Effect of Self-regulation Coaching on Professional Teacher Burnout in Public Secondary Schools in Kiambu County, Kenya

Esther Waruguru Muchiri, Susan Macharia & Benson Njoroge
Mount Kenya University
Email: esthermuchiri1@gmail.com

Abstract: Teachers’ mental state is paramount in carrying out their work. However, their burnout has been on the rise. Self-regulation has been found to help professionals overcome this challenge. This study assessed the effect of self-regulation coaching on teacher professional burnout in Kiambu County. Attribution theory by Weiner and emotional intelligence (EI) theory by Goleman were employed. A Quasi experiment Solomon four design with a target population of 3469 teachers from 277 schools. Krejcie Morgan table yielded a sample of 346 teachers who were subjected to a Maslach burnout inventory to solicit data on teacher’s professional burnout. Moreover, 40 HODs and 8 principals were randomly selected and subjected to interview guides for qualitative data. A training manual was used to coach emotional self-regulation. Validity was determined through expert advice and piloting in 4 schools. Reliability was determined by split half method that yielded a coefficient of 0.75. Paired t-test and ANOVA were used for analysis of quantative data while thematic analysis was used for qualitative data. The results showed that self-regulation coaching had significant positive effects on teacher burnout. with statistically significant mean differences in burnout for those who were coached and those who were not. (t= df=78 , =17.654, 001 ) with high effect size (Cohen D = 0.811). The study concluded that self-regulation coaching significantly reduced teacher burnout. The reseacher recommended that the teacher employer develop programs to equip teachers with self-regulation skills to manage professional burnout hence increase productivity.