Date of Award

2003

Degree Name

Doctor of Education

College

College of Education

Type of Degree

Ed.D.

Document Type

Dissertation

First Advisor

Dennis P. Prisk

Second Advisor

Steven R. Banks

Third Advisor

Jerry D. Jones

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to determine the relationships between the perceived organizational climate and professional burnout in libraries and computing services units in West Virginia higher education. Research questions were defined to investigate the differences between libraries and computing services units in the perceived organizational climate, professional burnout, organizational climate vs. burnout, demographics vs. organizational climate, demographics vs. burnout, and the combined effects of demographics and organizational climate upon burnout. The Work Environment Scale (WES) Form R, third edition, the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) HSS, third edition, and a demographic questionnaire measured the organizational climate, burnout, and demographics. Standard research methods were used to collect, analyze, and report on the data. The research population was the 521 library and computing services staff and faculty employees of the West Virginia public higher education institutions. Correlation and ANOVA techniques were used. Findings included: (a) significant differences in gender distribution, percentage of supervisors, marital status, and faculty classification, but not in occurrence of direct client contact, age, education, or years in their profession or position, (b) significant divergences from the published norms for each measure of the WES or MBI toward a positive environment, except a significantly lower level of personal accomplishment compared to the postsecondary education norms (c) significant differences in the organizational climate measures of Work Pressure, Clarity, and the Work Stressors Index, (d) no significant differences in burnout measures, (e) a significant relationship between positive environmental characteristics and lowered burnout indicators in both groups, (f) consistent relationships between demographics and organizational climate with other reported studies, (g) consistent relationships between demographics and burnout measures with other studies except no relationship with gender and a positive relationship between education and burnout, and (h) the Relationships dimension of the WES was the most important factor related to lower burnout measures for both units, however the WES Personal Growth dimension and general experience seemed to have a larger relationship with decreased burnout in computing services and the WES System Maintenance and Change dimension and being married have a larger relationship with decreased burnout in libraries.

Subject

Burn out (Psychology)

Subject

Organizational sociology

Subject

Library employees

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