Academic Burnout Among Students: A Study of Emotional Exhaustion, Cynicism, and Academic Inefficacy

Abstract

Burnout is a psychological syndrome which is considered to be a crucial cognitive variable that affects the teaching and learning experience of students. Examining the academic burnout among college students was the focus of this study with emphasis on the three burnout dimensions: emotional exhaustion, cynicism and academic inefficacy. The general self- efficacy of the respondents were also taken into account. Findings on the aggregate level, are not indicative that the respondents are experiencing burnout. However, few of them showed very strong emotional exhaustion, cynicism and academic inefficacy which are indicators of burnout. Furthermore, more than one half of the respondents claimed that they moderately believe of their capabilities and competencies, however, again, there were few who claimed about the feeling of incompetency as a student. Also, the respondents’ general self-efficacy is significantly related to academic burnout, hence, it indicates that the former is a predictor of academic burnout. In consideration with the foregoing, it was recommended that more alternative assessment of students’ work must be provided to widen their repertoire of academic achievement. Moreover, observance of academic advising and involving students in extracurricular activities were also recommended to enrich their academic lives.