Date of Award
Spring 2026
Document Type
Dissertation
Degree Name
Doctor of Education (EdD)
Committee Chair
Bonnie Bolado
Abstract
This phenomenological study explored the lived experiences of Career and Technical Education (CTE) teachers who self-identified as having suffered from burnout. While burnout in education is a commonly researched topic, burnout related to CTE is underrepresented but relevant due to an increasing emphasis on the need for skills-based training. This study sought to understand the internal and external factors that contributed to teacher burnout and how shame, gaslighting, and toxic positivity influenced professional identity and emotional well-being. A qualitative phenomenological approach was used to conduct 14 personal interviews and a follow-up focus group consisting of six participants. Findings indicated that burnout was not the result of a single or sudden experience but stemmed from a cumulative effect of emotional exhaustion, chronic role overload, constrained autonomy, relational withdrawal, and erosion of professional identity. Participants pointed to poorly defined boundaries relating to advisement of Career and Technical Student Organization activities, curriculum expectations, community pressures, and laboratory and facility management as contributing factors to burnout. Shame and emotional invalidation emerged as common themes related to how teachers perceived themselves professionally and cast doubt on their confidence to effectively continue in the role. Analyzed through Self-Determination Theory, Organizational Theory, and contemporary burnout research, the findings reveal that burnout is more accurately described as a relational and systemic phenomenon rather than that of individual shortcomings. Implications for practice, policy, and future research emphasize the need for organizational reform, leadership development, and policy decisions outlining clear occupational boundaries that support the emotional well-being of teachers.
Recommended Citation
Harris, Kaye C., "Playing With Fire: A Phenomenological Study of Burnout Among Career and Technical Education Teachers and Factors that Fuel the Dilemma" (2026). Doctor of Education Dissertations. 287.
https://digitalcommons.gardner-webb.edu/education-dissertations/287
Creative Commons License
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial 4.0 License