The Causes of Teacher Burnout in Secondary Education in Underdeveloped Regions

Abstract

Against the backdrop of promoting equitable and highquality education, enhancing the quality of education in underdeveloped regions hinges on strengthening the teacher workforce. However, educators in these areas commonly face severe professional burnout, which not only undermines their physical and mental well-being and career development but also negatively impacts student academic performance and overall educational quality in underdeveloped regions. Therefore, investigating the causes and solutions to this issue is of significant importance. This study focuses on teacher burnout in underdeveloped regions, employing a combined methodology of systematic literature review and in-depth interviews. First, a systematic literature review comprehensively examines the causes of burnout. Subsequently, interviews were conducted with representative secondary school teachers in underdeveloped regions to collect primary data, thereby validating and deepening theoretical research findings. The findings reveal that the causes of professional burnout among secondary education teachers in underdeveloped regions are complex and multifaceted. Building on this foundation, this paper proposes multi-level, systematic improvement strategies. These strategies aim to alleviate professional burnout, stabilize the teaching workforce, and enhance educational quality, thereby providing a reference framework for both theoretical research and practical application.