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Abstract:

School burnout (SB) refers to students experiencing a combination of emotional exhaustion, cynicism, and reduced efficacy in their schoolwork. This study investigates how conditional regard, either expressed by parents or teachers, affects the development of SB. In particular, we hypothesized that the more parents or teachers let their appreciation of the child depend on achievement, the more students may become preoccupied with avoiding mistakes and hinge their self-worth on academic success. This could increase academic stress and result in school burnout. Additionally, we examined the association of SB with cognitive ability: while being gifted could increase competitive pressures, it might also be a resource helping students to deal better with school demands. A sample of 2,287 students was followed longitudinally, with measures taking place at the beginning and end of G7 and at the beginning of G8. At W1, students reported on the use of negative and positive conditional regard by their parents (Roth et al., 2009) and teachers (Assor and Tal, 2012) and cognitive ability was measured (Magez et al., 2015). Student concerns about mistakes (CM, Frost, 1990) and contingent self-esteem (CSE, Wouters, et al., 2016) were assessed at W1 and W2 and school burnout (Salmela-Aro, et al., 2009) at W1 and W3. A path model was estimated including effects of conditional regard at W1 on SB at W3, either directly or through CM and CSE at W2. Outcome levels of SB, CM and CSE were controlled for their initial levels at W1. We found that negative conditional regard (but not positive conditional regard), either by parents or by teachers, was related to increased levels of SB in students. These effects were partially mediated by higher levels of CM and CSE. Cognitive ability was related negatively to SB levels. Implications for educational practice and parent counseling will be discussed.