Classroom management self-efficacy and burnout of teachers who began their career during the 2020/2021 school year

The purpose of this mixed methods study was to examine the difference in classroom management self-efficacy (CMSE) of year one taught virtually and year two taught in-person for beginning teachers and if this transition impacted teacher burnout. A purposeful sample of second-year teachers was selected to complete the Efficacy in Classroom Management subscale of the Teacher Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) and the Work-related Burnout subscale of the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI). The survey data were analyzed using a paired t-test and frequencies and percentages while qualitative data were analyzed using an inductive coding process. The quantitative findings indicated that there was a statistically significant mean difference in the CMSE of second-year teachers who taught their first-year virtually and their second year in-person. The findings further indicated that the transition to in-person learning did influence teacher burnout. The quantitative data indicated that elementary and middle school teachers have experienced greater feelings of burnout than high school teachers. The qualitative data supported these findings and identified themes related to the reasons for the significant mean difference in CMSE and the feelings of burnout.