Early childhood educator's burnout: A systematic review of the determinants and effectiveness of interventions

Abstract

Early childhood educators have a high risk of burnout, leading to a high turnover rate and, potentially, poor educational outcomes for young children. In this systematic review, we investigate the causes of burnout, and the effectiveness of interventions that seek to reduce burnout among educators. We searched Web of Science and ProQuest for relevant studies. Articles were included if they were peer-reviewed, written in English, and examined either causes of burnout or the effectiveness of interventions aimed to reduce burnout among early childhood educators. Of the 39 studies included in the final sample, 37 examined causes of burnout and two examined interventions. Burnout risk was more significant among teachers with low social capital, poor health status and lower wages. At a service-related level, weak or incoherent organisational structure, weak professional relationships, low professional status, and a lack of career progression and professional training opportunities were all linked to a higher risk of early educator burnout. Coaching, reflection and counselling-based interventions were found to lower the risk of burnout. These findings build a research-based foundation for interventions to address individual and service related causes of burnout among early childhood educators.