The Intensification of Moral Injury in Teachers During the Pandemic

Abstract

This mixed methods study uncovered experiences teachers described as burnout or stress during the pandemic were not simply what these two terms described. During, and shortly after, the pandemic, teachers’ descriptions of their circumstances fall more in line with the definition and experiences of moral injury. This study utilized the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory (OBI) to assess teachers’ levels of burnout, coupled with a grounded theory analysis of written experiences, focus groups, and individual interviews. Four analytical themes were identified during analysis: (1) Teachers who were already feeling burnout and stress from legislators’ expectations for accountability prior to the pandemic increased as teachers’ jobs became more political during the pandemic.; (2) Teachers did not feel they had much autonomy in their classrooms prior to and during the pandemic because of others’ expectations of teachers’ work.; (3) Teachers’ workloads increased prior to and during the pandemic.; and (4) Teachers lacked supportive administrators prior to the pandemic, and these administrators centered blame on teachers during the pandemic. The central hypothesis was teachers could not change the things they described as central to their stress and burnout because they were truly experiencing moral injury.