Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in
Book cover

Trust and School Life pp 121–143Cite as

The Effects of Standards Based School Accountability on Teacher Burnout and Trust Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis

  • Chapter
  • First Online:

Abstract

Studies have shown that teacher burnout levels have risen since the inception of the Standards-based School Accountability Movement in the 1980s. Burnout is usually driven by job stress and is mitigated by supportiveness of principals and co-workers. Diminishing interpersonal trust heightens burnout and can be circular. High-stakes accountability, in which job security is threatened, conjoined with changes in school safety, and budgetary pressures, not only exacerbate burnout, but they diminish the capacity of peers and supervisors to provide social support. Trust relationships are more likely to thrive when they are organic in nature and based on positive affect and interpersonal cohesion. Externally-imposed accountability systems, such as specified under No Child Left Behind, emphasize contractual, bureaucratic trust, and assume that the school districts and their employees cannot be trusted to perform competently and benevolently. The result is an altered social contract. The shift from organic to contractual trust weakens relationships and accelerates burnout. Longitudinal data on burnout among samples of more than 8,000 Texas teachers, surveyed between 2002 and 2012, are linked to changes in stress, trust, accountability standards, school safety, and budgetary cuts. The loss of teacher trust in relationships with administrators, colleagues, parents, and students has paralleled shifts in accountability standards and related external factors.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution.

Chapter
USD   29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD   84.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as EPUB and PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD   109.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Learn about institutional subscriptions

References

  • Abell, M., & Sewell, J. (1999). Stress and burnout in rural and urban secondary school teachers. Journal of Educational Research, 92(5), 287–293.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Berliner, D. C., & Biddle, B. J. (1995). The manufactured crisis: Myth, fraud, and the attack on Americaʼs public schools. MA: Addison Wesley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Blasé, J. (2009). School administrator mistreatment of teachers. In L. J. Saha & A. G. Dworkin (Eds.), International handbook on teachers and teaching (pp. 433–448). New York: Springer Science and Business Media.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Blau, P. M. (1964). Exchange and power in social life. New York: Wiley.

    Google Scholar 

  • Booher-Jennings, J. (2005). Below the bubble: Educational triage and the texas accountability system. American Educational Research Journal, 42(2), 231–268.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Booher-Jennings, J., & Beveridge, A. (2007). Gains, strains, gaming, and results: The prevalence and impact of elective and defacto test exemption in the Houston independent school district. In A. R. Sadovnik, J. A. OʼDay, G. W. Bohrnstedt, & K. M. Borman (Eds.), No Child Left Behind and the reduction of the achievement gap: Sociological perspectives on federal education policy (pp. 77–95). New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Bru, E. (2009). Academic outcomes in school classes with markedly disruptive pupils. [Electronic version] JSTOR. Social Psychology of Education, 12, 461–479.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bryk, A. S., & Schneider, B. (2002). Trust in schools: A core resource for improvement. Rose Series in Sociology. NY: Russell Sage Foundation

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherniss, C. (1980). Professional burnout in human service organizations. NY: Praeger.

    Google Scholar 

  • Cherniss, C. (1992). Long-term consequences of burnout, An exploratory study. Journal of Organizational Behavior, 13, 1–11.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Duke, D. L. (1984). Teaching—The imperiled profession. NY: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Durkheim, E. (1964). The division of labor in society (trans: G. Simpson). New York: The Free Press of Glencoe.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G. (1987). Teacher burnout in the public schools, structural causes and consequences for children. Albany: State University of New York Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G. (1997). Coping with reform, The intermix of teacher morale, teacher burnout, and teacher accountability. In Biddle, B.J., T.L. Good, and I.F. Goodson (eds.) International Handbook of Teachers and Teaching, Dordrecht/Boston/London, Kluwer Academic Publishers, 459–498.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G. (2001). Perspectives on teacher burnout and school reform. International Education Journal, 24(2), 69–78.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G. (2008). School accountability and the Standards-Based Reform Movement: Some unintended consequences of education policies. International Journal of Contemporary Sociology, 45(2), 11–31.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G. (2009). Teacher burnout and teacher resilience: Assessing the impacts of the school accountability movement. In L.J. Saha & A. G. Dworkin (Eds.), New International Handbook of Teachers and Teaching. NY: Springer Publications, 491–509.

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., & Tobe, P. (2012a). The expanded federal role in US public schools: The structural forces of globalization, immigration and demographic change. In C. Kassimeris & M. Vryonides (Eds.), The politics of education. NY: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., & Tobe, P. (2012b). Teacher burnout in an era of school accountability and student misbehavior. In J. H. Ballantine & J. Z. Spade (Eds.), Schools and society (3rd ed.). Belmont: Wadsworth Thompson Learning.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., & Townsend, M. (1994). Teacher burnout in the face of reform, some caveats in breaking the mold. In B. A. Jones & K. M. Borman (Eds.), Investing in United States schools, directions for educational policy (pp. 68–86). Norwood, NJ: Ablex

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., Haney, A., Dworkin, R. J., & Telschow, R. L. (1990). Stress and illness behavior among urban public school teachers. Education Administration Quarterly, 9, 159–171.

    Google Scholar 

  • Dworkin, A. G., Saha, L. J., & Hill, A. N. (2003). Teacher burnout and perceptions of a democratic school environment. International Education Journal, 4(2), 108–120.

    Google Scholar 

  • Elam, S. M., Rose, L. C., & Gallup, A. M. (1993). The 25th annual Phi Delta Kappa/Gallup poll of the public’s attitudes toward the public schools. Phi Delta Kappan, 75, 137–157.

    Google Scholar 

  • Farber, B. A. (1991). Crisis in education, stress and burnout in the American teacher. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

    Google Scholar 

  • Forsyth, P. B., Barnes, L. L. B., & Adams, C. M. (2006). Trust effectiveness patterns in schools. Journal of Educational Administration, 44(2), 122–141.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, I. A. (1991). High- and Low- Burnout Schools: School culture aspects of teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Research, 84(6), 325–333.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, I. A. (1995). Student behavior patterns contributing to teacher burnout. The Journal of Educational Research, 88(5), 281–289.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Friedman, I. A. (2003). Self-efficacy and burnout in teaching: The importance of interpersonal-relations efficacy. Social Psychology of Education, 6, 191–215.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Freudenberger, H. J. (1974). Staff burn-out. Journal of Social Issues, 30, 159–165.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Gold, Y., & Roth, R. A. (1993). Teachers managing stress and professional burnout: The professional health solution. London: Falmer Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Homans, G. C. (1961). Social behavior: Its elementary forms. NY: Harcourt, Brace and World.

    Google Scholar 

  • Howard, S., & Johnson, B. (2004). Resilient teachers: Resisting stress and burnout. Social Psychology of Education, 7, 399–420.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoy, W. K., & Tarter, C. J. (2004). Organizational justice in schools: No justice without trust. International Journal of Educational Management, 18(4), 250–259.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoy, W. K., & Tschannen-Moran, M. (1999). Five faces of trust: AN empirical confirmation in urban elementary schools. Journal of School Leadership, 9, 184–208.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoy, W. K., Smith, P. A., & Sweetland, S. R. (2002). Development of the organizational climate index for high schools: Its measure and relationship to faculty trust. The High School Journal, 86(2), 38–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Hoy, W. K., Gage, C. Q., & Tarter, C. J. (2006). School mindfulness and faculty trust: Necessary conditions for each other? Educational Administration Quarterly, 42(2), 236–255.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Iwanicki, E. F., & Schwab, R. L. (1981). A cross validation study of the Maslach Burnout Inventory. Educational and Psychological Measurement, 41, 1167–1174.

    Google Scholar 

  • LeCompte, M. D., & Dworkin, A. G. (1991). Giving up on school, student dropouts and teacher burnouts. Newbury Park: Corwin Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Lee, V. E., Dietrich, R. F., & Smith, J. B. (1991). The effect of the social organization of school on teacher efficacy and satisfaction. Sociology of Education, 64(3), 190–208.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lortie, D. C. (1975). School teacher: A sociological study. Chicago: University of Chicago Press.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C. (1978a). The client role in staff burnout. Journal of Social Issues, 34, 111–124.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C. (1978b). Job burnout, how people cope. Public Welfare, 36, 56–58.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C. (1993). Burnout, a multidimensional perspective. In W. B. Schaufeli, C. Maslach, & T. Marek (Eds.), Professional burnout, recent developments in theory and research (pp. 19-32). Washington: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Maslach, C., & Jackson. S. E. (1981). The measurement of experienced burnout. The Journal of Occupational Behaviour, 2, 99–113.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • National Commission on Excellence in Education. (1983). A nation at risk: The imperative for educational reform. Washington: U.S. Government Printing Office.

    Google Scholar 

  • Pines, A. (1993). Burnout, existential perspectives. In W. B. Schaufeli, C. Maslach, & T. Marek (Eds.), Professional burnout, recent developments in theory and research (pp. 33–52). Washington: Taylor and Francis.

    Google Scholar 

  • Rotter, J. B. (1966). Generalized expectancies for internal versus external control of reinforcements. Psychological Monographs, 80, 1–28.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, M. (1959). On the meaning of alienation. American Sociological Review, 24(7), 83–91.

    Google Scholar 

  • Seeman, M. (1975). Alienation studies. Annual Review of Sociology, 1, 91–123.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Saros, J. C., & Saros, A. M. (1992). Social support in teacher burnout. Journal of Educational Administration, 30(1), 55–69.

    Google Scholar 

  • Schwab, R. L., & Iwanicki, E. F. (1982). Received role conflict, role ambiguity, and teacher burnout. Educational Administration Quarterly, 18, 60–74.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stinett, T. M., & Henson, K. T. (1982). Americas public schools in transition: Future trends and issues. NY: Teachers College.

    Google Scholar 

  • Tschannen-Moran, M., & Hoy, W. K. (2000). A multidisciplinary analysis of the nature, meaning, and measurement of trust. Review of Educational Research, 70(4), 547–593.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Houtte, M. (2006). Tracking and teacher satisfaction: Role of study culture and trust. Journal of Educational Research, 99(4), 247–254.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Houtte, M. (2007). Exploring teacher trust in technical/vocational secondary schools: Male teacher’s preference for girls. Teaching and Teacher Education, 23, 826–839.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Van Maele, D., & Van Houtte, M. (2011). The quality of school life: Teacher-student relationships and the organizational school context. Social Indicators Research, 100, 85–100.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vettenburg, N. (2002). Unsafe feelings among teachers. Journal of School Violence, 1(4), 33–49.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Waller, W. (1932). The sociology of teaching. NY: Wiley.

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Weick, K. E. (1976). Education systems as loosely coupled systems. Administrative Science Quarterly, 21, 1–19.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Weitz-White, K., & Rosenbaum, J. (2007). Inside the black box of accountability: How high-stakes accountability alters school culture and the classification and treatment of students and teachers. In A. R. Sadovnik, J. A. O’Day, G. W. Bohrnstedt, & K. M. Borman (Eds.), No Child Left Behind and the reduction of the achievement gap: Sociological perspectives on federal education policy. New York: Routledge.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Dept. of Sociology, 450 PGH, University of Houston, 4800 Calhoun Rd., 77204-3012, Houston, TX, USA

    Dr. Anthony Gary Dworkin

  2. University of Houston, 5123 Beech St., 77401-3326, Bellaire, TX, USA

    Dr. Pamela F. Tobe

Authors
  1. Dr. Anthony Gary Dworkin
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Dr. Pamela F. Tobe
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Anthony Gary Dworkin .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Dimitri Van Maele

  2. University of Oklahoma, Tulsa, Oklahoma, USA

    Patrick B. Forsyth

  3. Ghent University, Ghent, Belgium

    Mieke Van Houtte

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2014 Springer Science+Business Media Dordrecht

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Dworkin, A., Tobe, P. (2014). The Effects of Standards Based School Accountability on Teacher Burnout and Trust Relationships: A Longitudinal Analysis. In: Van Maele, D., Forsyth, P., Van Houtte, M. (eds) Trust and School Life. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-8014-8_6

Download citation

Publish with us

Policies and ethics

Search

Navigation