An Achievement Goal Theory Perspective on Medical Student and Pre-Service Teacher Burnout

• Author / Creator

  Nadon, Lindsey

• Students training for people-oriented careers, such as medicine and teaching, experience disproportionately high levels of burnout before entering the workforce. This is problematic because burnout is associated with negative outcomes such as unprofessionalism, low self-efficacy, and early career departure. Previous research has shown that adaptive achievement goals (i.e., motivational beliefs) may protect students from burnout, while maladaptive achievement goals may contribute to burnout. The purpose of this study was to compare medical students’ and pre-service teachers’ achievement goals (using the 2x2 model of Achievement Goal Theory) and examine the extent to which achievement goals contribute to or protect students from academic burnout. Using a cross-sectional survey design, I collected data from 281 medical students and pre-service teachers enrolled at a Western Canadian university. To answer my research questions, I used descriptive data, correlational analyses, and multiple linear regression. Results of this study suggest that: medical students and pre-service teachers primarily endorse adaptive achievement goals, that they endorse achievement goals similarly, although medical students experience higher burnout, and that students who endorse adaptive goals experience lower levels of burnout compared to students who endorse maladaptive achievement goals. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed, as well as implications of these findings for researchers, educators, and students training for people-oriented professions.

• Subjects / Keywords

  • Motivation
  • Pre-service Teachers
  • University Students
  • Medical Students
  • Burnout
  • Achievement Goals

• Graduation date

  Fall 2018

• Type of Item

  Thesis

• Degree

  Master of Education

• DOI

  https://doi.org/10.7939/R3Z892X14

• License

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