The effects of ethical leadership perceptions and personal characteristics on professional burnout levels of teachers

Abstract

The primary focus of the concept of ethical leadership is to form internal corporate ethical principles. The study examines whether there is a relationship between teachers’ ethical leadership and burnout levels, and whether these levels differ according to some variables (gender, branch, service period). The methodological basis of the study includes the theoretical concepts of strategic management and industrial and organizational psychology, in particular, one of its sub-disciplines – managerial psychology. Research data were collected from 477 teachers using a questionnaire. To evaluate the data obtained, we have used statistical and econometric analysis, as well as the Maslach Burnout Scale and the Ethical Leadership Scale. A negative and significant relationship was found between ethical leadership and emotional exhaustion (r = –0.099, p <0.05) and personal accomplishment (r = –0.103, p <0.01). The research results show that the levels of teachers’ emotional exhaustion and depersonalization were low, whereas their personal accomplishment and ethical leadership perceptions were high. Major thrusts for future research in this area are analysis of additional personal characteristics of teachers and a change in the geographical location of the study.