Predictors of academic burnout in students of the last year of study

Abstract

The article investigates predictors of academic burnout in students of the last year of study in order to identify the destructive factors of behavior formation at the beginning of their professional career. Academic burnout is a complex phenomenon that depends on personal psychophysiological characteristics, social support and work stress loads that affect the professional development of a young specialist. Therefore, we suggest that the predictors of academic burnout are not only psychophysiological changes, but also dissatisfaction with educational activities and the consequences of the unformed separation of personal and professional space during the last semester in training. The study involved 74 people, students of different specializations enrolled in the last year of study in Saint Petersburg universities (49% — men and 51% — women), the average age was 22 years. We used the following methods: Diagnosis of the level of emotional burnout by V. V. Boyko, the method of diagnosis of professional burnout by K. Maslach, S. Jackson adapted by N. E. Vodopyanova, the method of identifying irrational attitudes by A. Ellis and the test questionnaire of satisfaction with educational activity by L. V. Mishchenko. The study determined that students have a high degree of increased mental fatigue and emotional instability, apathy, loss of interest and positive feelings towards others. Students have tendencies to negatively assess their competence and productivity, which leads to a decrease in motivation to study; the negative attitude to study also increases, which leads to further avoidance of study in psychological and physical terms. The correlation analysis showed that the higher the student’s level of satisfaction with academic activities, the lower the probability of academic burnout. The predictors of academic burnout are depersonalization, satisfaction with the content of the educational process, and interaction with peers.