The Digital Burnout Phenomenon: A Case Study on the Impact of Educational Technology on Teacher Well-being
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Abstract
Background and Aim: The rapid acceleration of digital transformation in education has intensified concerns about teacher workload, stress, and professional well-being. Although educational technology is widely positioned as a key mechanism for advancing Sustainable Development Goal 4, less attention has been given to how digital reforms are framed in relation to teachers’ psychosocial working conditions.
Materials and Methods: This study examines the “digital burnout” phenomenon through a qualitative document analysis of secondary sources published between 2020 and 2025. The dataset consists of purposively selected policy reports, research syntheses, and professional publications produced by international organizations, governmental agencies, unions, and professional associations. Using directed content analysis guided by the Job Demands–Resources (JD-R) model, the study analyzes how digital demands and leadership-related resources are represented across these documents. AI-assisted qualitative data analysis software was used as an analytic instrument to support systematic coding, pattern identification, and data management, with researcher-led validation procedures applied to enhance analytic trustworthiness.
Results: The synthesis suggests that while digital competence and innovation are emphasized in education policy discourse, the reviewed literature consistently documents increased digital workload, blurred work–life boundaries, and limited institutional safeguards for teachers. Reports further indicate that leadership practices such as workload regulation, professional autonomy, and policies supporting a “right to disconnect” are frequently identified as mitigating resources.
Conclusion: The study concludes that teacher well-being is framed across the literature as a necessary condition for sustainable digital education reform and should be more explicitly embedded within digital transformation policies.
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