Article

Childcare teachers\' emotional labor and burnout -The mediating effect of emotional dissonance

Author

권혜진

Information

pp. 93~113 / 2008 Vol.15 No.4

Abstract

The purposes of this study was to identify the role of childcare teachers\' emotional labor (surface acting, deep acting, expression of emotional modality) in predicting psychological burnout as manifested by emotional exhaustion, depersonalization, and feelings of reduced personal accomplishment. In order to better understand the relationships at play here, special attention was given to the possible mediating effects of emotional dissonance on these relationships. A total 180 childcare teachers in childcare centers were surveyed in order to examine the relationships among these constructs. It was found that the surface acting of childcare teacher was significantly related with the level of burnout in childcare teachers. Emotional dissonance mediated the influence of surface acting upon both emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Additionally, expressions of emotional modality (frequency, enduring period, diversity) was significantly related with the level of burnout in childcare teachers, especially in terms of emotional exhaustion and depersonalization. Moreover, the emotional dissonance exhibited by childcare teachers was found to be a significant mediator in the relationships. However, deep acting did not indicate any relationship with emotional dissonance. The implications and limitations of these results, as well as issues for future research, were also discussed.

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