Graduate Program

School Psychology

Degree Name

Specialist in School Psychology

Semester of Degree Completion

2005

Thesis Director

Jeff Stowell

Thesis Committee Member

Christine McCormick

Thesis Committee Member

Gary Canivez

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to identify the primary variables associated with burnout among practicing Illinois school psychologists. More specifically, the purpose was to determine if the same variables that correlated highly with Illinois school psychologists burnout levels in a 1994 study by Niebrugge have held constant over the last decade. Survey materials used in the 1994 study, including the Maslach Burnout Inventory, a School Psychologists Stress Inventory, and a specially designed job satisfaction questionnaire were completed by a random sample of members of the Illinois School Psychologists Association (N = 52). As in the 1994 study, results suggested symptoms of burnout occur frequently among this group of professionals. Results suggested that fewer practicing Illinois school psychologists have experienced high levels of cynicism, indicating that over the past 10 years school psychologists in Illinois have a greater sense of connection with the staff and students with whom they work. Also, the overall level of job satisfaction continued to be strongly related to higher levels of burnout, but satisfaction with supervision, desire to leave the job, and desire to leave the profession were not as strongly related as in the previous study, although all three continued to be related to the emotional exhaustion component of burnout. Furthermore, the amount of cases completed each semester by an Illinois school psychologist versus the amount of cases he or she would have preferred to complete is no longer a significant predictor of burnout. Further research needs to be conducted in order to promote attention to preventing burnout in the field of school psychology.

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