Digital Competence and Burnout in Technology-Mediated Higher Education
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.7951Keywords:
EFL instructors, teacher self-efficacy, digital competence, burnout, job demands-resourcesAbstract
Teacher burnout is a persistent concern in higher education, particularly as instructors strive to maintain effective teaching in technology-intensive work environments. This quantitative correlational study examined the relationships among teacher self-efficacy, digital competence, and burnout among 43 EFL instructors at two Turkish state universities. Participants completed an online survey measuring all three constructs via validated instruments. Pearson correlations and multiple regression were used to test associations and to model the simultaneous contributions of self-efficacy and digital competence to burnout variance. Instructors reported high self-efficacy, moderate-to-high digital competence, and moderate burnout. Self-efficacy was positively associated with burnout, whereas digital competence was negatively associated with it. The two predictors were not significantly correlated with each other. In the regression model, both predictors were independently significant and jointly accounted for 36.6% of the variance in burnout (R² = .366). The positive self-efficacy-burnout association, which runs counter to the general literature, may reflect role overload in technology-demanding environments or a mismatch between the general teaching self-efficacy measure and technology-specific demands. Digital competence appeared to function as a buffering resource consistent with job demands-resources (JD-R) predictions. Findings suggest that higher education institutions should consider targeted digital professional development and workload management as complementary strategies for supporting instructor well-being.
References
An, S., & Tao, S. (2024). English as a foreign language teachers' burnout: The predicator powers of self-efficacy and well-being. Acta Psychologica, 245, 104226. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104226
Arık Güngör, B., Metin, M., & Saraçoğlu, S. (2025). Digital competencies scale for teachers: A validity and reliability study. International Journal of Technology in Education and Science, 9(3), 374–396. https://doi.org/10.46328/ijtes.629
Bakker, A. B., & Demerouti, E. (2017). Job demands-resources theory: Taking stock and looking forward. Journal of Occupational Health Psychology, 22(3), 273–285. https://doi.org/10.1037/ocp0000056
Bandura, A. (1997). Self-efficacy: The exercise of control. W. H. Freeman.
Chen, B.-C., Wu, Y.-T., & Chuang, Y.-T. (2024). The impact of teachers' perceived competence in information and communication technology usage, and workplace anxiety on well-being, as mediated by emotional exhaustion. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1404575. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1404575
Chen, J., Lin, C., & Lin, F. (2024). The interplay among EFL teachers' emotional intelligence, self-efficacy, and burnout. Acta Psychologica, 248, 104364. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2024.104364
Cohen, J. (1992). A power primer. Psychological Bulletin, 112(1), 155–159. https://doi.org/10.1037/0033-2909.112.1.155
Cohen, J., Cohen, P., West, S. G., & Aiken, L. S. (2003). Applied multiple regression/correlation analysis for the behavioral sciences (3rd ed.). Lawrence Erlbaum.
Dai, W. (2023). An empirical study on English preservice teachers' digital competence regarding ICT self-efficacy, collegial collaboration and infrastructural support. Heliyon, 9(9), e19538. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.heliyon.2023.e19538
Demerouti, E., & Bakker, A. B. (2008). The Oldenburg burnout inventory: A good alternative to measure burnout and engagement. In J. R. B. Halbesleben (Ed.), Stress and burnout in health care (pp. 65–78). Nova Science Publishers.
Fathi, J., Greenier, V., & Derakhshan, A. (2021). Self-efficacy, reflection, and burnout among Iranian EFL teachers: The mediating role of emotion regulation. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 9(2), 13-37. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2021.121043
Handayanto, A., Miyono, N., & Yulianti, P. D. (2024). Self-efficacy, competence in technology information and computers, and burnout: What is the profile for teachers? Journal An-Nafs: Kajian Penelitian Psikologi, 9(1), 37–51. https://doi.org/10.33367/psi.v9i1.5169
Hoang, N. H. (2024). Exploring digital competence among Vietnamese EFL preservice teachers: The role of ICT self-efficacy, collegial collaboration, and infrastructural support. Journal of Digital Learning in Teacher Education, 40(4), 217–237. https://doi.org/10.1080/21532974.2024.2407327
Hussain, Z., Chenmei, C., Saeed, M., Hassan, N., & Chiragh, F. (2024). Personality and teachers' burnout stress: Exploring the digital competence as personal job resource in allied health institutions. Frontiers in Psychology, 15, 1334371. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2024.1334371
Kassymova, G. M., Tulepova, S. B., & Bekturova, M. B. (2023). Perceptions of digital competence in learning and teaching English in the context of online education. Contemporary Educational Technology, 15(1), ep396. https://doi.org/10.30935/cedtech/12598
Ma, L., Chee, C. S., Amri, S., Gao, X., Wang, Q., Wang, N., & Liu, P. (2025). Impact of self-efficacy and burnout on professional development of physical education teachers in the digital age: A systematic review. PeerJ, 13, e18952. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.18952
Mahdian Rad, H., & Baleghizadeh, S. (2025). EFL teacher burnout: The nexus of emotional intelligence, self-concept, and self-efficacy. Iranian Journal of Language Teaching Research, 13(2), 167–194. https://doi.org/10.30466/ijltr.2025.55087.2649
Maslach, C., & Leiter, M. P. (2016). Understanding the burnout experience: Recent research and its implications for psychiatry. World Psychiatry, 15(2), 103–111. https://doi.org/10.1002/wps.20311
Maslach, C., Schaufeli, W. B., & Leiter, M. P. (2001). Job burnout. Annual Review of Psychology, 52(1), 397–422. https://doi.org/10.1146/annurev.psych.52.1.397
Pagán-Garbín, I., Méndez, I., & Martínez-Ramón, J. P. (2024). Exploration of stress, burnout and technostress levels in teachers: Prediction of their resilience levels using an artificial neuronal network. Teaching and Teacher Education, 148, 104717. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2024.104717
Redecker, C. (2017). European framework for the digital competence of educators: DigCompEdu (JRC107466). European Commission, Joint Research Centre. https://doi.org/10.2760/159770
Schwarzer, R., & Hallum, S. (2008). Perceived teacher self-efficacy as a predictor of job stress and burnout: Mediation analyses. Applied Psychology: An International Review, 57(Suppl. 1), 152–171. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1464-0597.2008.00359.x
Shi, Q., Xu, X., Zhang, Y., & Hu, B. (2025). Research on psychological resilience, digital competence, and self-efficacy in online TCFL teachers. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 366. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030366
Skaalvik, E. M., & Skaalvik, S. (2010). Teacher self-efficacy and teacher burnout: A study of relations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 1059–1069. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.tate.2009.11.001
Tschannen-Moran, M., & Woolfolk Hoy, A. (2001). Teacher efficacy: Capturing an elusive construct. Teaching and Teacher Education, 17(7), 783–805. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0742-051X(01)00036-1
Wang, Z., & Chu, Z. (2023). Examination of higher education teachers' self-perception of digital competence, self-efficacy, and facilitating conditions: An empirical study in the context of China. Sustainability, 15(14), 10945. https://doi.org/10.3390/su151410945
Yang, X., & Du, J. (2024). The effect of teacher self-efficacy, online pedagogical and content knowledge, and emotion regulation on teacher digital burnout: A mediation model. BMC Psychology, 12(1), 51. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40359-024-01540-z
Zeng, Y., Liu, Y., & Peng, J. (2024). Noticing the unnoticed: Teacher self-efficacy as a mediator between school context and teacher burnout in developing regions. Revista de Psicodidáctica, 29(2), 107–117. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.psicoe.2024.02.002
Downloads
Published
Issue
Section
License
Copyright (c) 2026 International Journal of Technology in Education and Science
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
