Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 616

Proceedings of the 2nd International Conference on Education Studies: Experience and

Innovation (ICESEI 2021)

Analysis on the Reasons of Academic Burnout

Among Chinese Adolescents
Yanting Ma1,*
1
University College London, Gower Street, London WC1E 6BT, UK
*
Corresponding author. Email: yanting.ma.19@ucl.ac.uk

ABSTRACT
Academic burnout is investigated by scholars and has been found to have negative influences on students’
mental health. This paper is going to outline the possible reasons for academic burnout using literature review
from both internal and external perspectives. Internal reasons include: the effect of perfectionism, individual
mindfulness and achievement goals hold by the students during their academic life. External reasons are
parenting styles and the school environment. This paper concludes with suggestions to prevent academic burnout
for future researchers and educators.

Keywords: Academic burnout, Adolescent, China, Impacts of academic burnout, Reasons for
academic burnout.

1. INTRODUCTION 2. REASONS OF ACADEMIC

School is an important developmental context BURNOUT AMONG
for adolescents and has been criticized for ADOLESCENTS
developing harmful psychological disorders such as
academic burnout [1]. Academic burnout is 2.1 Internal Factors
characterized by emotional exhaustion, cynicism
Academic burnout can be categorized into
and low efficacy [2]. Burnout has been studied in
internal and external factors. Internal burnout is a
the workplace and organization intensely since it
personal factor that may trigger burnout and how
has been regarded as a work-related disorder. Still,
the impact of academic burnout varies among
the reasons on students are revealed recently and
adolescents due to individual differences.
call more attention to this specific issue. From a
psychological perspective, although students are
not having a job or be employed, their daily 2.1.1 Perfectionism
activities in a school setting can be considered as Perfectionism has been proved may trigger
work [1]. Academic burnout is displayed among academic burnout, but only the exceed standards on
students during the learning process due to self would lead to such result [3], [4]. Perfectionism
excessive course stress, course load or other is a personality trait that an individual will strive to
psychological factors [2]. Hence, this paper aims to achieve flawlessness in everything not limited to
analyze the reasons for academic burnout, work or study [5]. It was examined in various
specifically focus on Chinese adolescents. The studies that perfectionism has led to complex and
overview on academic burnout is expected to raise diverse psychological functioning, but different
public awareness of such issues and call for future perfectionism forms may lead to a contrasting
research on this rising issue. outcome. Research suggests that only perfectionism
concern is correlated with burnout, whereas
perfectionism striving is linked to engagement [6].
To be specific, perfectionistic concerns have
displayed a more significant negative relationship
with burnout than perfectionist strivings.

Copyright © 2021 The Authors. Published by Atlantis Press SARL.

This is an open access article distributed under the CC BY-NC 4.0 license -http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/. 6
 Advances in Social Science, Education and Humanities Research, volume 616

Perfectionism concerns contain self-evaluation on schooled environment, students perform different

adverse outcomes, whereas perfectionism striving types of achievement goals towards their study,
is how individuals set high standards for themselves. which determines students' evaluation of their
Similarly, the study by Luo et al. [4] found that situations and behaviour [10]. Hence, this will
only maladaptive perfectionism is related to school influence their experience on learning and studying
burnout, but adaptive perfectionism is not. outcome. China is a particular case by having most
Individuals with maladaptive perfectionism tend to students holding high multiple goals in their
doubt their ability and constantly believe the task is academic years [11]. This is because the highly
too challenging for them. Furthermore, self-esteem competitive and cruel studying environment has led
has displayed an essential role in mediating to a greater range of Chinese adolescents' goals
perfectionism and academic burnout [4]. The than adolescents in other countries. And such an
individual with low self-esteem shows more fear of environment has also been criticized being the
failure, which is also the core feature of major factor for decreasing psychological well-
maladaptive perfectionism. Therefore, academic being. Arguably, high multiple goals manipulated
burnout is more correlated with the negative ideas from the intense studying environment seem to
on self because of perfectionism. exert fewer negative influences on adolescents [11].
Although students tended to show more anxiety
2.1.2 Mindfulness towards examinations, they showed less cynicism
and high academic self-efficacy. The study by Liu
As perfectionism may impact how individual et al. [11] combined the achievement approaches
thinking about themselves, another internal factor and found that high performance-avoidance goals
of academic burnout is mindfulness which is are critical in leading to emotional exhaustion.
similar to how personal process information and Therefore, performance-avoidance achievement
apply to themselves. Mindfulness is the ability to goals would lead to adverse psychological
combine experiences and actions of the present outcomes, which may be the potential reason for
without judgment and these experiences’ Chinese students to experience academic burnout.
involvement [7]. Dispositional mindfulness is
linked to the general tendency of an individual to 2.2 External Factors
attend the present event non-judgmentally. It is
found out that dispositional mindfulness, especially Apart from personal reasons, academic burnout
those related to traumatized events, has negatively may also result from external factors. This includes
correlated with academic burnout. The study of Xu how the environment, such as parenting practices
and colleagues [8] has found that students with high and school affect adolescents.
levels of dispositional mindfulness suffered less
academic burnout after the Yancheng tornado in 2.2.1 Parenting Styles
2016. It was suggested that the negative
posttraumatic beliefs mediated the relationship Various studies have argued about the relation
between dispositional mindfulness and academic between parenting practices and academic burnout.
burnout. To explain this, if students endorse Studies highlighted that parenting styles would
negative posttraumatic thoughts, those with affect adolescents’ academic achievement [12], but
dispositional mindfulness will suffer less academic studies have contrasting ideas on parenting
burnout. Therefore, dispositional mindfulness has practices’ impacts. It was highlighted that a
predicting academic burnout especially for those negative parenting style is positively correlated
who have carried posttraumatic beliefs. Hence with students’ academic burnout [3], [13]. A
future studies have to include the impact of negative parenting style is characterized by features
traumatized events into assessing adolescents’ like rejection and excessive protection [3]. Students
mental well-being. who suffered such a negative parenting styles
would score high in the Academic Burnout Survey.
2.1.3 Motivation & Achievement Goals Furthermore, it is also found that a negative
parenting style may lead to the formation of an
Different from the two former ideas, it has also opposing personality [3]. As students constantly
been proved that motivation or achievement goals affected by negative parenting style, they may
of adolescents may lead to academic burnout. demonstrate fear to their parents or fail to solve
Achievement goals play essential roles in the problems independently, which makes them more
reasons for persons' motive towards goals [9]. In a likely to perform similar behaviour to schoolwork.

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Thus, a negative parenting style may result in 3. POSSIBLE METHODS TO AVOID

academic burnout. However, the study is debatable ACADEMIC BURNOUT
about the categorization of negative parenting style.
Although studies designed different styles of 3.1 Internal Method
parenting and have differentiated parenting forms,
it is not holistic to conclude the parenting styles Perfectionism is a personality trait, and it can be
among the general population. According to various hard to overturn it through psychological methods.
studies, authoritative parenting is the most effective While developing dispositional mindfulness can
style in improving academic achievement. But effectively prevent academic burnout and can be
according to Zhu and colleagues [13], authoritative put into clinical practice [7]. It is also essential for
parenting [give the children some freedom to educators to pay extra attention to adolescents who
choose but carry expectations on them] only have gone through traumatic events. They should
predicted intellectual engagement but less academic be taken care of mental recovery, and school should
burnout in adolescent. Therefore, academic burnout set a more positive and encouraging environment.
may have resulted from rejection and excessive
protection from parents. Still, it is unclear whether 3.2 External Method
there is a long-term parenting style that can lead to
academic burnout. It is also crucial for educators to notice the
influence of school environments on academic
2.2.2 School Environment burnout. Although it is hard to justify an effective
parenting style that will prevent the development of
Apart from parenting influence, the school academic burnout, parents should try to reduce
environment is also an essential external factor in rejection and over-protection to their children [3].
the development of academic burnout. Students’ Furthermore, with the results by Wang et al. [9],
perception of classroom structure impacts academic schools need to pay attention to public bullying and
burnout [14]. Students who perceive a lower level relational bullying, such as negative gossip.
of classroom setting are more likely to adopt Schools should build a harmonious and friendly
burnout experience. If the classroom structure atmosphere among students. Therefore, and
meets students’ expectations and directions, as well interpersonal communication skills should also be
as letting students have a sense of control, students promoted as well as psychological education.
less likely to experience academic burnout. It is
Chinese students tend to carry multiple goals
also worth mentioning that academic coping plays
during their academic life. Thus, improving
an essential part in the relationship between
Chinese adolescents’ mastery and oriented learning
students’ perceptions of classroom structure.
approach instead of multiple goals may produce a
Coping is referred to as the ‘cognitive and
positive learning outcome [11]. Therefore, parents
behavioural efforts made to manage demand’ [14].
and teachers should provide students with support
Engaging and seeking supports are the two copings
that respects their interest and satisfy their
that allow students to perceive higher classroom
psychological needs and emphasize mastery
structure. At the same time, disengagement is more
approach.
likely to report a lower level of classroom structure.
Furthermore, the school environment also consists
of peer relations which will influence an 4. CONCLUSION
individual’s academic burnout. In Wang and To conclude, the reasons academic burnout can
colleagues’ study [15], academic burnout was the be categorized into internal and external factors.
critical psychological process between negative Internal reasons are the maladaptive effect of
school gossip and suicide intention. Rumors may perfectionism, dispositional mindfulness after
reduce an individual’s sense of belongings, thus traumatized events and performance-avoidance
increased suicide intention. This relationship is achievement goals holding by the students. External
partial mediated by academic burnout since reasons include rejection and excessive protection
thwarted belongingness will lead to burnout. It is from parents and the school environment. It is
also found that peer supports influence students’ crucial for future researchers and educators to
burnout experiences indirectly through their use of examine the reasons for academic burnout in a
coping strategies, but this is highly depending on holistic way by including both internal and external
students’ perception of supports [14]. factors.

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AUTHORS' CONTRIBUTIONS Following a Tornado: The Role of Mediation

through Regulatory Emotional Self-Efficacy.
This paper is independently completed by Journal Of Aggression, Maltreatment &
Yanting Ma. Trauma, 27 (5), 487-504.
https://doi.org/10.1080/10926771.2018.14332
ACKNOWLEDGMENTS 58
I would like to show my gratitude to all my [8] Xu, W., An, Y., Ding, X., Yuan, G., Zhuang,
teachers who have provided insightful ideas and Y., & Goh, P. 2017. Dispositional mindfulness,
great support to me and my work. negative posttraumatic beliefs, and academic
burnout among adolescents following the
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