Work Engagement and Burnout among College Teachers in Bihar: A Comparative Study

Piyush Ranjan  Sahay; Shashank Bhushan  Lall

doi:10.69968/ijisem.2025v4si182-87

Authors

Piyush Ranjan Sahay Research Scholar, Department of Applied Economics and Commerce, Patna University, Assistant Professor, Department Of Business Administration, St. Xavier’s College of Management & Technology, Patna.
Shashank Bhushan Lall Head, Department of Applied Economics and Commerce, Patna University.

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.69968/ijisem.2025v4si182-87

Keywords:

Work engagement, burnout, college teachers, job demands, job resources, institutional support, workload, autonomy, recognition, Bihar

Abstract

As the theoretical framework, "the Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) model" is used to examine the link between job engagement and burnout among college instructors in Bihar. A sample of 350 teachers from both public (60%) and private (40%) institutions was surveyed to assess key factors such as “job demands (workload and administrative duties), job resources (autonomy and recognition), and institutional support”. The results revealed that private institution teachers experienced significantly higher burnout levels and lower work engagement compared to their public institution counterparts. There was a negative association between burnout and job engagement, indicating that burnout is lessened by increased engagement. Moreover, job demands, particularly high workload and administrative duties, were positively associated with burnout, while job resources such as autonomy and recognition were strong predictors of work engagement. Institutional support played a key role in mitigating burnout and enhancing work engagement, particularly in public institutions. The study concludes that addressing workload management, increasing job resources, and providing institutional support are critical for improving teacher well-being in Bihar. Recommendations include policy reforms aimed at enhancing teacher support systems, recognition programs, and professional development opportunities to foster a healthy work-life balance and reduce burnout. Policymakers and educational administrators may use the insightful information from this study to create plans for enhancing the working conditions in higher education

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