Autoeficácia e Burnout em professores do Ensino Fundamental II de João Pessoa (PB)

Abstract

Since 1970, capitalist countries have sought to overcome the Fordist crisis by articulating three types of ideo-political reforms: neoliberalism, productive restructuring, and financialization. The phase of productive restructuring led to a new mode of economic accumulation that required flexible workers. Since then, government and business discourses have begun to defend the need to raise the skills and education of workers as a fundamental condition for new functions. In this scenario, educational reforms were introduced that made it possible to enrich the tasks, yet increased teacher responsibilities, generating stress, burnout and depreciation of professional effectiveness. This research analyzed the perception of efficacy (self-efficacy) and its relationship with burnout levels in elementary school teachers of João Pessoa, Paraiba. 209 teachers participated (62% sample size). The following instruments were applied: MBI-ES to evaluate the three dimensions of burnout (Emotional Exhaustion - EE; Depersonalization - DE; Professional Realization - PR); Teacher Efficiency Belief Scale to evaluate two factors of self-efficacy (Personal Efficacy and Teaching Effectiveness); and Sociodemographic questionnaire to characterize the sample. Data was entered in SPSS and descriptive statistics (mean, standard deviation, percentage), inferential (confirmatory factor analysis), comparative (clusters) and correlational (Pearson and regression) were performed. Three burnout profiles were identified: Vulnerable, Intermediate and Resistant, in which EE was prevalent, reaching 57.9% of teachers. Pearson's calculation indicated that EE and PR were the dimensions of burnout that correlated the most with those of self-efficacy. In the regression analysis, Personal Efficacy was the only predictor of burnout, inversely influencing EE and directly PR. These results indicate that low levels of Personal Efficacy strongly affect EE and high levels promote PR. At the same time, they reinforce the importance of prioritizing this dimension of self-efficacy in the plans for the promotion and protection of teachers' health, since their strengthening can help teachers deal with work stressors, inhibiting EE, which is the nucleus of burnout, generating feelings essential for motivation and performance improvement. It is suggested that the plans include improvements in working conditions and continuing education, associated with educational and psychological support measures that stimulate the development of anti-stress strategies.