Distant learning and primary school teacher burnout: Assessing the effect during coronavirus disease (COVID-19) in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, 2021

BACKGROUND: Teaching is indeed a very stressful occupation. Owing to the novel coronavirus SARS-CoV-2, certain changes were made in education in Saudi Arabia. A switch to a 100% distant learning in some courses was implemented, thereby increasing the burden on teachers. The aim of this study was to assess the level of burnout and the impact of distant learning on burnout in primary school teachers during the pandemic. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This cross-sectional study recruited 295 primary school teachers in Jeddah City, Saudi Arabia. Data were collected using self-administered questionnaire having two parts: the first part included questions on sociodemographic charecteristics and the second part included questions related to distant learning and the Arabic version of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Chi-square test was used to assess association between burnout and various factors. For comparison of mean scores by various factors, analysis of variance (ANOVA) was performed. RESULTS: A high level of burnout was perceived by 48.4% of the teachers in the dimension of emotional exhaustion, 26.4% in the depersonalization dimension, and 60% in the reduced personal accomplishment dimension. Teachers in the public school showed a higher burnout score than teachers in the private schools. The teachers in 40–50 age group had higher scores than the teachers with other age groups. There were no significant differences in terms of gender and years of experience. A higher proportion of teachers working in private schools had higher personal accomplishment than teachers working in Government schools (P = 0.01). Regarding personal accomplishment and depersonalization subscales, there were differences between the different types of schools. The teachers who believed “distance/E-learning was difficult” had lower personal accomplishment score. CONCLUSION: According to the study, primary teachers in Jeddah suffer from burnout. More programs should be implemented to deal with teacher burnout and more research focusing on these groups should be done.