Teaching Disruption by COVID-19: Burnout, Isolation, and Sense of Belonging in Accounting Tutors in E-Learning and B-Learning

Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2021 Sep 30;18(19):10339. doi: 10.3390/ijerph181910339.

Abstract

This study examines burnout syndrome, feelings of isolation, and sense of belonging in a sample of accounting tutors enrolled in e-learning and b-learning modalities before and after COVID-19 disruption. The study also includes several sociodemographic and labour variables to better understand the three dimensions. The participants were tutors enrolled in two accounting courses at higher education during the academic years 2019-2020 and 2020-2021. Our results do not show high levels of tutor burnout syndrome, neither before COVID-19 disruption nor after COVID-19 disruption. Findings also reveal that the isolation perception of accounting tutors is not high in both periods, while the sense of belonging of the teaching community is high in both periods. The evidence also suggests some variations in dimension scores according to sociodemographic and labour variables, but the evidence should be interpreted with caution due to the sample size. Despite this limitation, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first study that evaluates burnout, feelings of isolation, and sense of belonging in a tutor collective in e-learning and b-learning before and after COVID-19 disruption.

Keywords: COVID-19 pandemic; accounting; b-learning; e-learning; feelings of isolation; higher education; sense of belonging; teacher burnout.

Publication types

  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Burnout, Psychological
  • COVID-19*
  • Computer-Assisted Instruction*
  • Humans
  • SARS-CoV-2
  • Students, Medical*
  • Teaching