Figueras, Erick J.2015-04-242015-04-2420142014https://hdl.handle.net/2144/10991Thesis (D.M.A.)--Boston UniversityTeaching music, like other human service professions, can be stressful. For some teachers, excessive stress in the work environment can lead to burnout, a syndrome of Emotional Exhaustion (EE), Depersonalization (Dp), and reduced Personal Accomplishment (PA; Maslach, Jackson, & Leiter, 1996). Well- established negative consequences have been associated with burnout including serious health disorders, workplace withdrawal, and destabilized learning environments. Thus, I undertook this investigation in an effort to add to the literature a more comprehensive understanding of public high school music teachers' burnout by way of developing a multidimensional profile of music teachers' burnout and by comparing music teachers' burnout with burnout of other subject area teachers. A non-random sample of music (n =52), English (n=67), mathematics (n=67), science (n=67), and social studies (n = 38) teachers completed a web-based version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory-Educators Survey (MBI-ES). Music teachers' mean EE was categorized as high and was higher than established norms. Music teachers' mean Dp was categorized as moderate, similar to established norms. Mean PA for music teachers was lower than that reported for the normative sample, indicating a higher than normal sense of personal accomplishment among music teachers who participated in the study. In general, findings in regards to demographic variables were consistent with findings for music teachers overall. However, mean EE was higher for non-itinerant music teachers (n=28) than for itinerant music teachers (n=24), and higher among males (n=35) than among females (n=17). When considered collectively, no difference in categorical burnout was noted between non-music teachers (n=239) and music teachers. Considered discretely, categorized means evidenced greater emotional exhaustion for the music teacher group than for the math and social studies teacher groups. The psychometric properties of the MBI are discussed and further factor validity studies are recommended. In addition, I recommend that researchers focus on teacher stress rather than burnout at the local level. Finally, I recommend that researchers work toward developing practical instruments that can be can used for the assessment of teacher stress and coping resources at the school or district level.en-USThesis/Dissertation