The Dimensionality of a Modified Form of the Maslach Burnout Inventory for University Students in a Teacher-Training Program

Abstract

For a sample of 147 fifth-year students enrolled in a teacher training program at the elementary school level, both exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses involving orthogonal and oblique solutions were carried out on a correlation matrix of scores on 22 items from a self-report inventory of teacher burnout that was adapted with permission from the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI). The modifications incorporated within the new instrument, which is referred to as the College Student Survey (CSS), constituted the substitution of words within several item statements that would be more suitable in a teaching context than were the statements in the MBI which were oriented toward workers in other forms of public service. As in the instance of other factor analytic studies with the MBI, the three hypothesized constructs of burnout described as emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and personal accomplishment were clearly defined in all factor solutions irrespective of whether the items were scored for frequency or intensity.