The Variables Associated with Burnout Among Korean Early Childhood Teachers: A Meta-Analysis

Abstract

Researchers have done a great deal of research on the variables associated with early childhood teacher burnout, but the findings are numerous and inconsistent. Therefore, this study explored the variables most associated with burnout among early childhood teachers through meta-analysis. The National Assembly Electronic Library in Korea, Riss, the National Electronic Library, and DBpia databases were all thoroughly searched by researchers. Strict inclusion criteria resulted in the inclusion of 201 studies, and 35 variables total—divided into 5 variable groups—were analyzed. The results showed that the most correlated variable group with burnout was the psychological personality protective variable, and the largest effect size variables among the variable groups were age ( r = −.3052), resilience ( r = −.5415), calling ( r = −.526), turnover intention ( r = .5021), and interpersonal relationships ( r = −.4552). However, the variables in the psychological personality risk variable were not statistically significant. Although more thorough validation by follow-up studies is still required, these findings offer a more scientific data reference for the prevention and improvement of burnout among early childhood teachers in Korea and suggest a direction for future research.