Date of Award
10-17-2025
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Arts in Education
Department
Education
Program
Educational Leadership
Capstone Instructor
Brian Boothe
Second Reader
Theresa Starkman
Keywords
Retention, burnout, leadership styles, academic outcomes, contagion, school climate, culture
Abstract
Abstract
Teacher burnout continues to be a growing concern in education, impacting teachers' well-being and retention as well as students' overall academic outcomes and motivation. This capstone explores different themes relating to teacher burnout. The first theme is the causes and effects of teacher burnout and examines the various causes and implications of what is causing teachers to become burned out. Through scholarly research reviews, key insights have emerged showing that burnout is not only an individual teacher issue, but is shaped by organizational, teacher, and student-level factors. The second theme focuses on whether teacher burnout affects student academic outcomes and motivation. Studies reveal burnout can affect student performance and classroom engagement. The third theme focuses on how different leadership styles can affect teacher well-being and influence the quality of their work. Transformational leadership, in particular, plays a vital role in reducing burnout among teachers by fostering a positive school environment, collaboration, and trust among teachers. Servant leadership styles further emphasize the importance of supporting teachers and having a favorable school climate. Together, these findings highlight that strong leadership can influence the teacher's overall well-being and reduce burnout risk, which can positively change student motivation and academic outcomes.
Keywords: teacher retention, transformational leadership, academic outcomes, school climate