Social Support and Academic Burnout among Secondary School Students

Abstract

Academic burnout is a serious problem that negatively impact on students’ well being and academic performance. As defined by Schaufeli, Pinto, Salanova, and Bakker (2002), academic burnout is a feeling of mental and emotional exhaustion which is not only associated with learners negative attitude towards school work, but also with pessimistic feelings and lack of motivation to carry out classroom activities. Academic burnout may be as a result of enormous academic pressure exerted on learners to excel in academic endeavors. This pressure may be exerted on learners without considering their internal and external resources that may help them cope with such challenging situations within their learning environment. This study therefore investigated the extent to which social support predicted academic burnout among secondary school. The study used a correlational research design. The sample comprised 714 form four students (436 boys; 278 girls) with a mean age of 18.11 with a standard deviation of 1.49, ranging from 15 to 23 years. A demographic form, The Child and Adolescence Social Support Scale and Maslach Burnout Inventory-Student Survey were used to collect data. Analysis of data was through multiple linear regressions. The results indicated that social support predicted academic burnout (F (6,707) = 11.70, p < .05, R2 = .09). A key implication of the results is that, peer counseling initiatives in schools and enhanced teacher-student relationship may ameliorate student social support.