Research finds unrealistic parent expectations are a contributing factor to Teacher burnout
Almost half (49%) of teachers who report experiencing burnout cite unrealistic parental expectations as a contributing factor to their experience of burnout, according to new research from DCU’s Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education (CREATE). More than 1,000 teachers responded to the Teacher Occupational Wellbeing survey, and 85% of participants report moderate to high work-related burnout.
Those who cited unrealistic expectations from parents as a contributing factor to burnout point to parents’ demands for teachers to be contactable outside of school hours; parents requesting additional notes and resources from class teachers; parents disagreeing with a teacher’s assessment or feedback of their child’s performance or development in school. More worryingly, some teachers reported they have experienced challenging interactions with parents, and in some cases, verbal aggression or abuse.
Among the responses received to the survey, teachers said:
● “I've been in schools where it's incredibly academic and the parents are emailing you at two in the morning asking for you and demanding you prepare extra notes for their child or free grinds."
● “Parents want 24-hour access to teachers now. Lots of issues caused by online social media and bullying happen at home, but the fallout is felt in school. Teachers now seem to have to do a lot of roles which would traditionally have been done by parents”
● “Teachers are so unprotected in today's society. If you walk into a doctor's office, you will see signs about how abuse of staff will not be tolerated. We are subjected to constant abuse, anger and parents who will not take accountability for their child's actions. We have now become the parents and are expected to "fix" everything, e.g. "my child is struggling, what are YOU doing about it?" With the way things are going and the lack of acknowledgement towards the work of teachers, we will continue to face a staffing crisis”
● “We are working within broken systems, and burnout comes from being the point of contact for parents and bearing the brunt of those frustrations”.
The survey shows that unrealistic expectations from parents put real pressure on teachers’ work life balance and blurs the line between their professional and private lives. The survey revealed that teachers often receive email, school app messages and texts late in the evening and on the weekends, which can often be confrontational, with the expectation of an instant reply. This makes it harder for them to switch off and recover after the school day.
While navigating the complexities of a school environment is a component of pre-service and in-service training and professional development, greater supports could be provided to teachers throughout their professional career.
The new data follows findings released earlier this year that showed 86% of teachers reported moderate to high levels of personal burnout, while a similar figure (85%) reported experiencing moderate to high levels of work-related burnout.
The research involved a survey of over 1,000 teachers and was carried out by Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons, Dr Pia O’Farrell and Professor Catherine Furlong at DCU’s Centre for Collaborative Research Across Teacher Education (CREATE).
Dr Sabrina Fitzsimons, DCU CREATE Co-Director, said, “Much research establishes that when parents are involved in their child’s education, it has a positive impact on the child’s achievement, their attitude toward school, their attendance, their motivation to learn, and a decrease in classroom issues. However, when parental involvement is characterised by unrealistic expectations and excessive demands, it can contribute to teacher stress and burnout’.
Professor Catherine Furlong, DCU CREATE Co-Director speaking on the findings said “The survey shows that teachers are frequently fielding emails, messages via school communication apps and even texts late into the evenings and on weekends, which is counterproductive to teacher wellbeing and their ability to disconnect and recharge from energy and time spent in school. We recognise that this is on the agenda for the Department of Education and Youth, given that the Student and Parent Charter Bill is currently before the Dáil’.
The study reports that 46% of teachers feel that challenges associated with supporting children with special educational needs have also contributed to burnout.
Commenting on the findings surrounding special educational needs, Dr Pia O’Farrell DCU CREATE, said:
“The combination of under-resourcing, staff shortages, and the difficulty and delays in accessing external services and supports creates a perfect storm, leaving teachers carrying not only overwhelming workloads but a profound emotional strain as they try to meet the needs of children who deserve far more than the system currently provides. For example, one teacher spoke about “the vast number of children with additional needs and the limited resources (personnel and physical) that we have to meet these needs. Lack of multi-disciplinary support makes the school the first port of call for parents, and unfortunately, we do not even have a fully qualified staff due to shortages”
Earlier research this year revealed that 28% of teacher respondents rated their mental health as poor or very poor.
When asked if they received any training (pre-service or in-service) on managing their personal wellbeing and mental health, 83% of participants indicated they had not. For example, the respondents said:
“The well-being of teachers is often forgotten in the discussion of well-being in education. Gestures that focus on teacher wellbeing within schools are generally tokenistic, e.g. cupcakes for one lunch time in the staff room as opposed to addressing the structures within schools, which cause teachers' stress”
“There is a lot of talk of wellbeing in recent years, but it is clear teacher wellbeing is at the bottom of the list”
“Teacher mental health isn't cared about by the Department of Education- wellbeing is an abstract buzz word and box ticking exercise rather than something actively applied to teachers or school leaders”
When asked if they are likely to remain in the profession long-term, some 42% indicated they were ‘unlikely’ to stay as teachers. As one participant said:
“Unless some of the fundamentals of how we both treat and view teachers changes for the better, we will continue to see the same problems with serious teacher burnout. I am just over 40 years old and have done over ten years as a teacher, and am not sure I could do another ten due to the effects the job has had on my mental and physical health in terms of stress and burnout”
The World Health Organisation (WHO) recognises burnout as an occupation-related phenomenon caused by prolonged and unmanaged workplace stress, with three key features: emotional exhaustion, depersonalisation, and reduced personal accomplishment.
Next steps
The first-of-its-kind research into teacher wellbeing will be presented to stakeholders from across the education sector at a Health Research Board funded Teacher Occupational Wellbeing Think-Tank event this week.
A survey of principals across Ireland is also underway, as well as a teacher survey of over 500 participants across Northern Ireland. The findings of this research are expected to be published in late Spring 2026.
Read the DCU Executive Summary Report here
Note:
1 The study uses the Copenhagen Burnout Inventory (CBI) which is a valid and reliable tool for the measurement of emotional exhaustion (one of the key features of burnout according to the WHO). The inventory is used in research and clinical settings to assess levels of burnout. The CBI inventory has three sub-dimensions - personal burnout, work related burnout and student or client related burnout (depending on the work context). Personal burnout is best considered as an indicator of ‘general’ burnout a person may be experiencing. Work-related burnout is directly attributed to emotional exhaustion as a result of a person’s occupation. The respondent is asked 19 questions that are rated on a 5 point scale (0-100). An overall mean score falling in the 0-49 bracket indicates mild burnout - this demonstrates a movement out of the optimal range of occupational stress and into the lower range of prolonged emotional exhaustion. Scores of 50-74 reflect moderate burnout - which is already serious and often under-recognised as burnout is covert, with cumulative effects on wellbeing and functioning. A score of 75 or above indicates high burnout, indicating severe emotional exhaustion. At this level the risk of physical and mental health deterioration increases sharply, often leading to occupational withdrawal, long-term absence or exiting the professional field due to ill health. This underscores the need to identify and address burnout in its early stages.
2 Teachers were asked to record their self-rated mental health over the past year on a 5-point Likert scale, where: 1 = Very Poor, 2 = Poor, 3 = Average, 4 = Good, 5 = Excellent. When combined, 67% rated their mental health as average or good (3 or 4). Only 5% felt their mental health was excellent. While 28% of respondents rated their mental health as poor or very poor.
3 Participants were asked to indicate contributing factors to burnout. Of those who responded, workload was cited by the majority (n=523/613, 85.5%) as the most commonly reported contributing factor, followed by unrealistic expectations from parents (n=300/613, 49%) and challenges in working with pupils with special educational needs (n=283/613, 46.2%).
Participants were asked whether they believed they would remain in the teaching profession long-term. 57.3% (n=394/688) indicated Yes, suggesting they anticipate remaining in the profession for the foreseeable future. In contrast, 42.7% (n=294/688) responded ‘No’; they did not expect to continue teaching long-term.