Conference Program

As is well known, schools today are configured as increasingly complex environments, shaped by profound social, cultural and political transformations that have redefined their structures, functions and meanings over time. Against this backdrop of change, the role of the teacher is also evolving, with teachers facing an increasing array of demands, overlapping tasks and roles, and a growing diversity of educational needs. These factors have a significant impact on teachers’ personal and professional well-being.

The complexity of contemporary school institutions contributes to the intensification of stress and burnout experiences among teachers, particularly with regard to emotional exhaustion and depersonalisation. A longitudinal study conducted in 2021 and 2023 highlighted an increase in these dimensions among a sample of 196 upper secondary school teachers in Palermo.

Building on these findings, this paper aims to broaden the perspective on teacher burnout by exploring representations of stress related to care work in initial and in-service training programmes for adult educators. Specifically, the paper presents data from an open-ended questionnaire administered to students enrolled in the 10th cycle of the Specialisation Course for Educational Support Activities at the University of Palermo. The aim was to examine how professional stress is conceptualised, anticipated and narrated during the training phase.

The study is situated within the paradigm of fundamental pedagogy, adopting a phenomenological–hermeneutic approach. The aim is to identify potential meanings in education that could inform the design of educational and training practices aimed at preventing burnout in schools. From this perspective, teaching is recognised as a form of care work. Without adequate educational and community-based support, it can become an exhausting experience.