# The Role of Psychological Empowerment in Reducing the Level of Occupational Burnout among Teachers

Ali Lefkir, Asma Hammouche, Salaheddine Cheikhaoui

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Ali Lefkir, Asma Hammouche, Salaheddine Cheikhaoui. The Role of Psychological Empowerment in Reducing the Level of Occupational Burnout among Teachers. International Journal of Economic Performance - , 2022 5 (2), https://www.asjp.cerist.dz/en/article/206524. hal-03905261

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# The Role of Psychological Empowerment in Reducing the Level of Occupational Burnout among Teachers

A field study on a sample of primary school teachers in the province of Boumerdes

<table><tr><td>LEFKIR Ali</td><td>HAMMOUCHE Asma</td><td>CHEIKHAOUI Salaheddine*</td></tr><tr><td>lefkir.ali2010@gmail.com</td><td>Asma.hammouche.35@gmail.com</td><td>salahcheikhaoui@gmail.com</td></tr><tr><td>University of Bordj Bou Arreridj (Algeria)</td><td>University of Algiers 02(Algeria)</td><td>University of Bordj Bou Arreridj (Algeria)</td></tr></table>

Submitted: 30/08/2022

Accepted: 26/10/2022

Published: 04/12/2022

## Abstract:

Psychological empowerment is considered one of the modern concepts in the field of human behavior within organizations. Employee empowerment strategies are the basis of modern management policies in contemporary organizations. These organizations depend on the concepts of total quality, work development, employees' competence, and independence. Adopting the approach of psychological empowerment of the human resource and making him feel that he has a degree of independence and freedom in administrative practice at the level of all parts of the horizontal flexible organizational structure affects the degree of his performance as well as his belonging to the organization and achieving a degree of harmony and compatibility within the work environment. As a result, psychological empowerment is regarded as an effective tool in reducing psychological burnout in the educational, professional environment.

The study aimed to identify the role of psychological empowerment in reducing the level of occupational burnout among teachers (a field study on a sample of primary school teachers in the province of Boumerdes). The descriptive-analytic method was used in order to achieve the objectives of the study. Two questionnaires have been approved after reviewing the theoretical literature on the subject of the study. The first relates to psychological empowerment, consisting of five dimensions, while the second relates to psychological burnout, which in turn also consists of three dimensions. This is after confirming their psychometric characteristics honestly and consistently. The research tool was applied to a sample of 98 teachers. And after statistically analyzing the data using the SSPS program version N. (22).

**Keywords:** Psychological Empowerment, Occupational Burnout, Teachers, primary school.

**JEL Classification Codes:** D91, A30, E71

<footnote>* Corresponding Author</footnote>
**Introduction:**

Over the past two decades, interest has increased in studying one of the concepts of Human Resources Management, which is empowering employees. "Psychological empowerment" is considered one of the latest and most important entrances to administrative reform in developed countries and receives wide attention from Modern Foreign Studies. Wetlaufer, 1999, mentioned the existence of 30,000 articles on psychological empowerment between "1990 and 1999," which made this period called the "era of empowerment," but the awareness of its importance is still limited in developing countries. While the contemporary trend of Human Resources Management provides for reducing the number of administrative levels, organizational structures are more flat and horizontal, which contributes to achieving the competitive advantage of organizations (Yahya Melhem, 2012, 142).

Organizations in developing countries still suffer from the lack of conviction of senior management in the ability of subordinates at lower administrative levels to make decisions that achieve the desired results. Traditional organizational models assume that strength and excellence exist only in employees occupying the highest positions, while successful organizations today believe that an employee is able to create creative ideas provided that he is left the space to embody them. Focusing on the work of the team, adopting the idea of empowering employees, and distributing authority and power to members of the organization makes them make the necessary decisions to perform their tasks effectively. (Nikki Hayes, P.134).

Empowerment is not a flimsy choice but rather a strategic institutional goal that seeks to strengthen the capabilities of employees, unleash their potential, and free them from bureaucratic capabilities (Lee and Kol, 2001). So, all organizations that are moving in the direction of adopting a policy of empowering employees have by no means taken an easy choice because the policy of empowering employees is a comprehensive process of change for all parts, individuals, and company policy.

As an educational and cultural edifice, the primary school performs its functions and provides services to learners, relying on its material and human staff. Therefore, these resources must be enabled and prepared in order to cope with the changes taking place in the education sector and at the social level, as the beneficiaries of the school's services are considered a very sensitive category due to their developmental and psychological characteristics and because they represent the future of the country. In order to achieve the goals of the educational process, the roles of the human element in terms of communication, information, and leadership of the organization must be integrated to form a single strong and solid front capable of forming a fruitful working environment (Abou El Fotouh, 1996).
"Psychological burnout" is one of the phenomena associated with human professions and has negative effects and physiological and psychological symptoms on the personality of professors. It also contributes significantly to the era's diseases. In Algeria, reports on labor medicine reported that large numbers of professors suffer from permanent ailments mainly related to the nature of the profession. In a study in 2004, "Zebdi" found that two-thirds of professors have various diseases related to the educational task and suffer from them constantly (Nasreddin Zebdi, 2004).

So what is the reality of the "empowerment of workers" in the Algerian primary schools? To what extent do teachers suffer from the phenomenon of psychological burnout in this phase? And is this phenomenon related to the managerial methods of managers represented by "administrative empowerment"?

**1- Study questions:**

This study aims to answer the following questions:

- What is the reality of the psychological empowerment of teachers in its four dimensions in the Algerian primary school?

- Does the primary school teacher in Algeria suffer from the phenomenon of psychological burnout in its three dimensions?

- Is there a statistically significant correlation between the level of managers ' practice of psychological empowerment in its four dimensions and the phenomenon of psychological burnout in the teacher?

**2-Hypotheses of the study:**

- The psychological empowerment of primary school teachers is weak in its four dimensions.

- The elementary school teacher suffers from the phenomenon of psychological burnout in its three dimensions to a high degree.

- There is a statistically significant correlation between the level of managers ' practice of psychological empowerment in its four dimensions and the phenomenon of psychological burnout in the teacher.

**3-Objectives of the study:**

- Disclosure of the extent to which professional identity contributes to achieving professional compatibility among employees of regional groups

- Determine the levels of professional identity of employees of regional groups.

- Identify the levels of professional compatibility in the professional circles of the regional groups.

<figure><img src="image_5.png" /></figure>
**4-The importance of the study:**

The importance of the study is highlighted by the importance of the topic of professional identity and professional compatibility, which is considered one of the important topics in the study of organizations, because its understanding contributes to the stability of the organization and also gives leaders and officials an optimal idea to deal with the repercussions of the phenomenon, both in terms of obstacles or motives that contribute to improving the levels of professional identity and their role in achieving professional compatibility of the employee, which would positively reflect on his performance and the effectiveness of the organization as a whole, which is also an attempt to study the topic from an organizational psychological perspective, and knowledge of the determinants and factors that would contribute to raising the levels of professional identity and compatibility, and the impact on the organizational side of the organizational aspect. All this is reflected in achieving organizational goals, in addition to highlighting organizational and professional phenomena and problems that hinder the good functioning of organizations, and affect the level of professional compatibility of employees, and prevent them from forming a strong professional identity.

**5-Theoretical framework of the study:**

**5-1-Defining study concepts:**

Study concepts: the study deals with the following concepts:

**5-1-1-Employee empowerment strategy:**

Psychological empowerment is a strategy aimed at freeing the potential of employees and involving them in the process of building an organization, considering that its success depends on the harmony of the needs of individuals with its vision and distant goals.

It is also a transfer of responsibility and authority and inviting employees to share the information provided by the administration through its database and in analyzing problems and decision-making and, consequently, in the decision-making authority, so that the subordinate becomes responsible for the correctness of what he decides and presents from the work, which leads to the transfer of authority from the boss to the employee relatively.

It is also defined as "the process of gaining the necessary strength to make decisions and contribute to the development of plans, especially those related to the worker's job, and using the existing experience of employees to improve the performance of the organization."

Psychological empowerment in this study refers to "the internal feeling that the employee generates towards his work," and this feeling is represented in four dimensions, namely: "the employee's perception of the meaning of his work; work
efficiency; independence; and work development" and measured by the paragraphs of the questionnaire prepared for this purpose.

**5-1-2-Elementary School:**

The primary school is known as a social institution attached to the Ministry of Education, which performs educational roles that fall within the social goals determined by the philosophy of the state in which it was established and seeks to inculcate knowledge and moral and cultural values that allow society to maintain its growth and continuity, and is also known as a social institution whose main function is the personal development of individuals and the upbringing of future generations, which makes them good members of the society it prepares them for (Zaki 2017, 204). The definition of primary school as a subject of study includes what was approved by the Algerian legislator, where it is defined as a public educational institution with a moral character, which is an educational organizational unit established and closed by a decision of the ministry or directorate, granting joint and continuous basic education from the preparatory year to the fifth year.

The researcher points to the definition of primary school as the educational institution that represents the first educational stage in our country and provides its services to learners belonging to the age group of (5–6 years) to (10–11 years).

**5-1-3-psychological burnout**

Psychological burnout is one of the psychological phenomena accompanying humanitarian and service professions, and Christine Maslach. Maslach is considered a pioneer in the study and development of the concepts of psychological burnout and defined it in 1988 as "a psychological condition characterized by a set of symptoms of mental stress, emotional exhaustion, personal coldness, a tendency to isolation, and negative attitudes towards work and colleagues" (Maslach, 1997,99).

Al-Rifai also defined it in 1998 as "a state of psychological and physical exhaustion that appears on the individual under the influence of the work pressure he is exposed to, and affects his attitudes towards the profession in which he works negatively, and can be clearly diagnosed through his behavior during work and his relationships with others" (Al-Rifai, 1993).

The researcher defines psychological burnout procedurally as follows:

"It is a psychological condition characterized by the persistence of fatigue and physical, intellectual, and emotional exhaustion, and the formation of negative attitudes towards work and towards others that afflicts the teacher as a result of exposure to severe and constant professional pressures and as a result of the nature of the profession and the inappropriate organizational climate, what the teacher loses his vitality and interest in
his work with a feeling of low appreciation of his professional achievement" is
measured by the degree obtained by The Examiner in the "Maslash" scale of
psychological burnout and appears through three main elements determined by this
scale:

-Emotional stress:

It is the teacher's feeling of fatigue, exhaustion, loss of vitality, and activity towards doing his work, where the emotional resources of the teacher are depleted to the level that affects his performance. This dimension is the main element of psychological combustion. It appears in the form of physical or psychological symptoms, or both.

-Dull feelings:

This dimension includes negative change in attitudes and responses, especially towards learners. It is often accompanied by rapid anger, emotion, loss of appreciation for work, as well as sarcastic attitudes towards others.

-Low sense of personal achievement:

It is the teacher's negative assessment of his achievements and the feeling of ineffectiveness of what he is doing. It is represented by feelings of depression, withdrawal, lack of productivity, inability to adapt to pressure, a sense of failure, and low self-esteem.

6-The field side:

**6-1-Sample Survey study:**

The survey study is the first step that helps researchers get an overview of the aspects of the field study of research. This survey study was conducted at the primary school "Mohamed Al-Sagheer Sahel" in the municipality of Zemmouri, Boumerdes province. It included thirty teachers from the primary school. The purpose of this study was to verify the validity of the tool used to collect data and the responsiveness of the study sample to the tool. It was conducted in the period between25/04/2022until30/05/2022

**6-2-Psychometric characteristics of study instruments:**

**6-2-1-psychological empowerment questionnaire:** to confirm the honesty of the psychological empowerment questionnaire, the researchers used two methods to calculate it, namely: first, the Face validity : the questionnaire was presented to a group of professors of the Algerian university, after giving their comments, the linguistic construction of some items were modified, and the percentage of agreement between the arbitrators (56,88 %) using the "Cooper" equation, which is a high percentage of agreement to accept the sincerity of the tool.

<figure><img src="image_6.png" /></figure>
- Discriminant validity

This type is based on the ability of the questionnaire to distinguish between the two sides of the characteristic it measures. It is considered one of the statistical methods for calculating truthfulness, which is called the truthfulness of the peripheral comparison.
The table below shows this:

<table><caption>Table No. (01) shows the results of the Discriminant validity of the psychological empowerment questionnaire:</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="9">Psychological empowerment questionnaire</th></tr><tr><th>Groups</th><th>The number</th><th>Arithmetic average</th><th>Standard deviation</th><th>t value</th><th>Sig value</th><th>Degree of freedom</th><th>Significance Level</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The group of higher values</td><td>09</td><td>65,37</td><td>1,66</td><td>08,02</td><td>0,00 **</td><td>16</td><td>0,00</td></tr><tr><td>The group of lower values</td><td>09</td><td>44,68</td><td>2,20</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

It is clear from Table No. (01) that the results of the averages and standard deviations of the lower and upper groups in the "psychological empowerment" questionnaire have shown that the value of(t.test) reached (08.21), at the degree of freedom (16), which is a statistically significant value at the significance level of 0.01, with a significant probability value estimated at (sig = 0.00**). This indicates a difference between the averages of the set of upper and lower values, which means that the questionnaire can distinguish between the two ends of the measured attribute; therefore, it is honest and can be used in the measurement.

- Stability: to check the stability of the psychological empowerment questionnaire, the researchers calculated it using the Cronbach Alpha method, illustrated in the following table.

<table><caption>Table No.02 shows Cronbach's alpha stability coefficient for the psychological empowerment questionnaire.</caption><thead><tr><th>Number</th><th>Title</th><th>Phrases</th><th>Coefficient of stability</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>01</td><td>Work Meaning</td><td>4</td><td>0.64</td></tr><tr><td>02</td><td>Work efficiency</td><td>4</td><td>0.66</td></tr><tr><td>03</td><td>Independence of work</td><td>4</td><td>0.65</td></tr><tr><td>04</td><td>Work development</td><td>4</td><td>0.68</td></tr><tr><td>05</td><td>Obstacles to empowerment policy</td><td>6</td><td>0.73</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">The general grade of the psychological empowerment questionnaire</td><td>0.68</td></tr></tbody></table>

Table No. (02) shows that the total stability coefficients of the psychological empowerment questionnaire can be described as high, as it was estimated at (0.68), as it reached its upper limit in the axis of obstacles to the formation policy by (0.73), and
only the lowest in the axis of the meaning of work, which was estimated at (0.64).
Accordingly, it can be said that the coefficient of "Cronbach's Alpha constancy" for the "psychological empowerment" questionnaire was high.

**6-2-2-psychological burnout scale:**

in the same vein as the methodological procedure followed in the psychological empowerment questionnaire. The face validity was calculated first: the questionnaire was presented to a group of experienced arbitrators professors across many universities, and based on their opinions, the wording of some paragraphs were amended, and the questionnaire in its final form contains (22) items. After calculating the honesty of the arbitrators by applying the "Cooper" equation, the percentage of agreement between the arbitrators reached (87.03%). This is a high percentage of agreement between the arbitrators; it can be relied upon to consider the scale as truthful and can be used in the current study.

**Discriminant validity:**

This validity is based on the distinction between the two ends of the trait it measures, and it is considered one of the statistical methods for calculating validity, which is called the validity of the peripheral comparison, and the table below shows this:

<table><caption>**Table No. (03). The results of the discriminant validity of the psychological burnout questionnaire**</caption><thead><tr><th colspan="8">psychological burnout questionnaire</th></tr><tr><th>Groups</th><th>number</th><th>Arithmetic average</th><th>Standard deviation</th><th>" t" value</th><th>Sig value</th><th>Degree of freedom</th><th>Significance Level</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The group of higher values</td><td>09</td><td>98,06</td><td>3,75</td><td>05.62</td><td>0,00 **</td><td>16</td><td>0,01</td></tr><tr><td>The group of lower values</td><td>09</td><td>72,03</td><td>4,78</td><td></td><td></td><td></td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

It is clear from Table No. 03 that the results of the averages and standard deviations of the lower and upper groups in the questionnaire "psychological burnout" indicate a discrepancy between them, and this is confirmed by the value "T"(t.test), estimated at (05.62), at the degree of freedom (16), which is a statistically significant value at the significance level of 0.01, with a significant probability value estimated at (sig = 0.00**), this indicates that there is a difference between the averages of the set of upper and lower values and indicates that the questionnaire has the ability to distinguish between different categories and is therefore honest and can be used in measurement.
* - Stability: to check the stability of the psychological burnout scale, the researchers calculated it using the Cronbach Alpha method, as shown in the following table:

<table><caption>Table No. (04): Cronbach's Alpha stability coefficient for the psychological burnout questionnaire</caption><thead><tr><td>Number</td><td>Dimensions</td><td>Items</td><td>Coefficient of stability</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>01</td><td>Emotional stress</td><td>9</td><td>0.683</td></tr><tr><td>02</td><td>Dulled feelings</td><td>5</td><td>0.687</td></tr><tr><td>03</td><td>Low sense of achievement</td><td>8</td><td>0.741</td></tr><tr><td colspan="3">The general grade of the psychological burnout</td><td>0.692</td></tr></tbody></table>

Table No. (04) shows that the total stability coefficients of the psychological burnout questionnaire can be described as high, as it was estimated at (0.692) and reached its upper limit in the axis of a low sense of achievement by (0.74). And only the lowest one is found in the axis of emotional stress, with a value estimated at (0.683).

## 6-3- Curriculum:

Due to the nature of our topic, which is represented in the role of psychological empowerment in reducing the level of occupational burnout among teachers, a field study was conducted on the eyes of primary school teachers in the province of Boumerdes, and in order to diagnose the phenomenon and reveal its aspects, we relied on the descriptive-analytical curriculum that we deem appropriate for this type of study.

The descriptive approach is defined as not only collecting and classifying data and facts, as well as analyzing them in sufficient, accurate, and in-depth analysis, but also includes a measure of interpretation of these results. (Saber and Khafaja, 2002, p.87).

### 1-Definition of the field of study:

This study used several primary schools in the province of "Boumerdes" as a model, with study materials distributed to teachers. The following table represents the schools involved in the study:

<table><caption>Table No. (5): distribution of sample members to primary schools:</caption><thead><tr><td>Number</td><td>School name</td><td>Teachers' number</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Al-ikhwaTalamali School (Boumerdes)</td><td>10</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Mohammed Al-Eid Al Khalifa School (Baghlia)</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Al-IkhwaRyal (Khemis El Khechna)</td><td>14</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Fatima N'Soumer School(Boudouaou)</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>5</td><td>Khoudi Al-Saeed School (SidiDaoud)</td><td>11</td></tr><tr><td>6</td><td>Al-ikhwaDarawi School (Dellys)</td><td>14</td></tr></tbody></table>

<figure><img src="image_7.png" /></figure>
<table><tr><td>7</td><td>Al-ikhwaHadaba School (Boudouaou)</td><td>12</td></tr><tr><td>8</td><td>Al-ikhwaBakur (Thenia)</td><td>13</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>8</td><td>98</td></tr></table>

Table No. (5) represents the distribution of the study sample members to primary schools, the number of which was estimated at "8" schools distributed over 8 administrative districts, while the final number of the sample was estimated at "98" teachers.

## 6-4. Study Sample :

The study sample consisted of 98 teachers distributed among eight randomly selected primary schools of different ranks, and the following table shows the distribution of sample members by job type.

<table><caption>Table No. (6): shows the distribution of sample members by job type.</caption><thead><tr><td>Job type</td><td>Repetition</td><td>Percentage</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Primary school teacher</td><td>13</td><td>13.26</td></tr><tr><td>Elementary school teacher</td><td>11</td><td>11.22</td></tr><tr><td>Head teacher of elementary school</td><td>41</td><td>41.81</td></tr><tr><td>A component teacher of elementary school</td><td>33</td><td>33.67</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>98</td><td>100</td></tr></tbody></table>

Table No. (2) shows the distribution of the sample members to primary schools, as the study included "8" primary schools, and care was taken to randomly select schools, where they were distributed to a number of districts in the province of "Boumerdes" so as to be representative of the original community of the study.

<table><caption>Table No. (3) shows the distribution of members of the sample by type of type.</caption><thead><tr><td>Teacher's gender</td><td>Repetition</td><td>Percentage</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Male</td><td>17</td><td>17.34</td></tr><tr><td>Female</td><td>81</td><td>82.65</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td>98</td><td>100</td></tr></tbody></table>

Table No. (3) represents the members of the study sample, which included 98 female and male teachers, with a male teacher ratio estimated at "17.34%" and a female teacher ratio estimated at "82.65%".

## 6-5- Data collection tools:

Based on the nature of the descriptive study, the questionnaire is the most appropriate tool for collecting data, and the interview was used to clarify some vague points among

<figure><img src="image_8.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_9.png" /></figure>
the respondents about the instruction of the questionnaire, and the questionnaire was built based on the literature related to the same topic and previous studies.

### 6-5-1-Psychological empowerment questionnaire:

The main tool for data collection was the scale developed by Spreitezer 1995, Menom and Hartman 2002, and was built on the "Likert" five-way method, where the answers are dotted from (1 to 5).

The questionnaire was also supported by a first part on the personal variables of the sample members.

It consists of 18 phrases as follows:

<table><caption>Table No. (8) shows the dimensions of the psychological empowerment scale and the number of phrases in each dimension.</caption><thead><tr><td>Number</td><td>Questionnaire dimensions</td><td>Phrases number</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>01</td><td>Work meaning</td><td>04</td></tr><tr><td>02</td><td>Employee efficiency</td><td>04</td></tr><tr><td>03</td><td>Workers exploitation</td><td>06</td></tr><tr><td>04</td><td>work development</td><td>04</td></tr><tr><td colspan="2">Psychological empowerment questionnaire</td><td>18</td></tr></tbody></table>

### 6-5-2-Maslach Burnout psychometric scale:

Maslach Burnout Inventory The researchers relied on the Christine Maslash scale of psychological burnout, which is one of the most widely used scales on a global scale. This scale consists of "22" phrases that ask an individual about how he feels about a set of behaviors related to his profession.

The scale statements are divided into three main dimensions defined procedurally in the study terminology, namely: emotional stress (9 paragraphs), dulling of emotions (5 paragraphs), and low sense of personal achievement (8 paragraphs).

The first version of this scale prepared by Maslash and Jackson appeared in "1981" and is related to the field of human and social services (MBI-HSS), the last of which is the general version (MBI-GS) of the MBI General survey, which appeared in "1996."

<table><caption>Table No. (9) distribution of paragraphs on the axes of the "Maslash" scale.</caption><thead><tr><td>Dimensions</td><td>Paragraphs</td><td>Total</td></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Emotional stress</td><td>20 - 16 - 14 - 13 - 8 - 6 - 3 - 2 - 1</td><td>9</td></tr><tr><td>Dulled feelings</td><td>22 - 15 - 11 - 10 - 5</td><td>5</td></tr><tr><td>Low sense of achievement</td><td>21 - 19 - 18 - 17 - 12 - 9 - 7 - 4</td><td>8</td></tr><tr><td>Total</td><td></td><td>22</td></tr></tbody></table>

<figure><img src="image_10.png" /></figure>

<figure><img src="image_11.png" /></figure>
It is clear to us from Table No. (9) that the scale contains "22" items distributed over three axes.

**7-Data analysis tools:**

After the questionnaires were completed, the data were analyzed based on the arithmetic averages of each answer to reveal each dimension of the "empowerment of workers", standard deviations were used, as well as percentages, and the correlation coefficient "Pearson" was relied on to reveal the relationship of psychological empowerment with the phenomenon of psychological burnout.

**8-Presentation and discussion of the results:**

**8.1-Presentation and discussion of the results of the first question:**

What is the reality of the policy of empowering employees in the Algerian primary school

<table><caption>Table No. (10) shows the results of the sample members on the paragraphs of the independent variable "psychological empowerment.</caption><thead><tr><th>Axis number</th><th>Phrase</th><th>Average</th><th>Standard Deviants</th><th>Relative importance</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>1</td><td>Work meaning</td><td>3.05</td><td>0.70</td><td>2</td></tr><tr><td>2</td><td>Work efficiency</td><td>4.33</td><td>0.63</td><td>1</td></tr><tr><td>3</td><td>Work independence</td><td>2.81</td><td>0.97</td><td>3</td></tr><tr><td>4</td><td>Worker development</td><td>2.45</td><td>0.95</td><td>4</td></tr><tr><td></td><td>Psychological empowerment</td><td>3.16</td><td>0.81</td><td></td></tr></tbody></table>

Table No. (10) shows the teachers' attitudes towards the independent variable "psychological empowerment" in all its paragraphs and fields, as it shows that there is a positive feeling towards the field of "work efficiency" with the highest average of "4.33", followed by "the meaning of work" with an average of "3.05", and then after "work independence" with an average of "2.81", and the last dimension of psychological empowerment is after "work development," where it was estimated at "2.45."

We can also explain this result by the fact that the concept of administrative leadership has not received the attention it deserves in our country and developing countries in general. Since independence, Algeria has seen a great acceleration in the wheel of economic development, but this has not been matched by attention to administrative and human structures, resulting in several problems such as poor communication, many labor disputes, and a failure to achieve public goals. National institutions and the Algerian process have gone through sensitive and unstable stages that affected their performance (Muqaddam 1997.16).

Both Spreitzer, Gretchen M. (1995) and Goetschs, Davi (1997) said that psychological empowerment is a philosophy and way of thinking that reflects Democratic leadership

<figure><img src="image_12.png" /></figure>
and pushes decisions to lower departments and is not just a way to solve problems at work.

The table shows that the attitudes of the researchers towards the first dimension "the meaning of work" were positive to an above-average degree, which is a clear indication of the study sample's awareness of the meaning of the work they perform, which indicates the pride and pride of teachers in the effort exerted by them, and it highlights the teacher's sense of the importance of his profession and its great role. This result is consistent with the findings of several studies, including the study of Bhatnagar, Jyotsna. & Sandhu, Sheetal. (2005) and the study of Yukl and Gary (2006), confirmed the existence of a strong and positive correlation between the empowerment policy of employees and increasing the level of performance, creativity, and organizational loyalty of employees.

The results of the analysis of the second dimension, which is "work efficiency", also show a high degree of approval, which is the highest average among the average dimensions of the "empowering workers" policy. This is an indication of the appreciation that the sample members have for their competencies and skills in performing their profession. The workers confirmed their confidence in their professional abilities and their control over working methods with the ability to solve problems. This is explained by the training programs conducted by the Ministry of National Education.

This result is consistent with the findings of the study of Al-harasha and Al-Heti, (2006) on the impact of administrative empowerment and organizational support on creative behavior in Jordanian firms, which discovered that administrative empowerment and organizational support account for 31% of the variation in creative behavior.

The study of Melhem, (2005) on the conditions conducive to the existence of psychological empowerment and its impact on job satisfaction in Jordanian hotels also confirmed the existence of a close relationship between communication, information flow, incentives, knowledge and skill, between empowerment and employees ' perception of empowerment and job satisfaction.

As for the dimension of "work independence", it ranked last. That is, the sample members did not have complete subjective freedom to choose and implement work methods, in terms of the respondents ' perceptions of the level of empowerment policy. These results are consistent with what was pointed out by Lawler and Bouwer (2014), where they stressed that the reward system affects the empowerment of employees through their detailed management and continuous promotion and stressed the need to motivate employees to participate effectively in decision-making processes.

<figure><img src="image_13.png" /></figure>
The results of the study of Shelton (2002) on trust between the boss and the subordinate in the perception of empowerment in the public sector in the province of "Carolina"; confirmed that the procedural and interactive relationship is necessary to increase the perception of empowerment and pointed to the need to pay attention to the role of building trust before embarking on the application of empowerment as a means

The results also showed an average degree of approval from teachers on the "work development" dimension, which is a reference to the average perception of the study sample members of their ability to develop work and influence its outputs. Where the teachers chose medium grades to express their contribution to change and enhance the roles of others within the school, with an above-average feeling to express their feeling of the impact of their actions on the development of the school.

This result is consistent with the findings of a study (Rami and Adel, 2008), where 64% of teachers confirmed that the current programs do not keep pace with the requirements of the profession, with the tendency of programs to imitate the theoretical aspects and the absence of modern standards that serve the education sector.

## 8.2. Presentation and discussion of the results of the second question:

Algerian teachers in primary schools suffer from psychological burnout to a high degree in all three dimensions.

The averages and standard deviations were calculated, the ratios for the three levels (low-medium-high) were extracted, and the following results were reached:

<table><caption>Table No. (11) teachers ' grades are based on the "Maslash scale of psychological burnout.</caption><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">Dimension</th><th colspan="2">High</th><th colspan="2">Medium</th><th colspan="2">Low</th><th colspan="2">Total</th></tr><tr><th>Number</th><th>Percentage</th><th>Number</th><th>Percentage</th><th>Number</th><th>Percentage</th><th>Number</th><th>Percentage</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>Emotional stress</td><td>57</td><td>58.16%</td><td>24</td><td>24.48%</td><td>17</td><td>17.34%</td><td>98</td><td>100%</td></tr><tr><td>Dulled feelings</td><td>49</td><td>50%</td><td>38</td><td>38.77%</td><td>11</td><td>11.22%</td><td>98</td><td>100%</td></tr><tr><td>Low sense of achievement</td><td>19</td><td>19.38%</td><td>34</td><td>34.69%</td><td>45</td><td>45.91%</td><td>98</td><td>100%</td></tr></tbody></table>

It is clear to us through the results attached to table No. (11) that a significant percentage of professors suffer from "psychological burnout" on the dimension of "emotional stress," where the percentage of professors suffering from high emotional stress was estimated at "59%". The results showed that "50%" of the sample suffer from
"dulled feelings" with an average degree Panama suffers from "38.77%" of burning on this dimension with an average degree, and as for the dimension of "low sense of personal achievement," the results showed that about half of the sample, i.e., "49" professors, have a low level on this dimension, with a percentage of "45.95%," while the rest of the professors were divided between the middle and high levels.

So what we notice about the dimension of "emotional stress" is that, it was high in more than half of the sample. This can be explained by several reasons, including the statement of the professors themselves of force majeure circumstances that limit the teacher's ability to face the pressures of the profession, especially with the decline in society's appreciation of the category of teachers and the difficulty of dealing daily with a large number of students in early childhood. The difficulties facing teachers in Algeria are varied and have many sources, including long hours at work without enough time to rest, the lack of school facilities, the weak human relations of the professor, and the lack of cooperation between colleagues, in addition to the routine in school work. In similar results, Dyer and Quine (1998) found that the lack of promotion opportunities, insufficient time for professional development, behavioral problems, and an increase in the number of students per class can lead to a high degree of "psychological burnout."

The teacher's suffering from "dulled feelings" can be explained by the magnitude of the great psychological pressures he suffers, which are related to the school work climate. The requirements of dealing daily with a large number of beneficiaries at a very sensitive age are "early childhood," especially with the phenomenon of overcrowding within the departments, which the teachers emphasize is the biggest professional obstacle facing them. In addition to the requirements of dealing with the administration and parents, all of which are causes of the teacher's coldness and dulled feelings.

As for the dimension of "low sense of personal achievement," the level of "psychological burnout" was low in the highest percentage of professors. This result can be explained by the professors' sense of the great responsibility placed on their shoulders. Especially since the majority of the sample are university students and have an awareness of the sanctity and status of the message they carry, which explains that they have a high appreciation of their profession despite its pressures and difficult circumstances. This result corresponds to what Leiter (1993) mentioned. Leiter claimed that after emotional stress, its results are often different from the other two dimensions.

Since Maslash emphasizes that the dimension of "emotional stress" is considered the central dimension of "psychological burnout," the results of the current study confirm the suffering of a professor at the Algerian School of "psychological burnout." Thus, they are consistent with the results of many studies that have confirmed the connection of the teaching profession with the phenomenon of "psychological burnout," including a study by Madouri (2014), which confirmed the existence of a relationship of attraction
between the teaching profession and the feeling of "psychological burnout" and with the findings of the study by Boubaker and Diaby (2010), which found that "psychological burnout" is low among professors after "low sense of personal achievement," as a study by Ahmed Al-Khatib (2005) found, but the teaching profession is more stressed than public service professions.

### 8.3. Presentation and discussion of the results of the third question:

There is a statistically significant effect at the level of 0.05 of psychological empowerment in reducing psychological burnout in elementary school teachers. To test the hypothesis, a simple linear regression was calculated in order to identify the effect of the independent variable on the dependent variable and analyze the relationship and impact between the independent variable "psychological empowerment" on the dependent variable "occupational burnout," and the table below shows this:

<table><caption>Table No. (12) shows the impact of psychological empowerment on the reduction of psychological burnout in primary school teacher.</caption><thead><tr><th rowspan="2">Sub-hypothesis testing</th><th rowspan="2">Independent variable</th><th rowspan="2">Dependent variable</th><th colspan="2">The overall significance of the simple regression model</th><th colspan="2">The explanatory power</th><th rowspan="2">The result of the relationship</th><th colspan="3">Regression coefficient significance</th></tr><tr><th>F</th><th>sig</th><th>r</th><th>R<sup>2</sup></th><th>B</th><th>t</th><th>Sig</th></tr></thead><tbody><tr><td>The general hypothesis</td><td>Psychological empowerment</td><td>Psychological burnout</td><td>06.96</td><td>0.01</td><td>0.26</td><td>0.068</td><td>H!</td><td>02.99</td><td>16.75</td><td>0.00</td></tr></tbody></table>

Throughout the table above, we find that the Pearson correlation coefficient between psychological empowerment and psychological burnout is r = 0.26, which is a function value at the significance level (0.01). This means that there is an average positive relationship, i.e., there is an effect between the grades of employees on the study questionnaire. We can explain this connection by the fact that the psychologically capable teacher realizes the value of his work more than others. Especially when he realizes the value of his contribution and his role in affecting the results. So he feels that he is an important element that has his role and contribution that is in the interests of the school and that his efforts are part of another loop that all aim to achieve common goals. (Yahya Melhem 2012, 111)

Also, a psychologically enabled teacher feels the freedom of action, participation, and independence in work are factors that lead to increased satisfaction and employee happiness. This is why the change in the school administration function is one of the urgent needs for the emergence of a new role for the school principal, who must be

<figure><img src="image_14.png" /></figure>
characterized as being a creative leader and thinker who possesses planning and organizational skills and has an effective democratic sense, which translates into his ability to provide opportunities for teachers and others working with him to contribute to the development and renewal of school work. (Al-musailem, 2012).

Managerial empowerment has the positive tasks that the principal is closer to the teachers and has better knowledge regarding teaching and learning issues. Accordingly, his participation in decision-making can lead to better policies for overall school performance and contribute to the affirmation of the professionalism of the principal. Within the framework of participatory decision-making, feelings of professionalism increase, and the principal will gain social legitimacy when he makes participatory decisions (al-Mahdi, 2007).

As the table shows the value of the analysis of variance (ANOVA / Analysis of Variance), it turns out that the value of (F) has reached (06.96) at the confidence level (sig=0.01), this confirms the significance of the regression at the significance level (p 0.05).

And through the value of the interpretation coefficient estimated at (0680.= ), which falls within the field of weak interpretation (B), we found that in the period in which we applied the study, psychological empowerment in its dimensions contributes (10%) to reducing professional burnout, which is an average contribution, and the rest of the percentage is due to several other factors such as training and training. The regression value given in the above table, estimated at B = 2.99, indicates that the higher we increase the levels of psychological empowerment by one unit, followed by a decrease in professional burnout by 2.99.

From the above analysis and statistical reading of the results of the table described above, we conclude the acceptance of the alternative hypothesis (1H) and the non-acceptance of the null hypothesis (0H). There is a statistically significant effect at the level of 0.05 of psychological empowerment in its three dimensions in reducing psychological burnout in the educational professional environment from the point of view of primary school teachers.

## 9. conclusion:

The study came to conclusions that can be summarized in the following points:

- The Algerian Primary School in its current state is not prepared to accept and implement the policy of empowering employees, as the management of human resources in it still proceeds traditionally, especially concerning the policy of supervision and the relationship between the boss and the subordinate.

<figure><img src="image_15.png" /></figure>
- The Algerian school suffers from phenomena that prevent the transition to modern management, such as the consolidation of centralization, the inability to share information, the fear of managers of losing power and influence, and the emergence of more competent and controlled teachers in their jobs, which reduces the confidence of teachers in the competence of managers.

- The empowerment of the teacher exists in an intermediate degree within the Algerian primary school and its dimensions are as follows:

- The dimension of the meaning of the work is present in an average degree in the primary school teacher.

- The work efficiency dimension is well present in the primary school teacher.

- The dimension of the independence of the work is present in a weak degree in the primary school teacher.

- The dimension the development of the work is present in a weak degree in the primary school teacher.

- The primary school teacher suffers from psychological burnout to a large extent on the dimension of "emotional stress and dulling of feelings" and to a weak degree on the dimension of "low sense of achievement".

- There is a positive and weak correlation between the psychological empowerment variable of the professor and his level of psychological burnout.

## 10- Study recommendations:

At the end of this study, it is necessary to indicate some proposals aimed at strengthening the policy of psychological empowerment and improving and consolidating the relationship between the administration and teachers have been summarized in the following points:

- The school administration is interested in developing employees' awareness of the four dimensions of empowerment, especially after independence and work development, which the study proved not to be entrenched among workers, focusing on the lower administrative levels by encouraging them to take responsibilities and look at their mistakes as learning opportunities.

- Coordination and cooperation between the principal and teachers, while allowing the circulation of information, abandoning close control and compensating for it with implicit control.

- Enhancing the methods of selecting professors with an emphasis on continuous qualification and training and working to strengthen their strengths by adopting the administrative empowerment approach, which earns the professor applied abilities embodied during the practice of his

<figure><img src="image_16.png" /></figure>
profession, and transforming him into a competent individual whose expertise
is used to become one of the assets that allow achieving the goals.

- Promoting management policies that lead to empowerment, such as strengthening managers' values to move towards change, managing with participation and enriching the work, and trying to link incentives and rewards to performance to remove the factors that cause the weakness of employees.

- Emphasizing the role of the manager in reaching psychological empowerment with the need to absorb modern developments in the field of management by directing research to study modern management trends and the extent of their application in Algerian organizations and highlighting their advantages while addressing the topic of psychological empowerment with other variables

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