Teachers' professional development and burnout syndrome

Abstract

The author of the article aims to present in short the results of the empirical verification of R. Kwaśnica’s concept concerning teachers’ professional development. The first part of the article deals with theoretical matters: the understanding of professional development and burnout syndrome. These terms are presented as opposing. Ch. Maslach’s theory on burnout along with Kwaśnica’s views were the basis of the research. The research was done from 2000 – 2002 on the sample of 257 teachers from different schools in different parts of Poland. In the second part of the article chosen results are referred: a diagnosis of professional development phases: preconventional, conventional, postconventional and the states of teachers’ professional activity: expanding from not disturbed activity, through first symptoms of burnout to burnout syndrome. Some essential conclusions can be drawn from the research. First of all, professional development can protect teachers from experiencing burnout, mainly due to growing professional competences, job adaptation and increasing creativity in teachers’ attitude. Moreover, it turned out that, depending on the phase of professional development, different factors stimulate teachers’ growth- these factors must be strengthened to prevent from burnout.