Prediction of Academic burnout Based on Character Strengths and Learning Styles

Object:

 The purpose of this study was to predict academic burnout based on character strengths and learning styles.

This research was descriptive and correlational. The statistical population of the study included all 429 students of the Farhangian University of Qom from which a sample of 176 was randomly selected through convenient or available sampling according to the Cochran formula. Measurement instruments included Brief Strengths Test (Peterson and Seligman, 2004), Grasha-Richman Learning Styles Questionnaire (1996), and Breso et al. (2007) Burnout Inventory. Pearson correlation test and multivariate regression test were run to analyze the data.

The results indicated that there was a reverse and significant relationship between the character strengths of courage, humanity and trancendence with academic burnout. From among the learning styles, avoidance strategy as the first factor was the most influential and contributing one in explicating academic burnout. Also, from among the two predictor variables, the character strengths contributed more significantly in explicating the students' academic burnout.

Overall, it can be concluded that students endowed with character strengths of courage, humanity, and trancendence are less vulnerable to academic burnout whereas students equipped with the avoidance strategy are more exposed to academic burnout. The study also implies that educational burnout in students can be partly prevented by controlling these overlapping and intervening variables.