Burnout among Faculty Members in Adventist Higher Institutions of Learning in Sub-Saharan Africa.

Abstract

This study investigated burnout using a quantitative descriptive design with a sample of 130 faculty members. Data from a self-constructed questionnaire were analyzed using SPSS 27 and SmartPLS 4.0 for statistical treatment. The faculty members experienced a high level of reduced professional efficacy but lower levels of exhaustion and cynicism. In terms of age, the younger faculty members were more vulnerable to exhaustion, reduced professional efficacy, and cynicism. Being male or female made no difference in the experience of burnout. Further, the faculty members who work from home more than 80% of the time face higher levels of burnout than those working from home 2 - 3 days a week and more than 80% in the office. For future research, the study recommends the following. For future research, a convergent parallel design mixed-methods approach could complement personal and organizational factors. Not only should standardized and validated instruments such as the Maslach Burnout Inventory be used to enhance reliability, but also the sample size should be expanded to include different Adventist universities across Sub-Saharan African countries to improve generalizability. Changes in burnout over time and identifying causal relationships would require a longitudinal research design. Future research would look at how variables such as workload, organizational support, leadership style, job satisfaction, and mental health resources affect burnout.