The Relationship Between Teaching Experiences and Teacher Burnout in China: The Mediating Role of Emotional Labor

Abstract Burnout is a common syndrome among teachers across the globe in the recent two decades. Although teacher burnout may be related to years of teaching experiences and emotional labor (surface acting, deep acting, and expression of naturally felt emotions), there is no consensus on the mechanisms of how teaching experience affects burnout. Thus, the study aims to examine how teaching experience and emotional labor are associated with teacher burnout. By surveying 417 teachers in China, the study finds that teaching burnout is negative associated with teaching experiences and the expression of naturally felt emotions, while positively associated with surface acting. Moreover, a further analysis suggests surface acting and the expression of naturally felt emotions are mediating roles in the relationship between teacher burnout and teaching experiences respectively.