Justyna – Jagiellonian University

Maria Regina Reyes and Peter Salovey – Yale University (Sr. Researchers)

Thesis/Argument:

Hypotheses: to test the direct and indirect lines between ERA (emotion-regulation ability) and job satisfaction/burnout among teachers

a.       ERA is positively related to job satisfaction and negatively related to burnout

b.      ERA is positively/negatively related to positive/negative affect, respectively

c.       ERA is positively related to principal support

d.      Both positive and negative affect and principal support are related to job satisfaction in expected directions

e.       Both positive and negative affect and principal support are related to burnout in expected directions

f.        Both positive and negative affect and principal support mediate the relationship between ERA and job satisfaction and burnout 408

Study Design:

·         Secondary school teachers (n = 123, 49 male, 74 female)

·         Voluntary

·         Mean age = 37, mean years of experience = 10

·         ERA measured with MSCEIT (performance test in that there are more and less effective answers as determined by either expert or consensus scoring methods)

·         Principal support - self report (perceived social support)

·         Positive and Negative Affect Scale (PANAS), a self-report instrument

·         Job satisfaction self-report survey

·         Job burnout assessed with the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES)

·         Social Desirability assessed by a shortened version of the Marlow-Crowne Social Desirability Scale

·         One time data collection during the school day (in small groups)

Discussion/Conclusion:

Results showed that teachers with higher ERA may be more satisfied with their jobs and feel more personally accomplished because they experience more positive emotions and have greater social support from their principals. 413

We found that ERA was associated positively with job satisfaction and greater personal accomplishment, but not with depersonalization and emotional exhaustion 413 (emotional exhaustion = whether a person feels drained by work demands 414)

Higher ERA was associated with positive, but not negative, affect. Positive affect also mediated the relationships between ERA and both job satisfaction and personal accomplishment. It appears that teachers with higher ERA may be more skilled at generating positive emotions using diverse strategies such as self-talk and cognitive reappraisal to undo negative emotional experience, manage stress, and promote job satisfaction. 414

ERA was associated positively with principal support … as predicted, principal support mediated the relationships between ERA and both job satisfaction and personal accomplishment. ERA may contribute to social support through several mechanisms. The strategies that individuals employ to regulate emotions affect their relationships … ERA may color the emotional tone of social encounters. Because teachers with ERA may be less likely to lose control of their emotions and be more knowledgeable about appropriate display of emotion, they are likely to have better relationships with principals and colleagues. In turn, they may be more satisfied with their jobs and less prone to stress and its consequences, such as burnout. 415

Present findings … raise the possibility that teacher-training programs focusing on developing emotion-regulation skills might result in a number of favorable outcomes for teachers including increases in positive affect and greater support from principals. In turn, teachers may experience less burnout and greater job satisfaction, remain in the profession longer, and be more effective in the classroom. 415

Studies to find:

Brotheridge, C. M., & Grandey, A. A. (2002). Emotional labour and burnout: Comparing two perspectives of “people work.” Journal of Vocational Behavior, 60, 17-39.

Johnson, S., Cooper, C. L., Cartwright, S., Donald, I., Taylor, P., & Millet, C. (2005). The experience of work-related stress across occupations. Journal of Managerial Psychology, 20, 179-187.