Teachers’ burnout, a complex and multifaceted phenomenon characterized by physical, emotional, and mental exhaustion (Schaufeli & Greenglass, 2001) has become an increasing concern for educational institutions. Research highlights that burnout not only negatively impacts teachers' well-being but also compromises their performance and instructional quality, weakens classroom management, and results in suboptimal student outcomes (Madigan & Kim, 2021). Consequently, teachers' burnout is not confined to affecting educators alone but extends its influence to the broader educational environment, including student behavior and academic achievement. Given the serious nature of these consequences, addressing the issue of teachers' burnout requires careful and focused attention.

The "job demands-resources model" of burnout (Bakker & Demerouti, 2007) posits that burnout arises when workplace demands surpass the contextual job resources or personal resources available to employees. As a result, increasing attention has been directed toward identifying resources that can mitigate the effects of burnout among teachers. One such personal resource is self-efficacy, defined as teachers' confidence in their ability to facilitate desired academic outcomes for students (Klassen et al., 2009). Research consistently demonstrates that low self-efficacy correlates with higher levels of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization and a diminished sense of personal accomplishment (Savas et al., 2014). These findings suggest that teachers' perceptions of their own abilities may play a significant role in the development of burnout. However, there is a notable gap in understanding the mechanisms through which self-efficacy contributes to burnout among teachers. 

Emerging evidence indicates that mindfulness in teaching, defined by two different dimensions: intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness, may have a significant role in the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout (Cetin et al., 2024; Moyano et al., 2023). Intrapersonal mindfulness reflects awareness, attention, and being in the present moment, while interpersonal mindfulness reflects an open disposition and approach with acceptance and receptiveness in teacher-student interactions (Frank et al., 2016). Recent findings indicate that teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy are more inclined to maintain mindful awareness of their daily activities and demonstrate greater receptivity toward their students, leading to reduced levels of burnout (Moyano et al., 2023). The research also show that practicing mindfulness can help build a capacity for resilience as it enables teachers to remain present, enhance attention, develop self-awareness, and regulate emotions effectively, ultimately reducing stress and promoting overall well-being (Neumann & Tillott, 2022). Resilient teachers are more likely to have a positive attitude toward their work, experience reduced stress levels, and have better student outcomes (Hascher et al., 2021). 

The main objective of the present study is to explore the personal resources that may serve as protective factors against burnout among teachers. Specifically, the study aims to analyze the potential mediating role of mindfulness, assessed through its intrapersonal and interpersonal dimensions, and resilience in the relation between teacher’s self-efficacy and burnout, among Serbian teachers from primary and secondary education. Consequently, the study proposes the following hypothesis: 

H1. Intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness mediate the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout. 

H2. Resilience mediates the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout. 

H3. Intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness and resilience mediate the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout.

The non-randomized sample included 143 elementary school teachers and 108 high school teachers (176 females and 75 males; Mage=41.33, SD=9.90) from mixed-sex public schools in Serbia. The participants had approximately 14 years of teaching experience (M=13.56, SD=10.12). Data collection was conducted through both an online survey platform and face-to-face administration. The study received approval from the Ethics Committee of the Department of Psychology, Faculty of Philosophy, University of Kosovska Mitrovica. Participation was entirely voluntary, and anonymity was assured. All participants provided informed consent and did not receive any compensation for their participation in the study. Participants completed the following measures: the Work Burnout scale (Kristensen et al., 2005; α=.87), which assesses the intensity of burnout syndrome; Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale – Short form (Tschannen-Moran & Hoy, 2001; α=.89), which evaluates teachers’ self-efficacy; Mindfulness in Teaching Scale (Frank et al., 2016), which measures intrapersonal (α=.84) and interpersonal mindfulness (α=.68); and Brief Resilience Scale (Smith et al., 2008; α=.74), which assesses the degree of resilience. To test the study hypotheses, a parallel-serial mediation analysis (Model 80) was conducted using the SPSS Process Macro version 4.2 (Hayes 2022). Burnout was included as the dependent variable, teachers’ self-efficacy as the independent variable, intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness as parallel mediators, and resilience as the serial mediator. Considering prior findings suggesting that years of teaching experience may play a role in both teacher efficacy and burnout outcomes (Jamaludin & You, 2019; Klassen & Chiu, 2010), years of teaching experience was included as a control variable in the parallel-serial mediation analyses. The results revealed following significant direct effects: teachers’ self-efficacy positively predicted intrapersonal mindfulness (β=0.534, p<0.001), interpersonal mindfulness (β=0.391, p<0.001), and resilience (β=0.276, p<0.001). However, only intrapersonal mindfulness (β=-0.399, p<0.001) and resilience (β=-0.125, p<0.001) negatively predicted burnout. The total indirect effect of teachers’ self-efficacy on burnout was significant (β=-0.254, CI=[-0.359, -0.154]). Furthermore, three significant indirect effects of the parallel-serial mediation were identified. First, intrapersonal mindfulness mediated the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout (β=-0.213, CI=[-0.295, -0.139]), which partially supported Hypothesis 1. Second, resilience mediated the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout (β=-0.034, CI=[0.084, 0.01]), which supported Hypothesis 2. Third, our results showed that teachers’ self-efficacy influenced burnout via intrapersonal mindfulness and then resilience (β=-0.017, CI=[-0.038, -0.001]), which partially supported Hypothesis 3.

Consistent with previous research, our findings reaffirm the importance of mindfulness in protecting against teachers’ burnout (Hidajat et al., 2023). However, by distinguishing between intrapersonal and interpersonal mindfulness, results indicate that only intrapersonal mindfulness has a direct effect on burnout, whereas interpersonal mindfulness fails to predict burnout. Drawing on Moyano et al.’s study (2023), which linked intrapersonal mindfulness to emotional exhaustion and depersonalization, and interpersonal mindfulness to personal accomplishment, our findings may suggest that intrapersonal mindfulness plays a more important role in mitigating physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion. In contrast, interpersonal mindfulness may contribute more significantly to fostering teachers’ feelings of competence, effectiveness, and achievement in their professional roles. Furthermore, our findings confirm the role of resilience in the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy and burnout (Li et al., 2023). Teachers with higher levels of self-efficacy might feel more self-assured in their ability to manage challenging classroom situations and demonstrate greater competence in their teaching practices, enhancing their capacity to adapt effectively to adverse and dynamic circumstances and manage job-related stressors. Overall, our findings suggest that teachers with high levels of self-efficacy may possess the ability to be mindful and accepting of their own emotional experiences, enabling them to regulate their emotions more effectively and approach challenges with a calm, present-focused mindset. This self-awareness may enhance resilience by equipping teachers with the psychological flexibility and strength needed to adapt to stressors and persevere in the face of difficulties, thereby reducing their susceptibility to physical and psychological fatigue and exhaustion. The results of the present study contribute to the theoretical understanding of teachers’ burnout and indicate that cultivating resilience through targeted teachers’ interventions designed to improve teachers’ awareness of their own experiences should be explored as a potential approach to alleviating burnout symptoms.

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