EVALUATING THE RELIABILITY AND VALIDITY OF THE BURNOUT ASSESSMENT TOOL (BAT) TO TEACHERS IN CREECE

Abstract

This study examines the validity and reliability of the Greek adaptation of the Burnout Assessment Tool (BAT), the most recently developed and updated burnout measurement tool (2019-20), in primary and secondary school teachers. Burnout has been a serious issue in the field of education in recent years, and especially after the COVID-19 pandemic, as teachers face high demands and limited support resources, resulting in symptoms such as physical and mental exhaustion, distancing, cognitive and emotional impairment. The survey involved 1,044 teachers from all over Greece, who responded electronically to BAT. Data analysis was performed by exploratory and confirmatory factor analysis (EFA, CFA) using SPSS 29 and SmartPLS 4 software, in the context of PLS-SEM and CB-SEM. The results showed that BAT maintains its original six-factor structure (exhaustion, mental distance, cognitive impairment, emotional impairment, psychological and psychosomatic complaints) with high loads (>0.615) and very good internal consistency (Cronbach's alpha of 0.794 to 0.934). Convergent and discrete validity were confirmed, while the model showed good fit (SRMR=0.06). The consistency of the results between the PLS-SEM analysis and the CB-SEM confirmation significantly enhances the validity of the Greek adaptation of the BAT. The tool proves to be reliable, stable and theoretically consistent, as its exgenerative structure remains unchanged and clearly conveys the real experience of burnout in the field of education. At the same time, the existence of the general factor G-BAT provides the possibility to calculate an overall burnout index, which can be useful for comparative or longitudinal studies. The findings support that BAT is a reliable and valid tool for measuring burnout in Greek teachers, offering the possibility of targeted prevention and support interventions. At the same time, research limitations are recognized, such as the self-selection of the sample and the absence of repeat measurement control, which indicate the need for further research. Article visualizations: