More gyms or more psychological support? Preventing burnout and supporting job satisfaction in physical education teachers

Purpose: Teachers’ burnout affects the learning process and students’ achievement and reduces job satisfaction. Physical education (PE) teachers represent a group at greater risk of burnout, in whom psychological and environmental aspects, such as not having appropriate school equipment and facilities, can represent risk factors. This cross-sectional study aimed to analyse the direct and the mediated effects of a range of psychological and environmental aspects as determinants of burnout and job satisfaction in PE teachers. Methods: One hundred and eighty-three PE teachers participated in the study. They filled out a booklet of questionnaires to assess self-efficacy, enjoyment of physical activty, job satisfaction, burnout, mastery and performance goals, and the perceived quality of school facilities. Results: Correlation analyses showed negative relationships between burnout dimensions and job satisfaction. Burnout mediated the relationships between mastery goals, self-efficacy, enjoyment, and job satisfaction, while the perceived quality of school facilities had just a direct effect on burnout. Conclusions: In order to increase job satisfaction and decrease burnout in PE teachers it seems more effective to act mainly on psychological factors rather than on providing better facilities.