A Qualitative Research to Examin the Relationship Between Teachers' Emotional Labor Behaviors and Burnout

Abstract

The main purpose of this study is to determine the relationship between emotional labor behaviors and burnout levels of public school teachers working in Aydın province affiliated with the Ministry of National Education. The universe of the study consists of a total of 15 teachers working in a public school in Aydın province in the 2024-2025 academic year. Data were collected using a semi-structured interview form developed by the researcher and the interviews were audio- recorded. These recordings were then converted to text format and the analysis process was carried out using MAXQDA software. Thus, teachers' emotional labor strategies and burnout status were examined in depth.

The findings of the study reveal that there are significant differences in teachers' emotional labor strategies. It was observed that teachers exerted low levels of effort, especially in situations called surface acting, where fake or artificial

behaviors were exhibited in the external reflection of emotions. In contrast, it was determined that there was a high level of effort within the scope of deep role playing, that is, teachers' efforts to adapt to the work environment by sincerely changing their own emotions. However, the expression of natural emotions remained at a very low level. This situation shows that teachers mostly try to adapt to certain emotional norms in the work environment by hiding their true emotions.

In addition, the study revealed that the amount of emotional labor spent by teachers varies depending on demographic and institutional variables such as school level, teachers' seniority, education status, and the number of teachers in the school. For example, it was determined that teachers with higher seniority tended to use deeper role playing in emotional labor strategies, while those with lower levels of education preferred surface acting more. In addition, changes were observed in the emotional labor expenditure styles of individuals working in schools with a high number of teachers.

The results of the study show that teachers mostly act within the framework of informal rules, that is, unofficial and according to social expectations in the workplace. In this context, the prevalence of superficial behaviors can be interpreted as teachers' efforts to suppress their true feelings in the workplace and to ensure social acceptance and harmony. However, such emotional labor strategies have been associated with negative health outcomes such as burnout, fatigue, and stress over time. This situation is an important risk factor that threatens both the psychological and physical health of teachers.

In conclusion, this study revealed that teachers' emotional labor behaviors have a decisive effect on burnout levels. Good management and support of teachers’ emotional labor processes in educational institutions is of great importance both in terms of increasing teachers’ job satisfaction and reducing the negative effects of burnout. In this context, school administrators and policy makers should develop strategies that will alleviate teachers’ emotional burdens and create healthy work environments. In this way, teachers’ professional performance will increase and their general quality of life will improve.