Quality of Life in the School Context: The Relationship between Teachers’ and Students’ Wellbeing

Abstract

The aim of the study is to identify relationships between levels of burnout in a sample of Italian teachers in middle school and the quality of the classroom relational climate experienced from their students. Method: analysis identified three different teachers’ burnout profiles, defined as “Enthusiastic”, “Exhausted-Indifferent” and “Exhausted-Guilty”. ANOVA showed that were significant differences in the quality of classroom relational climate perceived by students. The Enthusiastic group was associated with better levels regarding the students’ perception about teachers support and, concerning student-peers relationship, better support and mutual respect.The results are consistent with literature that underlines how burned-out teachers experience more difficult and conflictive relationship with their students. Moreover, it emerges how deficiencies in relational experience could impact not only on the student-teacher relationship, but also on the quality of student-peer interactions.